 Mystery: August 25, 2021 Issue [#10947] |
This week: The bad guys Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon  
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Quote for the week:
"If you don't have a villain, the good guy can stay home."
~Christoph Waltz |
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In many ways, the villain is the most important character in a mystery story. If the villain did not commit a crime, there would be no story.
Development of all characters is important, but if you don't develop the villain carefully, the story will fall flat.
In the beginning, the villain will be just one of several suspects. The true villain should be questionable in some way, but should not stand out so much that the reader will suspect them right away. Depending on the story, there may be a difference between the detective's suspects and the reader's suspects. While the detective might not suspect the overly helpful neighbor or friend, this person will be among the reader's suspects. If that character is the actual villain, give them a subtle hint of guilt so the reader will have a chance (even if it is a very small chance) of guessing the solution.
In absence of clear evidence that it is someone else, detectives will suspect the spouse, close family members, business partners, or other close associates until these characters can be cleared. If your villain is one of those characters, make sure their initial alibi can stand up to close scrutiny from the detectives as well as the readers.
Make sure you give your villain a realistic motive for the crime. All suspects should have a believable motive, but it is especially important for the villain. I have read some stories in which the motive for the crime was very weak. It almost seemed that the author had not thought of a motive before writing the story. Even if the villain is insane, the motive should make sense in light of their twisted logic.
Some writers start writing a story without a clear idea of the villain's identity. Occasionally, a story takes a different direction than you planned, and you might decide to make a different character guilty. You can write a good story this way, but you need to go back and make sure there are no plot holes that will make the conclusion impossible.
Something to try: If you have a mystery story that is not working well, consider changing the villain's personality or motives. |
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First prize in two contests. A gambler encounters his addiction's end in a deadly game.
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