Case Closed

During my personal odyssey project, I learned a lot about the mystery genre and, how it translates from the book to big screen, and what is needed to write a sufficient story. I was able to begin writing a mystery story, however, after editing it appears that the story is more "scary" than "mysterious" which is something I have to fix. But, I have good edits and a wonderful mentor who will hopefully help me finish my piece. Even though the odyssey is over, I still want to continue working, and on display is my outline, edits, and first draft. All in all, I have had an interesting year filled to the brim with mystery, and though I still have work to do, for now at least. Case Closed.

Thank you!!

I would like to thank all of my lovely blog followers who kept up with my blog and supported my odyssey project. I also want to thank my amazing family and friends who always help me out and stand by my side. I want to recognize my wonderful navigator, Lisa, who guided me and constantly checked up on my project and me. Last, but certainty not least, I want to give a super big thank you to my spectacular mentor, Naheed Aunty :), who never ran out of wonderful ideas as well as advice. It has been quite a year, and I am grateful to have to love and support of so many.

Reflection

Overall, I have really enjoyed the personal odyssey experience. That fact that I was able to "dive deeper" into a subject I find interesting. I have learned a lot about mystery writing and how it translates to television and movies. Suspense has a lot to do with ensuring that the viewer is "drawn into" what he or she is watching. I have noticed that the best authors are able to keep their short stories strait and to the point with just the right amount of twists and turns. From this experience I want to take away a better knowledge of the mystery genre as well as the skills to write my own suspense/mystery story.

Short Story Update

After much outlining and rewriting, I have decided to pursue my latest outline. After sending it to my mentor, who is super awesome :), I am now editing and adding some stuff to my outline in preparation for writing my actual story. My goal is to add those edits and then begin drafting in about a day or two. Hopefully I will be able to stick to my plan, and do my best to keep updating! :)

Influential Mystery Authors and Charecters

The first interest and fascination in mystery can be traced back to the Ancient Greeks, play writers such as Sophocles and Euripides entranced the local community with a combination of mystery and drama. In the mid-nineteen hundreds author Edgar Allen Poe created the first fictional mystery charecter. Poe was one of the first authors to shift the focus from the aesthetics of the story to the intellectual intelligence. Charles Dickinson and Wilkie Collins are other influential authors in the mystery genre. Collins is the writer of many short-stories and essays. In the late nineteenth hundreds detective Sherlock Holmes was introduced to the mystery spotlight. Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes is one of the best known characters of all time.  Agatha Christie also heavily influenced mystery writing. With over eighty stories published, Christie was known as the Golden Age author. Nancy Drew is a well known girl detective who would fearlessly solve crimes and bring wrongdoers to justice. Her confidence and strength made Nancy a role model for many young girls. Nancy Drew was created by Edward Stratemeyer, however every Drew book was ghostwritten by different authors all under the pen name "Carolyn Keene".

Nature or Nurture

This year during the science exhibition, I researched the brain development of psychopaths. It's kind of off topic :) but in many "scary stories,"  mysteries, and thrillers, psychopaths are usually the "crazy killers." I felt that it would be interesting to learn about their brain development and understand how they truly comprehend situations.  Based on my research, I discovered that their brains actually do differ from that of a non-psychopath. The main difference lies within the brain itself, specifically the connection between the amygdala and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (PFC). These parts of the brain control decision making, and emotions, meaning that they cannot register feelings and therefore are not able to fully understand the impact their actions have.  

The Month Of May...

This month, my goal is to continue blogging, and finish up my short story. This is the last month I have to work on my project, and I have really learned a lot about mysteries and thrillers. It has been quite an adventure and I've really enjoyed it :)