looking for a specific style

[minervaK]

I'm trying to find a contemporary crime writer who's made good writing in a colloquial style -- something along the lines of the way Elmore Leonard does, only in first person. Any suggestions? I'm not talking about colloquial in the sense of using a character voice, I mean someone who writes the way that people really talk. Anybody got any suggestions?

[Cornelius Butterfield]

Try Andrew Vachss, about as urban and hard ass as you can get. (Shela). Stephen Rifkin, (The Murderer Vine.) Not a crime writer but a writer who writes about ordinary people, ordinary life, Raymond Carver, (What's in Alaska?).

[minervaK]

I'm not looking for hardboiled cinema-verite' type stuff, but a specific 'voice' -- like, instead of writing:

"It was a dark and stormy night."

the author writes

"Man, that rain is really coming down."

There must be a stylistic name for this kind of thing... wish I knew what it was.

MK
www.minervakoenig.com

[John Dishon]

Maybe Richard Price (Lush Life)?

[I. J. Parker]

Good example.

[minervaK]

That book pissed me off. The prologue was great, then it just degenerated (my reader's opinion only).

[minervaK]

OK, I went ahead and posted an example on my blog:

http://www.minervakoenig.com/2010/02/voice.html

Please read and comment if you are so moved...

Thanks -- MK

[I. J. Parker]

Works pretty well for me. I got sort of lost on where everybody was at one point. I take it the POV person is female. Some of the detail wouldn't work for a male.

[John Dishon]

Check out Haruki Murakami got a good example of conversational writing. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a great example. Also John Burdett's Bangkok series.

[Richard Godwin]

Try some Denis Johnson.

[Suzanne]

Not a crime writer, but Jim Butcher uses the first person in his series of books about a wizard for hire, Harry Dresden.

[Jack Getze]

I write first person, present tense, perhaps in the manner you describe. Here's a quick look.

[minervaK]

Yeah, that's what I'm talking about! What do you call that style of writing? Does it have a name?

My local liberry doesn't have any of your books, so it looks like I'll be buying and donating at least one. Thanks!