After reading Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose, my own creative itch got completely fired up. I thought to myself, "Alright, it's time I write a mystery novel too."
That's how I picked up The Mysterious Affair at Styles, the debut novel by Agatha Christie, the Queen of Crime herself. To be honest, I enjoyed every single bit of it. The culprit was a total surprise, and the final reveal neatly unravelled every lingering clue in a deeply satisfying payoff.
Above all, this debut introduced Hercule Poirot, the world's most famous detective after Sherlock Holmes. Creating such an iconic, enduring character in a first book is a massive achievement. The secret behind finishing her masterpiece wasn't sheer genius, but an intense two-week physical disconnect and focus retreat. Still, reading it left me wondering about one specific detail.
Why Did a Top Belgian Officer Flee to Britain?
In the story, Poirot appears as a refugee residing in England. In his younger years, he was an elite officer who had risen through the ranks of the Belgian police force. So why did he leave his homeland and escape to Britain?
Initially, I assumed he had messed up big time in the police department and fled to avoid disgrace. But when I checked the history, I was completely wrong.
The real cause was World War I, which broke out in 1914. German forces invaded and occupied Belgium, forcing him to seek safety in Britain. For someone like me who isn't deeply familiar with European history, it might take a moment to click. But if Japan were occupied by a foreign force, anyone would try to escape overseas. A global catastrophe ended up shaping the debut of an immortal detective.
Was Her Sister's Taunt the Trigger?
Agatha started writing The Mysterious Affair at Styles in 1916 when she was 25 years old. The story behind how she started is hilarious and relatable.
When she was 17, she read Gaston Leroux's classic mystery The Mystery of the Yellow Room. Her sister Madge teased her with a cruel challenge: "Writing a mystery where readers can't guess the killer is impossible. I bet you couldn't do it." That taunt planted a stubborn seed that stayed with her for years.
In 1916, while volunteering as a nurse during the war, Agatha was transferred to the hospital dispensary. There, she studied pharmaceuticals and poisonous compounds in depth. That was the moment everything clicked in her mind, and she decided it was time to win that old bet against her sister.
Rejected for Four Long Years
If she wrote it in a single year, shouldn't her debut have been smooth sailing? Agatha finished her manuscript at age 26, brimming with excitement.
However, that was where her real ordeal began. She sent the manuscript to publisher after publisher, only to get rejected every single time. Four or five different publishing houses turned her down flat.
The manuscript was finally published in 1920 when Agatha turned 30. More than four long years had passed since she started writing it. Even the legendary Queen of Crime experienced brutal rejection and agonizing delays before her debut saw the light of day. Knowing this provides immense comfort to anyone struggling with self-doubt today.
Writing Without a Desk
Throughout her entire life, Agatha never owned a dedicated study or a fancy writing desk. So where did she write her books?
She wrote on marble washstands in bedrooms, dining tables between meals, small hotel desks, and crude workbenches at archaeological dig sites. As long as she had a flat surface and a notebook, she could write anywhere. That completely dismantles the excuse that we need a perfect workspace before we start writing.
Walking the Moor to Speak the Dialogue
So how did she finish a full-length novel alongside her daily duties? This is the core secret of her writing process.
Agatha separated the phase of brainstorming ideas from the phase of intense execution. When she struggled to finish the draft amid daily distractions, her mother gave her crucial advice: "Take a two-week break, lock yourself in a hotel, and finish it all at once."
She traveled alone to a hotel in Dartmoor for a writing retreat. Her routine was simple: breakfast, morning writing session, afternoon walk on the moor, dinner, and twelve hours of deep sleep.
During her afternoon walks across the windy moor, she paced alone while speaking the dialogue aloud. She acted out conversations between Poirot and the killer, testing how each character would respond. Then at night, she collapsed into bed for twelve solid hours of rest. Cutting off everyday noise and immersing herself completely was what finally pushed her debut across the finish line.
Frustration with My Own Time Management
Is Hovinci following Agatha's advice and crushing his own writing goals? Sadly, I have to admit my own embarrassing struggle.
I used to maintain a solid two-hour morning routine for writing. But recently, my wife subscribed to Netflix, and I started watching season three of PSYCHO-PASS, one of my top five favorite anime of all time. I got completely hooked and stayed up late night after night.
Unsurprisingly, I couldn't wake up early the next morning. Feeling frustrated with my lack of discipline, I realized I needed a drastic change just as Agatha did.
She kept notebooks scattered all across her living space to capture ideas instantly. I'm adopting her strategy by carrying notebooks everywhere to catch fleeting thoughts, while cutting off Netflix to reclaim my early mornings. With five months left until the Ranpo Award deadline, I'm recommitting to my manuscript with renewed focus.
Next, I'll be reading Gaston Leroux's The Mystery of the Yellow Room—which is also a debut novel.
I can't wait to dissect this locked-room classic through the lens of a first-time author. If you feel like you don't have enough time to create, put your phone down today and open a notebook.