posted
Okay, as mentioned in another thread I've been on a mystery series jag for the last few months. I've also been thinking of what to write for this year's NaNoWriMo novel, and I'm thinking "mystery."
My thoughts so far are leading me towards writing about a bartender drawn into intrique. The fact that I don't drink will make it a bit trickier, but hey...
What I'm curious about is this: what books have already featured bartenders? Particularly mysteries?
I've been a science fiction fan all my life and I'm a fan of Callahan's, and Niven's Long Spoon Bar stories, and Clarke's White Hart, etc, but my wealth of knowledge about mainstream fiction and mysteries remains slim. Help?
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posted
Some quick clarification... I'm wondering about bartenders as protagonists. There are a zillion stories and novels that contain bartenders as minor or even major characters. I'm looking for stories told from the bartender's viewpoint. There's quite a few mystery-solving chefs and caterers (such as Diane Mott Davidson's Goldy Bear), are there any bartenders?
Mainly I want to make sure that I don't inadvertently make a carbon copy of an existing character or use themes that have been overdone.
[ August 02, 2004, 02:31 PM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
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This is of no hlep of CB, but I would just like to point out that the greatest Star Trek bartender is clearly Quark, not Guinan. Posts: 4116 | Registered: Apr 2002
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I'd say that the problem with having a bartender protagonist is that they are only privy to the information provided by frequents to their bar. It would be pretty convenient if every bit of info they needed came in the form of a person with too much to drink.
That said, it seems like the kind of problem that would allow a really great story to come out, if you were able to work around it.
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Its not really a mystery, but "Callahan's Bar" by Spider Robinson and its sequels are bartender heavy.
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I just have to say, Chris, that I can't think of ANY bartender mysteries -- but I think it's an absolutely brilliant idea, and wish I'd thought of it first.
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I'd suggest that if you want to create a bartender-protagonist and you want to avoid similarities to other possible bartender-protagonists, your best bet it to not ask about them at all. You'd be far better to get to know (or know about) real bartenders and build your character from there. If you "check the field" (so to speak) for existing bartender-protagonists before you write you are much more likely to have similarities creep in than if you knew nothing about them.
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KarlEd: I already know what qualities my bartender will have, and a large part of his history. At this stage in my notes he's in his 20's. Both parents alive, had an okay childhood, ran with a gang for a brief time in his teens. Got pulled out by an authority figure he trusted. He has a powerful protective streak and tends to look out for his regulars, which gives me a large pool of different people with different backgrounds I can make part of his extended family. He'll have friends, siblings, and coworkers that can help make up for the fact he'll have no unusual detective abilities, comprehensive artillery collections, or uncanny martial arts powers. I was inspired by Janet Evanonvich's character who became a bounty hunter without any previous experience or fighting skills. How would an ordinary guy handle an unsolvable crime?
I just don't want to get halfway through and have someone go, "Oh, a bartender that solves mysteries, that's like Jim T. Author's "Weisenheimer" series."
[ August 02, 2004, 02:48 PM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
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I think the secret is to combine the lead of the bartender with a group of usual's who hang out at the bar.
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You know, now that you mention it, I think I AM familiar with Mr. Author's Weisenheimer books.
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I don't remember which one it was, but one of the Chandler stories we read in my crime fiction class had a bartender in it... I think it was "Trouble is my Business," which actually turned out to be the Chandler story I liked least, but that's how it goes.
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I can't remember any novels, but I've seen a couple of SF short stories that involve bartenders. One that comes to mind is "All you zombies..." by Robert Heinlein. Someone--Asimov, I think, or maybe Heinlein--wrote a murder mystery that took place at a bar or nightclub. I can't remember the name.
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Just found out about Kat Colorado, a character by Karen Kijewski. She's a private eye that used to be a bartender. Not close to anything I've planned.
Heinlein and Asimov have both featured stories in bars. Heinlein also wrote "They Do It With Mirrors" which takes place in a nightclub, and Asimov found the bar to be the perfect place to commit some horrible puns. I also seem to remember an Asimov story that featured tiny pink elephants...
Edited to add: The pink elephants might have been from Clarke's White Hart collection, I'll have to check when I get home.
[ August 02, 2004, 03:33 PM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
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I think the most distinctive bartender I recall didn't have any lines. It was the guy in "As Good as it Gets". "No offense, but a moron pushing the last legal drug". Gotta love that face.
Why can't bartenders get life insurance? Is it just a statistical fluke, the occupational inverse of an orchestra conductor, or are they more likely to get killed by drunk customers?
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CT: This, I need to hear more about. Would you mind writing me with more info? My e-mail's in my profile.
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