on Career Authors:

Recently I read Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley, who in case you don’t know is a royal curator, historian, TV broadcaster, and bestselling author. She exhibits remarkably good humor while obviously being extremely smart and busy.
Her book’s subject, Agatha Christie, has critics and detractors—some justified—but it cannot be argued that Dame Agatha is the bestselling novelist of all time. Even so, Christie once said, “I don’t like describing people or places. I just want to get on with the dialogue.” This sort of talk did not endear her to critics or snobs. Readers felt otherwise, and it may be the rock-solid underpinnings of her plots that have allowed her novels to be translated into countless languages and enjoyed across the globe.
In Worsley’s riveting biography, she takes readers behind the scenes to reveal the mystery author’s characteristic “Christie Tricks.” And with kind permission from Pegasus Books, I share with you Dame Agatha’s clever literary ploys.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Christie’s first big hit, contains a classic Christie trick. Neat-freak detective Poirot notices when objects on a mantlepiece are out of line: a key document has been clumsily placed in a jar for lighting a fire.
When it comes to writer tricks, it’s still hard to beat Somerset Maugham’s quip: “There are three rules for writing a great novel; unfortunately, no one knows what they are”
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This is true, Gary, meanwhile we just try the best we can 😃
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