ARTIST'S STATEMENT

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Central Question

How are ideas expressed through creative writing? 

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Literature

A Murder in Space takes inspiration from a lot of different subjects and genres. But to start with, I will admit that this project was first inspired by Among Us, and the many games I've played where the most dangerous tool was not the vents or sabotage button but  charismatic persuasion.

The project also takes inspiration from other works of science fiction and mystery, with the main inspiration for the writing style being Agatha Christie, who’s novel And Then There Were None also features a large cast with multiple narrators. 

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Methods

Since this project was really mainly just writing the draft, there isn't really that much to talk about methods used for my project. But there was a lot of work that went into making the novel, so I guess we're talking about that here.

To start with, I looked into murder mysterious and the mystery genre in general, both for inspiration and the core elements that went into writing one. From mass-produced Penny dreadfuls (Flanders) to classics like Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1844), there was plenty of tropes and traditions to sift through. While I eventually centered on the novels written by Christie, seeing so many styles of writing was informative and a good influence on my project. Besides looking for reference material, I also explored my novel's topics, such as the butterfly effect-like consequences of misinformation and miscommunication.

And besides research and writing, another part of my project was documentation of my creative process: taking notes on story direction, keeping deleted scenes, etc. and presenting them in a way that's both interesting and informative.

For more on my creative process, see the Creative Research section.

 

Audience & Impact

This project is mainly geared towards fellow readers of science fiction and mystery, although the hope is that most people will find Nothing to See Here an okay read.

But the main purpose of this project is to be A) entertaining, and B) a look into the work that goes into putting words onto paper. Works of fiction often have themes or takeaways for the reader, whether it's a lighthearted lesson or a criticism of society; while not as direct as more visual works, writing is a good way to weave longer, more complicated ideas into a compelling story that draws people in. Hence the whole expressing ideas through creative writing question that happens to be at the top of this page.

While not as prominent in Part I, Nothing to See Here explores the dangers of malicious imposters- well, really it's an exploration of misinformation, whether intentional or accidental. Especially with recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, where misinformation, in the US for example, "harmed public health efforts by making it difficult for public leaders, health officials, and the media to educate the public. (Hatcher)" For me at least, the concept of a murder mystery where cooperation, trust, and the truth are extremely important for  survival, is a fun way to explore the dangers of misinformation and miscommunication.

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References

Flanders, Judith. “Penny Dreadfuls.” The British Library, The British Library, 13 Feb. 2014, www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/penny-dreadfuls.

Hatcher, William. “A Failure of Political Communication Not a Failure of Bureaucracy: The Danger of Presidential Misinformation During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” The American Review of Public Administration, vol. 50, no. 6–7, Aug. 2020, pp. 614–620, doi:10.1177/0275074020941734.

 

For reference material used for inspiration and research, see Credits.
 

Acknowledgements

Thanks to my friends and random internet strangers who gave me inspiration for this project by pulling off some really trust-destroying gaslighting in Among Us, and a thank you to the Arts Scholars faculty and my fellow scholars for being insightful and supportive of my project.