How a Spark of an Idea Can Build a Story
The seed is sowed...
It’s no secret that I love mystery series. Just look at the television shows I watch a rewatch on an annual basis; Father Brown, Columbo, Murder She Wrote, Midsomer Murders, Sherlock Holmes, Poirot. To mention but a few! So, it should be no surprise that I long to join the ranks of Doyle and Christie and write my own murder mystery series. I know it takes more than a love of the television series. There is skill involved in creating the crime and then solving it, and the decision in between about the breadcrumbs (obvious and no so obvious) that are left behind for the reader to possibly solve the crime along the way. But we’ll get back to this later.
My love of mystery and wanting to write one is only eclipsed by my love of 19th century London, Jack the Ripper, Fleet Street, Whitechapel, and all of that cobblestone intrigue. What a time to be alive on the streets of London! Or found brutally murdered on a foggy London night! I get chills just thinking about it!
So, naturally, I had to build either a story in this world or create a world that mimics it almost entirely. I still haven’t decided yet if I’m skilled enough to create my own Whitechapel and city of London. But we’ll come back to this later as well.
Wondermere was a world I created a long time ago when I wanted to learn card magic. I know, I’m jumping around, but this is how I work so try and follow along as best you can. I promise this will all make sense by the time I’m done… I hope…
Wondermere started out as an idea I was really excited about. Except, it was far too fantasy. And I think because it was too fantasy, I found myself losing interest in it. My idea of having a mystery series in this world just didn’t seem to work quite the way I wanted it to. So I abandoned the project last year. Then, as often happens, I find myself reading a newsletter I subscribe to (sometimes it can happen from a YouTube creator I watch as well) and the lightbulb goes off. The “Spark of an Idea!”
The newsletter in question comes from Geoffrey Golden of Equipstory. He was once on Substack but left and continued this newsletter. And am I glad I followed him because the email he sent out on January 31st, 7 Underrated Public Domain Characters, gave me the seed I needed. Now it would be up to me to plant it and water it during these Winter weeks.
Now, if I go by my wife, who has created her own “grow room” in a corner of our basement, it would’ve been ideal for me too start this sowing of seeds process a week or two ago but I’m willing to risk the late sowing in the hopes I’ll see buds form soon.
The character mentioned in Geoffrey’s post that sparked the idea was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of course! Now, I do a lot of talking to myself in my head when I work these things out, so if you think everything I’ve said so far has been hard to follow, prepare yourself for what’s about to come:
ERICA’S STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS CONVERSATION IN HER HEAD
What if Dr. Jekyll was a woman? Okay. What’s Dr. Jekyll’s first name? [Ctrl + T to bring up search bar and types question] Dr Henry Jekyll / Mr Edward Hyde. Okay. Let’s change Henry to Henrietta. Done. Dr. Henrietta Jekyll and Eloise Hyde? Love it! But how? I want to remain in London, 19th century. A woman who becomes a doctor? HA!
What about a rich uncle who is a doctor. He pulls some strings to allow his niece to become a doctor. Boom! The uncle has an assistant who helps him organize his studies and she knows of all the “experiments” he’s working on. Oooh! Oooh! And then he dies! Mysteriously? Perhaps…
The assistant is Felicity Finnegan. This is my tie back to Wondermere. Not sure if I’ll keep the world or not. But the character of Flossie Finnegan I love too much. I’ll just need to change it from her being the main character slightly.
Flossie helps Henrietta go through her uncle’s things. She discovers his latest experiments. Oh, let me include this his field of study is with twins and multiple/split personalities. Anyway, she injects herself with his experiment and becomes Eloise Hyde.
[Opens up Wiki windows for The Strange Case, Fleet Street, police in London, 19th Century, Whitechapel] [Finds map of 19th century London]
NOTES WRITTEN DOWN AFTER STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS IDEA
Now that I’ve gotten this far, I feel compelled to start writing some things down. I can’t possibly retain all this in my head. You’ll discover that the way I wrote down my ideas is no different than the way I reason out ideas in my head:
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Re-Imagined
The return of penny dreadful serialized fiction? Most definitely. Each story will be of Novella length:
Dr Henry Jekyll / Mr Edward Hyde
Felicity Finnegan is the doctor’s assistant. She is the only one who knows about the split personality and keeps records of this phenomenon. The purpose? To release her journals only after the death of Dr. Henrietta Jekyll. Her work is written much like that of Dr. Watson writing about Holmes or Hastings about Poirot. She is like a combination of Ms. Lemon (organized), Dr. Watson (an excellent writer) and Archie Goodwin (sociable and resourceful). She is the uncle’s assistant. Her job is to keep records of everything he’s ever said and done. She is an invaluable resource to Henrietta when her uncle dies as she doesn’t know much about his work. He was always very secretive. But Flossy knows all. She should have some agenda of her own for wanting to help Dr. Jekyll that I’ll need to come up with at some point.
Dr. Henrietta Jekyll and Ms. Eloise Hyde - A well-educated woman is strange enough, especially one who has gone about as far as she can go in becoming a doctor. Of course, it was through the help of her wealthy and eccentric uncle whose care she was left in when her parent’s died in a tragic accident when she was a child. Her uncle insisted she be as well educated as possible so that no man would take advantage of her. Her uncle’s field of study was in twins and multiple personality. A disease that many disputed. Upon his death, his niece was left his practice as well as his experiments. One day she happens upon one of this experiments and tests it on herself! Thus revealing Ms. Eloise Hyde.
As for age, I think Henrietta should be about 25 years of age. This will make her a stranger to the aristocracy who cannot understand why she is not yet married. The woman stalk and whisper while the men stalk as well, but only to get her to marry one of them so they can “help her manage her vast fortune.”
Felicity is only slightly older at 28 years of age. Like Henrietta she doesn’t have a man courting her either. She can’t be bothered with such frivolities. She doesn’t enjoy parties or any social gatherings though she cannot deny she is good at it. Her plain face makes it easy for her to blend in in most social settings.
Now, the question is, when solving cases would it be helpful to have a young man making their acquaintance? He can get in where they would not be permitted as women? Or could Eloise Hyde be a cross-dresser and pass as a man in men’s clothing? Hmm… something to think about for sure…
Mr. Poole is the butler. Mrs. Poole is the housekeeper? Do I need them? Not sure yet.
Location, location, location (and time period) - 19th century London before Jack the Ripper was scaring the streets of London around 1888 (late 19th century). I’ll use a map I found that was drawn around this time. Might help to have it blown up for easier reference later. I love that this can all take place in and around Fleet Street along the River Thames and the Whitechapel area. Where they live will come later as I survey the map closely.
Plot of the series: Not unlike Holmes or Poirot or Wolfe, I want to create a mystery series where Flossy is writing about them. She is also helping Henrietta when she transforms into Hyde. Unfortunately, it will become necessity for Henrietta to transform as Hyde will be able to help her solve the crimes. Hyde can embody the mind of a killer and therefore catch one. Flossy is there to help make sure Hyde always changes back and record everything so that Jekyll can read them over later. In the hopes that some day she will no longer need the other side of her to be set free to help her solve cases.
How Dr. Henrietta Jekyll is received by the Metropolitan police force is something I’ll need to figure out. We’ve had too many stories where the woman is disregarded by the man. I think that narrative, while true to the time period, infuriates me. Perhaps I can find some work around. Maybe a Detective who knows of her genius? Someone who is much older and like a father figure to eliminate any sense of romance. Detectives were first introduced in 1842 so I think this should all take place in the mid-19th century, around 1852.
I think Henrietta’s medical field of expertise should be in dissection. Could she be a coroner?
The first book has to be how Henrietta transforms as well as a mystery rolled into one for this to work. Otherwise, it’s just a reimagining and not a mystery series.
Each novella is written from the POV of Flossie. Should I take the same series title style Doyle and call it The Casebook of Dr. Henrietta Jekyll OR change it up a bit and call it The Dissection of Dr. Henrietta Jekyll? I like the latter because it alludes to the separation or duality somehow. Or is that too complicated to suss out?
I’m also leaning towards wanting to not leave out Flossie from being the author. Unlike Watson who is the author but the titles are with Sherlock only. The reader knows it’s Watson writing. Is that enough? Do I want to break with that tradition and title it The Journals of Flossie Finnegan. Ugh! I just don’t know…
Some synonyms for “dissection” just to confirm for myself that it’s the best word:
Simple cover art I love for my own personal reference later on:
Social art I created cause I like to have some sort of visual representation for social media sharing (which is odd cause I almost never share anything via social media…):
very interesting to see your trains of thought Erica 😄🤔🫡😎
I loved this so much I read it twice!