 Mystery: July 25, 2018 Issue [#9021] |
  Mystery
This week: Cultural Differences Edited by: Jeff  
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"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the
fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science."
-- Albert Einstein
Trivia of the Week: If you made a 2,000-mile circle around Bangkok, Thailand (approximately), there are some interesting facts about that circle. Inside of it would be: the world's tallest mountain, the world's deepest part of the ocean, the least populous country on earth, and more human population living inside of it than in the entire world outside of it. Brilliant Maps has a great article about it if you're interested in reading more.
Week:
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CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
As I write this editorial, I'm sitting literally less than a hundred meters from the Indian Ocean at Mai Khao Beach in Phuket, Thailand. My wife and I are on our first real vacation in over two years, and in our research of Thai tourism and culture, it got me thinking about how powerful cultural differences can be, and what great motive they can be in mystery writing.
In Thailand, for example, everyone is exceedingly polite. Thai culture is very concerned with the idea of "face" (either you gain face by being generous with subordinates, deferential to superiors, etc., or you lose face by being reprimanded in front of your peers, making embarrassing mistakes, acting disrespectful, etc.). While people in the United States may be perfectly used to experiencing, for example, a customer yelling at a waiter or retail clerk, that same behavior can have a devastating effect on a Thai waiter or retail clerk's social standing. Similarly, it's not unusual for Thai people to ask what westerners might consider private questions, such as how old you are or how much money you make. But this is most often to either (a) make casual conversation, or (b) help them establish where in the social hierarchy you are so they can treat you with the appropriate level of respect and deference.
When we were in France a few years ago, we were shocked at how long it took to eat a meal there. It's not uncommon for a quick breakfast meal ("le petit dejeuner") consisting of some kind of a baked good (croissant, brioche, etc.), coffee or tea, juice, and bread with condiments like jam, butter, honey, etc. to take upwards of an hour to consume. For full meals like dinners, you can be in the restaurant for as long as two or two and a half hours, even if the restaurant isn't busy and the staff is attentive. French culture is much more leisurely, especially around food. In the United States, dining tends to be a rush job... you spend only as much time as is necessary to actually eat your food, then you're out the door and onto your next thing. In France, they value it as leisure time spent socializing or spending time independently.
Now imagine a story where a character, motivated by a cultural misunderstanding... or using a cultural difference to his or her advantage... ends up pulling off a heist, or a murder, or committing some other kind of crime. While I'm generally one of those "we have more commonalities than differences" types of people, it's hard not to admit that different cultures do have different customs, mores, traditions, and expectations. In a genre like mystery/crime/thriller, many of us are always on the hunt for a new and unique motive to use for our antagonists. It might be worth considering those motives stemming from a cultural difference in some way.
The great thing about the internet is that there are a ton of resources out there for travelers to better understand local customs to the places they want to visit. If you want to write a story where cultural differences play a part in the narrative, you're just a short Google search away. Looking for things like, "Cultural differences between [YOUR COUNTRY] and ____" or "What to know about traveling to ____" or "Things to know before visiting ___" can be great places to start.
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations"
"New & Noteworthy Things"
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This month's official Writing.com writing contest is:
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EXCERPT: Moyer got to his feet and shuffled toward the parlor. He resented the fact that City Marshal Cronin required his detectives to install telephones in their homes. “Soon everyone will have them,” the electrician had told Moyer whilst his crew erected telephone poles on their street. “You’re gettin in on the ground floor.” With his Massachusetts accent, the last word had come out as floah. Moyer had come to hate those blasted poles, which sullied their view of the harbor.
EXCERPT: The night was quite and the whole street was drowning in darkness. A bulb glowed up and a small new world emerged. It was outside a house over its deck above and beside the only door to the inside. The street was now visible too alongside the only house. Sure there were others on both sides of the street but none that could be seen. The light was only capable enough to carry the weight of one existence and that it did. The deck outside the house was old but firm and steady. Little high above the ground with stairs aligned in front of the door to climb up from the five ft yard which was separating the house from the street and also was shielding the light from escaping away and flow over to other houses. Just below the bulb was a wooden rocking chair few steps aside from the door. Scratches on its surface were like wrinkles on skin putting a show of it's age to the world but displaying the stiffness and firmness that it had which made it still capable of going a long long way. It was true for everything about that house.
EXCERPT: The windows were all boarded up and a thin layer of dust spread over everything. Everything around her was dark and the damp floor creaked as she rolled onto her back. Something beside her moved. She froze. Her heart hammered in her chest and she could feel the cool air from a ceiling fan that spun around so rapidly that it might fling itself off its hinges and fly off into the dark. Her hands began to shake.
EXCERPT: She walked in as I was about to leave. I hate waiting. In this business, time is money and idle time is costly. She pulled out a chair across from me.
EXCERPT: Victoria started coughing after she took a long drink from her soda. It got so bad it took her about a minute before she got it under control. She put her drink down next to her just as she stopped it. Just in time for her to catch a couple who came out of the bar she had been watching from across the street in her car.
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Feedback from "Mystery Newsletter (June 27, 2018)" about dangerous locales:
Budroe  writes: "This was an interesting Newsletter, and I thank you for the work taken to make it real. Cabot Cove? I suppose nobody has ever heard of Midsummer, huh! :) Keep up the good work for us all!"
I've never seen Midsomer Murders, but from a brief description it seems like another place that fits the bill. Thanks for sharing!
Quick-Quill  writes: "Should you find yourself stuck with a single location and a large amount of crime, supernatural occurrences, or other oddities, considering putting some thought into why these things are happening in this location."
This is a keeper. This sentence, when you look at it, can open possibilities for a series. What if the location is the MC? Each story is centered on the inhabitants and the visitors. What a concept. A perfect idea for a contest. Set up the setting, then each entry must use the setting and its inhabitants. "
I'm glad this most recent newsletter inspired you! 
🎼 RRodgersWrites 🎶  writes: "That trivia fit is great! We love Angela Lansbury's show, and your stats sure make one wonder!"
Thanks for writing in!
DB Cooper writes: "When the Russians (by way of a disinformation campaign) killed Fred Cuny in Grozny it was an injustice in the arm pit of the world."
I'm not very familiar with this case (only what I briefly read on Wikipedia), but it would definitely be interesting to find out what really happened!
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