Chapter Two: At 6.30pm
Tuppence
City of London, United Kingdom
The competition is under way and with a brilliant opening chapter to follow up we're already looking forward to what's to come.
How are you tackling this month's theme of 'Time'? Are there any Agatha Christie books you particularly admire? What gets you inspired?
Leave all your Chapter Two questions, thoughts and queries here!
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I am looking forward to my muse.
I also have one proposal for the Agatha Christie team. Please, review it, it would be interesting to have this information once the whole scenario is completed:
Is it possible to share the ideas about the murderer (who is the murderer, what their motive was and how they did it) for each of the winning chapters? This could be done after the tenth chapter is released. I would like to read the others' ideas which they had at the time of submission of their chapters.
In 1950 Britain, were church clocks rang at every half hour (6, 6:30, 7, 7:30, etc) or just at round hours (6, 7, 8, ...) or even only at specific cases?
The answer might lead me to different directions.
Oh, bother: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_bell "In Christianity, many Anglican, Catholic, and Lutheran churches ring their church bells from belltowers three times a day, at 6:00 A.M., 12:00 P.M. and 6:00 P.M., summoning the Christian faithful to recite the Lord’s Prayer,[2][3][4] or the Angelus, a prayer recited in honour of the Incarnation of God.[5][6] Before modern communication methods, in small communities church bells were also used to call the community together for secular purpose."
:-O
so church bells don't normally chime at 6:30 pm. unless it is done so on purpose..
The key to the game is incorporating the contradiction - you can do this however you choose. Is Edmund really writing a book? Is he young or just immature? Could this all be a clue to the mystery?
I have one or two events in mind, but I am missing the method of the murder. Once I come up with it, everything else would be easier to make. (And based on what we already have as chapter one, I think the method is what stumbles me most, that is why I am thinking on it carefully.)
Anyway, I will be participating in a competition on Saturday as a judge and I will see many different people, which I hope will give me many new ideas.
‘I can always think of things. What is so tiring is writing them down. I always think I’ve finished, and then when I count up I find I’ve only written thirty thousand words instead of sixty thousand, and so then I have to throw in another murder and get the heroine kidnapped again. It’s all very boring.’
(Cards on the Table)
But now, I have no clear idea... Maybe, as Tuppence said, it is because we have to go on from a particular point. I think chapter 3 would be easier for me, though. :P
And I can't wait to read the winning chapter two. It would be great to read afterwards more from the author, so that we know what inspired them and how they got their vision of the events. I hope the winning authors comment afterwards and share some experience (of course, without revealing what their idea about the murderer was, not until the very last chapter is published).
~O)
According to Wikipedia the Women's Institute was a community-based organization for women aiming to revitalize rural communities and to encourage women to become more involved in producing food during the First World War. By 1926 the Women's Institutes were fully independent and rapidly became an essential part of rural life.During the WWII the WI limited their contribution to such activities as looking after evacuees and making jam of excess produce to be added to the rations.
Of course the WI would have had a choir! The hymn chosen was Jerusalem, association with the fight for women's rights to vote and was considered as appropriate for the newly emerging WI movement which was encouraging women to take their part in public life and to fight to improve the conditions of rural life.
The words of Jerusalem are those of a poem by william Blake, "And did those feet in ancient time":
"And did those feet in ancient time.
Walk upon Englands mountains green:
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On Englands pleasant pastures seen!
And did the Countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic Mills?
Bring me my Bow of burning gold;
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of fire!
I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In Englands green & pleasant Land''
You can listen to the WI official anthem on youtube: Jerusalem Quite impressive!
Well, quite a bit of English history has been introduced in the first chapter by Helen, something having to be forcefully digested especially by a non-Brit - such as myself.
Good luck everyone!
~O)
So we could actually stretch the number of chimes a little bit... I'll think about it, as I've already changed the story to accommodate only two chimes at 6.30, but I do believe the previous version was better. Well, not much time left.
I am Christian Orthodox and when I grew up I lived next to a church, but in our religion the church bell only rings for service, weddings or important christian celebrations. Also, if i remember well, there were two funeral chimes, depending on the funeral service being held for a man or for a woman.
Going over the first chapter so many times I couldn't but notice how much dialog was incorporated. I think description is good, I think it ads color and flavor to a story without dragging the story line too much... I did tried for my second chapter to cut out on some narrative. I think Agatha Christie also enjoyed her descriptive paragraphs and often these are the ones that mattered.
Good luck everyone!
Thank you so very much for your time!!
And I just got an idea for the method of the murder! Thank you, Pat, your words helped me evolve my initial idea, which I got for a church bell (at the beginning I read "church clock", but imagined "church bell", and later I let my idea go, but now I can adjust it suitably and conveniently for the clock).
I also stumbled upon the church bell / church clock, but I know I tend to get the whole picture and leave out small, but vital details.
To work now, tic-toc ti-toc
:bz
Or should I say ding-dong, ding-dong