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Secrets of the World's Best-Selling Writer: The Storytelling Techniques of Erle Stanley Gardner

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Erle Stanley Garner was a self-taught author who kept detailed accounts of the development of his writing method. This collection of millions of notebooks, letters, memoranda, charts, lists, and even phrases are in a Collection at the University of Texas at Austin. The authors distilled these papers into a 286 page book that has a Bibliography and Index. The Foreword acknowledges the people who helped the authors.

Erle Stanley Gardner set a record for the 'Guinness Book of World Records' as the best selling author. Gardner had ten year's experience as a trial lawyer, intensive study and writing, a hyperactive personality, and an incredibly agile imagination. Gardner became the greatest writer of mystery fiction who ever lived, only being outsold worldwide by the Bible (p.14). Gardner dropped out of college, clerked for a law firm, and passed the California bar at 21. he learned the importance of keeping records. ESG was meticulous in the use of facts in his fiction, since Perry Mason was scrutinized by lawyers.

Gardner's first stories were to wood pulp magazines. Then for the slick magazines, movies, television. There was even a short-lived comic strip (p.189). Some called it 'escapist literature', but they always dealt with real-world troubles than made humdrum lives seem better off. Chapter 4 lists what could be learned from writing for the pulps. These magazines were always looking for new writers who could be paid lower rates (Chapter 5). Gardner paid a disabled veteran to solicit comments on stories (p.84); this feedback was used in writing stories. Gardner also analyzed stories for their appeal (p.89). 'A single man, unaided, overcomes difficulties by the power that is within him' describes a lot of popular fiction (p.90). Gardner's comments are still educational (pp.93-104). This explains why Perry Mason's clients must never be guilty (p.99). A mystery consists of a series of interesting events with sinister implications, the logic of which cannot be instantly comprehended (p.101). To improve production, Gardner bought one of the first electrical typewriter (a Woodstock), but later switched entirely to dictations machines (p.109). Chapter 8 describes his writing life.

The titles for Perry Mason novels usually came from the opening mystery, rather than from the principal plot. They were carefully chosen to attract readers (pp.193-4). When ESG was in 'financial straits' he developed a new series writing a 'A.A.Fair' with a new style. Page 202 tells how he planted evidence to support the existence of this author. [But the 'legal skulduggery' suggested ESG]. Gardner wrote books for readers, not for snobbish critics. Gardner would start with an incidental mystery to intrigue the reader and introduce the characters. Then the murder would occur; it would be result of basic human motivation. As in life, there would be conflicts and obstacle to goals. There were few murders from a sudden rush of anger or passion. The murderer would be found out once false stories and clues were found out; this was his mystery story. There would be some minor facts that wouldn't mesh with the cover story; this would lead to the solution. Appendix I lists his 'Fluid or Unstatic Theory of Plots'. The other Appendices show Gardner's organized method for dealing with plots. What could Gardner have done with a personal computer in place of his mechanical plotting device?