Jen Telling Stories

So, I've been working hard on editing my Steampunk Murder Mystery Party, "Death in the Skies!" I'm hoping to release it for sale in the next two months, fingers crossed. I'll definitely keep you updated on that. But I also have committed to write another Murder Mystery Party for the Utah Steampunk Society this fall. I've been thinking that maybe sharing my process on here could help me stay focused on both projects, and maybe even be useful information for some of you; I've had a few people asking me lately about how to write a project like this.  This blog post series is meant to be me sharing the things that I've learned so far in this process, as well as the things I'm continuing to learn as I go. I'll be breaking down different elements that go into making one of these games--many of which are elements that also go into writing other projects, like a more traditional mystery story.  For both of my parties, I've found that I started with...

The Steampunk subculture has intrigued me since college; like a lot of people, I was first introduced to the idea by the long running Girl Genius comic. It's an idea that appeals to me: a mix of history, fantasy, science, and fashion. Steampunk is all about anachronisms: about putting old things together in new ways. I love that.  Do I still need to explain what Steampunk is? I feel like it's much more familiar than it used to be, but the short version is creations (stories, art, fashion, contraptions) that play with the  culture and scientific understanding of the Victorian era — or really anything from the 1800s. The rules aren't terribly strict, and there is plenty of overlap with other genres. But you tend to see a lot of steam powered devices, corsets and top hats, airships and automatons. And it's really, really fun . Maybe sometime I'll write some more about it; there's a lot that can be said just exploring and explaining the genre.  During 2020 I, like m...

So, it turns out not everyone knows what a murder mystery party even is. This came as a surprise to me because it feels like I've always known about them. But after some thinking, I realized that might just be because when I was a kid I found a catalogue with listings for fifteen different themed murder mystery parties. I was the kind of kid who would read the descriptions and try to imagine the plots from that alone. So, I guess I have an unusually long familiarity with the concept.    Anyway, for the benefit of those who have never attended such an event, let me give a little explanation. If you are already familiar with these parties, feel free to come back next time when I start sharing the story of how I come to be writing one.   A murder mystery party is partway between a party, a LARP session, a game of Clue, and community theater. (Don't let that scare you off) There are a few ways to do them, but typically the guests at the party are assigned to the roles...