Sitting at Salt Lick across the table from my English teacher and next to one of my friends at the end of the Senior retreat last month, I was introduced to a show that would change my life - and my writing - forever: Castle.
They discovered their mutual love of the show, and discussed the most recent season. My friend tried her best to keep from ruining the finale for my teacher, who hadn't seen it yet. Then they looked at me, and simultaneously had a revelation: I needed to see this show.
"It's right up your alley," they said. "Crime and writing." Of course, I was sold, but they went on:
"It's a writer who shadows a police detective for inspiration. He has a poker game with famous writers like James Patterson, who actually appear on the show."
Okay, there was no way I was missing this show now.
A quick YouTube search revealed that all the episodes up until the most recent season finale are available online (and the finale can be found on Hulu), thanks to a wonderful fan of the show who I owe my eternal gratitude. So, I started watching, beginning with the pilot. And ending with the finale of season 3.
The show is wonderfully written, a perfect combination of serious, professional, down-to-business Detective Kate Beckett and witty, silly, lighthearted, flirtatious Richard Castle. She learns how to have fun, and he learns that love isn't just about warm fuzzy butterfly feelings. They make each other better people just by being together (and, of course, because TV writers can be cruel, they refuse to admit their feelings for each other despite the fact that everyone knows. Including them).
That, in itself, makes the show a good one to study for certain elements like dialogue, character interaction, plots, and subplots. Then there's the fact that he's a mystery writer looking for his next novel.
What makes this show unique from other crime shows is the contribution that Castle makes to the process of solving crimes: to him, a suspect's guilt is primarily based on whether it would make a good story. And he's usually right.
Throughout each episode, he comments on the case as though it were one of his books, even creating possible conclusions and spinning them out for the team in beautiful prose, leaving everyone hanging on his every word (including Kate, despite the fact that she does her best to hide it). Watching a few episodes is bound to get the wheels turning, giving you ideas for all kinds of twists, surprises, motivations, and secrets that will make your stories as intriguing as his.
All this, and it's great for those days when you simply don't feel like writing. As much as we have to remember that writing isn't about the glamor of signings and photo ops and movie deals and bestsellers, it doesn't hurt to daydream. Richard Castle has 22 novels, all of which have been bestsellers. He's famous, has connections with the mayor of New York City, has been on the Most Eligible Bachelors list for years, an is filthy stinking rich. He is what most writers secretly (or not so secretly) hope to someday be.
Castle was introduced to me at a time when I’d lost motivation to write. I’d stretched myself too thin on projects I didn’t really want to start, much less finish, and hadn’t had time for the ones that I cared about. I felt burned out. And then I was trying to make myself work on the novel I’d just started, only squeezing out 300-500 words a day. If that. Castle inspired me to write again, and inspired me to write mystery. That inspiration developed into ideas for the first few novels in a series, and outlines for the first two (don’t worry, I’ll finish my novel-in-progress. Now I just have something for NaNoWriMo). Castle really made a difference. If I ever do make enough money writing to take it on as a full-time career, that show will deserve some of the praise. A lot of it, actually. I recommend this show to writers, mystery fans, crime show fans, fans of shows with adorable “will they/won’t they” couples, fans of comedy...really, just about everyone. But especially writers. We can learn so much from Richard Castle and the way he sees the world.
I linked to the pilot earlier in this post, but if I hadn't sold you on it yet and now I have, here it is.
They discovered their mutual love of the show, and discussed the most recent season. My friend tried her best to keep from ruining the finale for my teacher, who hadn't seen it yet. Then they looked at me, and simultaneously had a revelation: I needed to see this show.
"It's right up your alley," they said. "Crime and writing." Of course, I was sold, but they went on:
"It's a writer who shadows a police detective for inspiration. He has a poker game with famous writers like James Patterson, who actually appear on the show."
Okay, there was no way I was missing this show now.
A quick YouTube search revealed that all the episodes up until the most recent season finale are available online (and the finale can be found on Hulu), thanks to a wonderful fan of the show who I owe my eternal gratitude. So, I started watching, beginning with the pilot. And ending with the finale of season 3.
The show is wonderfully written, a perfect combination of serious, professional, down-to-business Detective Kate Beckett and witty, silly, lighthearted, flirtatious Richard Castle. She learns how to have fun, and he learns that love isn't just about warm fuzzy butterfly feelings. They make each other better people just by being together (and, of course, because TV writers can be cruel, they refuse to admit their feelings for each other despite the fact that everyone knows. Including them).
That, in itself, makes the show a good one to study for certain elements like dialogue, character interaction, plots, and subplots. Then there's the fact that he's a mystery writer looking for his next novel.
What makes this show unique from other crime shows is the contribution that Castle makes to the process of solving crimes: to him, a suspect's guilt is primarily based on whether it would make a good story. And he's usually right.
Throughout each episode, he comments on the case as though it were one of his books, even creating possible conclusions and spinning them out for the team in beautiful prose, leaving everyone hanging on his every word (including Kate, despite the fact that she does her best to hide it). Watching a few episodes is bound to get the wheels turning, giving you ideas for all kinds of twists, surprises, motivations, and secrets that will make your stories as intriguing as his.
All this, and it's great for those days when you simply don't feel like writing. As much as we have to remember that writing isn't about the glamor of signings and photo ops and movie deals and bestsellers, it doesn't hurt to daydream. Richard Castle has 22 novels, all of which have been bestsellers. He's famous, has connections with the mayor of New York City, has been on the Most Eligible Bachelors list for years, an is filthy stinking rich. He is what most writers secretly (or not so secretly) hope to someday be.
Castle was introduced to me at a time when I’d lost motivation to write. I’d stretched myself too thin on projects I didn’t really want to start, much less finish, and hadn’t had time for the ones that I cared about. I felt burned out. And then I was trying to make myself work on the novel I’d just started, only squeezing out 300-500 words a day. If that. Castle inspired me to write again, and inspired me to write mystery. That inspiration developed into ideas for the first few novels in a series, and outlines for the first two (don’t worry, I’ll finish my novel-in-progress. Now I just have something for NaNoWriMo). Castle really made a difference. If I ever do make enough money writing to take it on as a full-time career, that show will deserve some of the praise. A lot of it, actually. I recommend this show to writers, mystery fans, crime show fans, fans of shows with adorable “will they/won’t they” couples, fans of comedy...really, just about everyone. But especially writers. We can learn so much from Richard Castle and the way he sees the world.
I linked to the pilot earlier in this post, but if I hadn't sold you on it yet and now I have, here it is.
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