I know there are a lot of mystery fans out there who started out with Nancy Drew books. I certainly did. I devoured them complete with the flashlight under the covers when I was supposed to be asleep. I’m old enough that I read the originals. I remember the turquoise color of the binding. I got all of my either from book sales or as hand me downs, so I never saw the dust jackets.
I’m working on a proposal now for a character who loves the original Nancy Drew books even though they are from way before her time. She even had a speaking role in a movie made from one of the original books. While the series takes place in a small Indiana town and hour outside of Chicago, my character is from L.A. hence her getting a part in the movie.
Since I found myself referencing Nancy Drew a lot as I was writing, I decided I ought to reread at least one of the books now. A while ago I had bought some new editions of the original books. This time I got to see the dust jackets and they are wonderful. I love the illustrations of Nancy and her friends with their bobbed hair, attractive dresses and heeled shoes. I never thought about when they’d been written since I read them in the 1950s, but the one I’m reading was originally copyrighted in 1931 which explains the references to so many people looking for work– it was the depression.
I wondered how reading one of the books would be now. And since I started writing, the way I read is totally different. While I’m reading the story another part of me is a step back viewing the structure and making mental notes on the plot etc. I watch movies and TV shows much the same now. It makes it a much more active experience.
Nancy is all that I remembered. Kind hearted, up for adventure and with an eye for mystery. I wish there were more descriptions. Instead of just say "boarding house," I’d like to know what it looked like etc. The plot might be a little too coincidental, but it has me wondering and turning the pages. I want to find out what happens.
Isn’t that what makes a good book?
1 comment:
I like to create my own mental images of the setting of a story. I have deffinate mental pictures of the bookstore, all the homes and places your characters visit, and of course the "stars" themselves. I know what they usually wear, the cars they drive, their pets, etc. I usually prefer books to movies !
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