Random Thoughts about Writing, Noir and Crime Fiction.

Today I have Noir on the brain-- as I should everyday, since that is all I read and write about. But today it is stronger than ever. I think it has to do with getting through a tough and somewhat boring part in my story which was basically a bridge, well more like a gateway section to the meaty part of the plot.

But back to Noir. I guess it suits me because it goes really well with my love of all things retro: Old motels with neon signs, jazz clubs, basically all the things Tom Waits sings about.

I also like the spare and no nonsense way the stories are told. It is like someone is spoon feeding you a very bitter dose of medicine and for some reason you want more.

Crime fiction or Noir doesn't neccesarily leave you with truths. I would say it is more of an escape-- or better yet a dark journey that makes you appreciate your own boring life when you return.

This journey analogy is most fitting for the old stuff. Old stuff meaning Chandler, Hammet, Spillane, Jim Thompson and Ross Macdonald. In those stories the private investigator does take a very linear journey. And through out it all, deep down inside, he or she has a very strong moral compass that helps them wade through the sleaze and other urban slime.

My clown Huey Dusk follows that format. My stories are about him finding out and affirming that he does have a compass and the world can make sense if he takes it upon himself to set it back on the right track. He succeeds to a certain degree.