An earlier version of this post appeared on Write on Sisters
in 2014.
I was hooked on mysteries with my first Nancy Drew (Carolyn
Keene). Who wouldn’t want to be her, zipping around in her little red car with
her girlfriend, George, and boyfriend, Ned? She was intrepid, daring, smart,
and very independent. In the 1950s, when I was reading Nancy Drew books, there
weren’t many examples for preteens of strong, smart girls/women figuring out
things as the men tagged along. She
solved things without being saved. She used her wits to outwit culprits above
what her punching weight would expect. And there are 84 books. 84!
About Nancy Drew, Wikipedia says:
Feminist literary critics have
analyzed the character's enduring appeal, arguing
variously that
Nancy Drew is a mythic hero, an expression of wish fulfillment, or an embodiment of
contradictory ideas about femininity.
It’s interesting to note that a number of high-profile women
(e.g., Laura Bush, Sandra Day O’Connor, and Hillary Clinton) cite the influence
of Nancy Drew on their formative years. Nancy Drew mysteries, published from
1930-2003, positively affected generations of women. We were imbued with her
can-do attitude and clever problem solving, and
Nancy not only introduced me to action-taking women and the
mystery genre, but also I learned, in a rudimentary way, how to write. Yes,
Nancy Drew, writing teacher. Of course, she didn’t set out to be that, but the
elements of genre writing were clearly demonstrated.
Genre fiction has been criticized for being clichéd,
predictable, and hackneyed. But that might not be so bad for a youngster who
reads a lot. Reading lots of genre books implants, subliminally, elements that are
harder to teach out of context. In reading genre fiction, it is as if the young
reader internalizes elements of fiction without being aware of it and before
having labels to attach.
Compare the internalization of fiction elements to learning
to drive. In America, the majority of young children and teens have the opportunity
to observe driving elements thousands of times before ever getting behind the
wheel. They are easier to teach how to drive because of those observations.
Just imagine how hard it would be to explain all the
components of driving to someone who had never seen it done. Adjust the mirror
before engaging the engine. Huh? Put on your right turn signal far enough in
advance to let others know a turn is coming. Uh, how far is that? Three pedals
and two feet in a stick shift car. How does that work?
By experiencing elements of character development, for
example, as recurring facets as well as deepening aspects over books, the young
reader learns what it takes to give a character unique as well as universal
appeal. From Nancy, I learned there need to be distinguishing traits or tics
that separate characters one from another. I learned that I had to make my
characters likeable but flawed so the reader can relate. I learned that in
series writing, keeping characters familiar but still fresh results from testing
characters in new ways. All from Nancy Drew!
Now, did I recognize that at the time? Heck, no! I was a kid
reading for the mystery, thinking along with her, trying to solve it as fast as
she did. But later, in my own nascent writings, I found elements
revealing themselves there.
I am reflective by nature and reflecting on how to create
interesting characters others would like to know led me to the revelation of
the origins of my earliest writing lessons. Those books, and others from my
youth, imprinted me, in the psychological sense, with a basic understanding of
the fiction elements of plot, setting, conflict resolution, and character
development.
That wasn’t enough, of course. I have taken classes,
discussed character development with critique groups, and read books and
articles about character development. But it all began with Nancy. How did you get hooked on mysteries (or some other genre)? Want to see what I tried. Here's the link to Mission Impastable.
