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Mystery: April 08, 2020 Issue [#10110]




 This week: I didn’t see that coming!
  Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon Author IconMail Icon
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Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

Quote for the week: "Generally my typical books have lots of twists and turns a big surprise ending and then usually another surprise at the end. Ideally, as in Garden of Beasts, we get to the very end and we find at the last few pages that there's yet another surprise."

~Jeffery Deaver


Word from our sponsor

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Letter from the editor

Plot twists and surprise endings are an essential element of mystery stories. A straightforward plot with no twists and turns would make a boring mystery.

Mystery readers expect twists when reading a story, and seasoned mystery fans are difficult to fool. The trick to setting up a good plot twist is to make it difficult to figure out but not impossible. When I read a mystery, I love it when I figure out the solution a fraction of a second behind the main character.

Here are a few suggestions for writing satisfying plot twists:

Give the reader all the facts
The reader should know everything the detectives or amateur sleuths in your story know. Sometimes you may need to withhold one piece of information to keep the solution from being too obvious. If that is the case, withhold that information from the characters too, until it is time to reveal the solution. An example might be a key piece of forensic evidence that is not back from the lab until the last chapter of the story.

Make it believable
Plot twists should be unexpected, but not unbelievable. All the events of the story should make sense when the solution comes together. If events or characters are not they seem to be, make sure you leave subtle clues to the true situation.

Mislead without lying
Misdirect, mislead, or distract your readers as much as necessary without actually lying to them. If you need to give your readers incorrect information, let a character do it for you. Characters can lie if they have a believable reason, but if a writer lies the readers will feel cheated.

Avoid cliches
Nothing annoys a seasoned mystery reader more than a story based on cliches. A cliche is a plot element or character type that is overused and predictable. Examples of mystery cliches are previously unknown identical twins, characters with multiple personalities, and the nice guy next door who is actually a serial killer.

Something to try: Write a mystery story with more than one plot twist.





Editor's Picks

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The Temple Open in new Window. (13+)
A homeless man maintains a temple to an unlikely God accepting extreme sacrifices.
#2191232 by J.B. Ezar Author IconMail Icon


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The Rubber Ducky Red Herring Open in new Window. (13+)
Proud 2nd in 2019 Bard's Hall Cop Shop Mystery Contest! Rare Fiction a la Whata Style.
#2200685 by Whata SpoonStealer Author IconMail Icon


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This item number is not valid.
#2118053 by Not Available.


 
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Not The Juicy Ham Bone! Open in new Window. (ASR)
A dog detective story. Who stole the juicy ham bone?
#2161450 by Choconuts Roasting Author IconMail Icon


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Imprints Open in new Window. (13+)
A psychic detective helps solve a case. A tale told in dialogue only.
#706404 by FÐ Spread the Christmas Joys Author IconMail Icon

 
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Ask & Answer

Question for next time: What subjects would you like to see in future mystery newsletters?

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