There is no mystery as to why the 香蕉视频直播淢urdoch Mysteries香蕉视频直播� television series grows its fan base every year.

Set in Toronto at the dawn of the 20th century, each one-hour drama explores the intriguing world of William Murdoch, a methodical and dashing detective who pioneers innovative forensic techniques to solve some of the city香蕉视频直播檚 most gruesome murders.

Inspiration for each episode is born in a room where six scriptwriters toss ideas about, latching onto the ones that have the most general appeal.

One of the show香蕉视频直播檚 successful scriptwriters is Salmon Arm Secondary 1976 grad Paul Aitken, who will be returning to the community in May as a presenter to the Word on the Lake Writers香蕉视频直播橣estival.

香蕉视频直播淲e call it the hive; different brains operating in the same space and talking freely generate ideas in other people,香蕉视频直播� says Aitken, noting he rarely goes into a new season with episode plans. 香蕉视频直播淵ou get way more ideas from other people and way more solutions become apparent.香蕉视频直播�

Aitken says the hive gets episodes off to a good start, an integral part of the process as 18 episodes are written and filmed in six months.

Stoked with ideas from the collective 香蕉视频直播渂rain,香蕉视频直播� scriptwriters break off to independently to write the scripts for their assigned episodes, very occasionally collaborating with another writer.

Research is key, a good measure of which is accomplished by searching the Web, often via Google and Wikepedia 香蕉视频直播� except for political information, which is often skewed by contributors香蕉视频直播� own agendas and false information, Aitken says.

香蕉视频直播淲e don香蕉视频直播檛 have the resources to hire a lot of staff so we do our own research; it香蕉视频直播檚 a fantastic way to waste time if you are disinclined to write,香蕉视频直播� he laughs. 香蕉视频直播淵ou learn a lot of stuff you didn香蕉视频直播檛 know and it香蕉视频直播檚 a pleasurable activity in and of itself. Getting into embedded links is a great way to spend a chunk of your day.香蕉视频直播�

Writing less costly but more challenging 香蕉视频直播渂ottle香蕉视频直播� episodes, which are shot in one location and have other constraints are very appealing to Aitken.

These are a little more dense because the story is all that香蕉视频直播檚 being sold 香蕉视频直播� no big scenes, no action scenes, no big sets, he says of the more complex characterization process that goes into writing a bottle episode.

The process, although more difficult, is much more satisfying when the manuscript is complete and ready for a return to the meeting room.

香蕉视频直播淲e meet together to go over the scripts and we香蕉视频直播檙e really mean with each other as we correct the manuscripts,香蕉视频直播� Aitken says. 香蕉视频直播淧roduction (department) decides on what香蕉视频直播檚 filmable and what香蕉视频直播檚 not, how many people can be hired and film locations.香蕉视频直播�

Each episode has its own production limits, which vary on how difficult the plot is to break (figure out the plotting) and the type and complexity of the world in which the episode takes place.

Production for the new season of 香蕉视频直播淢urdoch Mysteries香蕉视频直播� starts in the third week of May, so members of 香蕉视频直播渢he hive香蕉视频直播� are now breaking stories for eight different episodes.

Aitken香蕉视频直播檚 road to the series began when a friend with an in, got him an introduction and a great opportunity, he says of life after university.

After graduating from SASS, Aitken attended University of Victoria, where he followed a curriculum that included 香蕉视频直播渆verything and nothing.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淚t was, he says, a good way to spend his youth. Following university, Aitken moved to Toronto in 1986 to try his hand at writing for television.

He and his friend with the in were successful in pitching a script for 香蕉视频直播淭he Campbells香蕉视频直播�, a Scottish-Canadian television drama series, produced by Scottish Television and CTV from 1986 to 1990.

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 good money. I香蕉视频直播檝e developed a craft of writing for TV so I enjoy that,香蕉视频直播� he says of his ensuing successful career. 香蕉视频直播淲hen you do anything long enough, there香蕉视频直播檚 pleasure in exercising a skill that you香蕉视频直播檝e learned. It香蕉视频直播檚 also one of the few jobs where you necessarily have to do something different every time.香蕉视频直播�

As Murdoch Mysteries enters its 11th season, 150 episodes have aired to an increasingly larger fan base.

香蕉视频直播淚 would say every person likes something different about the show; most are fans who love the history, so we all dig into the history,香蕉视频直播� says Aitken, who has been writing for 香蕉视频直播淢urdoch Mysteries香蕉视频直播� since 2007 and written somewhere between 32 and 35 episodes.

In between writing for 香蕉视频直播淭he Campbells香蕉视频直播� and securing a long tenure with 香蕉视频直播淢urdoch Mysteries,香蕉视频直播� Aitken says he bounced around from show to show, something scriptwriters do when they are not involved in a longtime project.

The show has hosted a few celebrities over the years, including Stephen Harper.

香蕉视频直播淗e has been a fan, at least while he was prime minister, and his daughter wanted him to be on the show,香蕉视频直播� says Aitken. 香蕉视频直播淗e pulled some strings so, yes, we wrote a part for him in 2004 and he appeared on screen.香蕉视频直播�

Aitken says the network is always looking for marketing value and having celebrities appear on the show tends to bring in larger audiences.

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 always a good quid pro quo to have people we know make appearances,香蕉视频直播� he says noting former 香蕉视频直播淒ragon香蕉视频直播� Arlene Dickinson of 香蕉视频直播淒ragon香蕉视频直播檚 Den香蕉视频直播� fame, appeared on the show in a 2012 episode called 香蕉视频直播淚nvention Convention香蕉视频直播� as a possible investor,

An international component comes from the inclusion of actors from England, whose appearance on the program help UKTV sell the program.

香蕉视频直播淎mazingly, the show does very well; every year it has been on, more people come to watch the show than leave the show,香蕉视频直播� he says, pointing out most television programs have short lives and that even the ones that qualify as hits don香蕉视频直播檛 usually make it past nine seasons. 香蕉视频直播淕oing into the second season, we thought we had picked all the low-hanging fruit and were asking ourselves where would we get new ideas.香蕉视频直播�

By the third year, everyone was feeling more comfortable and Aitken says he can香蕉视频直播檛 see any reason not to keep churning out great stories for the show香蕉视频直播檚 fans.

The only scriptwriter to have been with the show since its debut is Aitken. While others have left to start their own shows, or in the case of one very talented writer and 香蕉视频直播渞eally good guy香蕉视频直播� died, the hive is a relatively stable place.

香蕉视频直播淕enerally people get on a show like this, they tend to stay. It香蕉视频直播檚 a very pleasurable way to spend your day 香蕉视频直播� in the company of people who are funny, bright and interesting, in a job where you make people laugh and come up with ideas,香蕉视频直播� he says. 香蕉视频直播淪ometimes I get weary of the show and the stress it places, because when the machine is humming, we have to meet the need of that machine and it香蕉视频直播檚 a constant stress.香蕉视频直播�

In his presentation to the Word on the Lake Writers香蕉视频直播� Festival, Aitken香蕉视频直播檚 goal is to actually create a writers香蕉视频直播� room in which participants create an episode.

香蕉视频直播淚 have never tried to break a mystery in a couple of hours; I don香蕉视频直播檛 know how that will work,香蕉视频直播� he laughs.

Aitken also plans to explain why certain decisions are made in the production of 香蕉视频直播淢urdoch Mysteries香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播� the kinds of things that have to be accomplished in a mystery that wouldn香蕉视频直播檛 be done in another show.

香蕉视频直播淭here are demands that are not in other shows, there are certain constraints in the form,香蕉视频直播� he says. 香蕉视频直播淲e take more liberties than others and I will talk about what the process is for breaking a mystery and how we do it in the 香蕉视频直播淢urdoch Mysteries.香蕉视频直播�

Word on the Lake Writers香蕉视频直播� Festival runs May 19 to 21 at the Prestige Harbourfront Resort and Okanagan College.

Sessions will include both skill development workshops and open forums with authors based on questions and answers in an intimate setting.

A Friday night 香蕉视频直播渃af茅 lit香蕉视频直播� will feature presenters reading from their published works and a gala banquet is always a popular part of the Saturday night program.

For more information or to register, go to wordonthelakewritersfestival.com.