Part 6: Anticipation
Tag Archives: Mystery
Eleanor and Rose, and “The Case of the Fleaing Colors,” part 6
Part 6: Anticipation
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Eleanor and Rose, and “The Case of the Fleaing Color,” part 5
Part 5: The stakes (but not steaks) are raised.
Filed under cartoon by author, Eleanor and Rose, Story by author
Eleanor and Rose and “The Case of the Fleaing Colors,” part 4
Part 4: Looking our best when looking for clues.
Filed under cartoon by author, Eleanor and Rose, Story by author
Eleanor and Rose and “The Case of the Fleaing Colors,” part 3
Part 3: The chase always begins with the right suit of clothes, at least for Rose.
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Monday morning writing joke: “Six characters”
The real mystery was how he managed to come up with that many characters to begin with.
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Monday morning writing joke: Let there be light
Q.: How many mystery writers does it take to change a light bulb?
A.: Two – one to do most of the turning and the other to give it a final twist at the end.
The mystery began in the most unlikely of places, and it was a shock to hear about.
[Editor’s note: Okay, so this one is a riddle. What would you expect for a mystery?]
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Writing Tip: Plotting backwards
[Editor’s note: the essay below is taken from an e-mail newsletter sent out by the writer Bruce Hale. you can find his web site at: http://www.brucehalewritingtips.com/. You can also sign up for his e-newsletter at that site. Each electronic newsletter comes with other information, including a writing joke.]
WHY BACKWARDS IS BEST WHEN PLOTTING A MYSTERY
By BRUCE HALE
When I wrote my first mystery, I hadn’t a clue. I tried writing it straight through, plotting as I went, and ended up falling flat on my face. Why? I hadn’t yet learned that backwards is best.
You see, contrary to the way most fiction is mapped out, mysteries are backwards creatures. They’re easiest to write when plotted backwards from the ending, rather than forward from the beginning. Mysteries, by their nature, are a complex tangle, and if you’re not careful, you’ll get stuck in it.
As I learned the hard way, if you write from the beginning, you’ll be left flatfooted with your detective, trying to figure out how to solve the mystery.
Better to go the easy way: work from the solution. Start from the ultimate revelation of whodunit and work your way backwards to mystery writing success. Here’s how:
– DECIDE WHODUNIT, WHY, AND HOW
First, pick the crime to be solved and the culprit. Suss out why they committed the crime – and the less obvious the reason, the better. Your villain (or clues from him) should be part of the story from fairly early on, but his motives and actions must remain hidden until the twist reveals them. Hide your villain in plain
sight – heck, you could even go so far as to make them a seeming ally of your hero.
– PLAN YOUR TWIST
This is the dramatic reveal, the “It’s not Snape, it’s Quirrell!” moment. (Sorry if I spoiled Harry Potter I for you.) The twist should occur at the least convenient moment, preferably when the hero is most vulnerable. Usually the twist occurs at or just before the climax.
To make the twist work, you need to come up with at least one or two plausible culprits, then show why they didn’t commit the crime.
– LAY OUT YOUR RED HERRINGS
These are the likely culprits, the leads your detective follows that turn out to be dead ends. Be sure the herrings are motivated as well, and if you can disguise their motivations or make them ambiguous, so much the better. Anything to make them *more* plausible, and your true villain *less* plausible.
– SCATTER YOUR CLUES
What tips your hero off to the fact that the villain is guilty? A latticework of little clues (usually connected much too late). You must always play fair with the reader, so be sure the clues are there, even if the detective and her trusty assistant initially dismiss them.
The key with clues is to use misdirection — have them seem insignificant, or be misinterpreted. You can’t make it too easy for the detective, or the reader!
– START WITH A BANG
And last, but not least, come up with a grabber of an opening that plunges us right into the heart of the mystery. Ideally, it should contain some small clue that points us toward the true culprit.
With all that in place, now you’re ready to write your first words. Happy mystery writing, and may the spirit of Chandler and Hammett be with you!
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Four Clues to Writing a Mystery
[This is taken from an e-newsletter sent out by the writer Bruce Hale. You can find more information at Bruce Hale Writing Tips.]
When I wrote my first mystery, I had no idea how to do it. I
actually had characters tell my detective riddles that would lead
him to the next thing he needed to discover. To be honest, I had
no clue how to construct a clue.
But after you write a few of these things, you start to see how the
mystery is made. Herewith, four helpful hints on writing a mystery:
1. Play fair with the reader
Mystery readers hope that you’ll surprise them, but that surprise
must be a fair one. You can’t tease readers with three suspects
throughout your story, and then suddenly reveal that a character
they’ve never met is responsible. That’s not playing fair.
Don't forget the unwritten rule: write!
play fair with these people, you need to plant a clue or two that
points toward your real culprit. Make it subtle, a throwaway line
perhaps, but make sure it’s there.
2. Keep your reader’s age in mind
Obviously, the mystery in a Cam Jansen chapter book is going to be
just a tad simpler than that in a Raymond Chandler tale. You want
to keep your reader guessing, but you don’t want things to be so
convoluted that he or she gets completely lost — especially in a
children’s book.
Your story should be just a little trickier than readers think they
can handle. If you have any doubts, ask a reader in your target
age range to take a look at the story. If your story leaves her
completely clueless, it’s time to simplify.
3. Merrily misdirect
One of the keys to successful mystery writing is misdirection.
Your readers should suspect every possible culprit but the real
one.
How do you do this? Make your clues point strongly toward one
character, then show that he’s innocent. Make your suspects take
actions that can have two interpretations, and let the reader and
detective erroneously assume the worst.
4. Write from the ending
Most mystery writers I talk with say that they figure out the
ending first — what’s the crime, who’s the culprit, why’d they do
it? — before plotting the rest of the book. Once you’ve got that
sorted out, it’s a matter of concealing it.
You’ll want your detective to take a circuitous route, often
running into brick walls. You’ll want her to think she’s got it
all solved, only to have the rug pulled out from under her.
Mysteries are all about the progressive unraveling of the unknown.
But it’s the *way* you unravel it — using misdirection, considering
your reader, and playing fair — that makes for a satisfying read.
Filed under mystery, mystery writing, words, writer, writing, writing tip
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