There is no mystery as to why the 含羞草研究社淢urdoch Mysteries含羞草研究社� 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含羞草研究社檚 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含羞草研究社檚 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含羞草研究社橣estival.

含羞草研究社淲e call it the hive; different brains operating in the same space and talking freely generate ideas in other people,含羞草研究社� says Aitken, noting he rarely goes into a new season with episode plans. 含羞草研究社淵ou get way more ideas from other people and way more solutions become apparent.含羞草研究社�

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 含羞草研究社渂rain,含羞草研究社� 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 含羞草研究社� except for political information, which is often skewed by contributors含羞草研究社� own agendas and false information, Aitken says.

含羞草研究社淲e don含羞草研究社檛 have the resources to hire a lot of staff so we do our own research; it含羞草研究社檚 a fantastic way to waste time if you are disinclined to write,含羞草研究社� he laughs. 含羞草研究社淵ou learn a lot of stuff you didn含羞草研究社檛 know and it含羞草研究社檚 a pleasurable activity in and of itself. Getting into embedded links is a great way to spend a chunk of your day.含羞草研究社�

Writing less costly but more challenging 含羞草研究社渂ottle含羞草研究社� 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含羞草研究社檚 being sold 含羞草研究社� 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.

含羞草研究社淲e meet together to go over the scripts and we含羞草研究社檙e really mean with each other as we correct the manuscripts,含羞草研究社� Aitken says. 含羞草研究社淧roduction (department) decides on what含羞草研究社檚 filmable and what含羞草研究社檚 not, how many people can be hired and film locations.含羞草研究社�

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 含羞草研究社淢urdoch Mysteries含羞草研究社� starts in the third week of May, so members of 含羞草研究社渢he hive含羞草研究社� are now breaking stories for eight different episodes.

Aitken含羞草研究社檚 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 含羞草研究社渆verything and nothing.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淚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 含羞草研究社淭he Campbells含羞草研究社�, a Scottish-Canadian television drama series, produced by Scottish Television and CTV from 1986 to 1990.

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 good money. I含羞草研究社檝e developed a craft of writing for TV so I enjoy that,含羞草研究社� he says of his ensuing successful career. 含羞草研究社淲hen you do anything long enough, there含羞草研究社檚 pleasure in exercising a skill that you含羞草研究社檝e learned. It含羞草研究社檚 also one of the few jobs where you necessarily have to do something different every time.含羞草研究社�

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

含羞草研究社淚 would say every person likes something different about the show; most are fans who love the history, so we all dig into the history,含羞草研究社� says Aitken, who has been writing for 含羞草研究社淢urdoch Mysteries含羞草研究社� since 2007 and written somewhere between 32 and 35 episodes.

In between writing for 含羞草研究社淭he Campbells含羞草研究社� and securing a long tenure with 含羞草研究社淢urdoch Mysteries,含羞草研究社� 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.

含羞草研究社淗e has been a fan, at least while he was prime minister, and his daughter wanted him to be on the show,含羞草研究社� says Aitken. 含羞草研究社淗e pulled some strings so, yes, we wrote a part for him in 2004 and he appeared on screen.含羞草研究社�

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

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 always a good quid pro quo to have people we know make appearances,含羞草研究社� he says noting former 含羞草研究社淒ragon含羞草研究社� Arlene Dickinson of 含羞草研究社淒ragon含羞草研究社檚 Den含羞草研究社� fame, appeared on the show in a 2012 episode called 含羞草研究社淚nvention Convention含羞草研究社� 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.

含羞草研究社淎mazingly, the show does very well; every year it has been on, more people come to watch the show than leave the show,含羞草研究社� he says, pointing out most television programs have short lives and that even the ones that qualify as hits don含羞草研究社檛 usually make it past nine seasons. 含羞草研究社淕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.含羞草研究社�

By the third year, everyone was feeling more comfortable and Aitken says he can含羞草研究社檛 see any reason not to keep churning out great stories for the show含羞草研究社檚 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 含羞草研究社渞eally good guy含羞草研究社� died, the hive is a relatively stable place.

含羞草研究社淕enerally people get on a show like this, they tend to stay. It含羞草研究社檚 a very pleasurable way to spend your day 含羞草研究社� in the company of people who are funny, bright and interesting, in a job where you make people laugh and come up with ideas,含羞草研究社� he says. 含羞草研究社淪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含羞草研究社檚 a constant stress.含羞草研究社�

In his presentation to the Word on the Lake Writers含羞草研究社� Festival, Aitken含羞草研究社檚 goal is to actually create a writers含羞草研究社� room in which participants create an episode.

含羞草研究社淚 have never tried to break a mystery in a couple of hours; I don含羞草研究社檛 know how that will work,含羞草研究社� he laughs.

Aitken also plans to explain why certain decisions are made in the production of 含羞草研究社淢urdoch Mysteries含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社� the kinds of things that have to be accomplished in a mystery that wouldn含羞草研究社檛 be done in another show.

含羞草研究社淭here are demands that are not in other shows, there are certain constraints in the form,含羞草研究社� he says. 含羞草研究社淲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 含羞草研究社淢urdoch Mysteries.含羞草研究社�

Word on the Lake Writers含羞草研究社� 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 含羞草研究社渃af茅 lit含羞草研究社� 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.