It’s been a while since I wrote a blog post.No excuses! Bailey and I have been revving up for the Spring and Summer. We hide out in the Winter, huddled under covers reading (well, I do), Bailey keeps busy with secret cat activities. She is highly guarded about her mischievous pursuits. Thankfully, she isn’t one of those cat companions who brings home dead mice gift wrapped in flora and fauna.
Introduction to European Crime Fiction
Well, the news is that I decided to start an Open University short course on Introduction to European Crime Fiction. As someone who is drawn to writing mysteries and crime fiction, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to learn more about the craft and history. It has also introduced me to Continental European writers who I have not read. The one that stuck out this week is Frédéric Dard (French national, author and humourist, 1921-2000).
I read his book The King of Fools (1952) which was perfectly structured and composed. It was engaging and had the perfect mix of wry-humour, intrigue, suspense and timed revelations. Then I read up on the author. He published over 284 thrillers in his lifetime, selling an estimated 200 million copies in France alone. He wrote under 17 aliases and so the actual total number of his stand alone works is still disputed. He averaged three to five publications a year.
Now that is my new target. Write three to five books a year.
While I have self-published short story collections and novels, I also have short stories in anthologies, literary journals and, sometimes, I submit to competitions. My aim this writing year is to explore how to incorporate my love of other genres into my writing.
As someone who eschews using AI in composing and constructing new tales, I am finding the in-depth coverage of crime fiction and situational exploration on the Open University course, in terms of socio-cultural and political themes interesting and something I have decided to weave into my own tales this year.
The Open Univerity also offers free writing courses; I encourage you to have a peek. These free resources encourage everyone to have a go at writing stories, poems and exploring the craft.
Note: I am not paid to promote their courses, I just have done quite a few of their courses and have found them useful and written in a way that encourages anyone to give writing a go. That’s why I have provided these links.
Well, that’s all for now.
Happy writing and may the magic of creativity lighten your days!
Love
Olivia and Bailey
O. S. King 