  Mystery
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"All that I see or seem is but a dream within a dream"
Edgar Alan Poe
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Welcome to this week's edition of the Mystery Newsletter. A mystery by nature is a question in search of an answer - a puzzle! And when we uncover the answer to the question, effectively solving the puzzle moments before the writer gives us the solution, follow clues tactile and cerebral, the momentary satisfaction is sublime! |
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Writing a mystery, in prose and in verse, engages the writer’s curiosity which is then shared with readers. The writer begins with a quest to solve a crime or unravel a series of events (most often nefarious). Observing the characters, surroundings, the writer then conveys in words what he/she sees, hears, and perceives. The reader, curiosity provoked, is engaged by the mystery and challenged to solve the why, how, or by whom, by finding and solving clues.
Note that I said the writer observes – a premise of reality or fact. Well, as writers of mystery we manipulate what we observe to pose a quest that intrigues, proffer clues that are solvable to achieve a resolution that is believable and attainable. In order to pose relevant clues, the writer may question experts or research methods of detection; explore a community, an industry, a period in time; walk around a city or village to observe some people and places.
So writers of mysteries like to read and observe and explore fact to create their fiction. And sometimes not fiction. Some of the most intriguing, and sometimes disturbing, mysteries are based on real events.
A True Crime Mystery is based upon a real occurrence. Consider the ongoing mystery of “Jack the Ripper” in his many guises. Consider also the many stories fictional of “Lizzie Borden.” And, back even farther, there are numerous factual accounts of crimes in prose and poetry (Renaissance ballads), and others that begin with a factual crime then pose clues to explore some of the side stories that lead up to the crime or otherwise involve the characters. Where true crime mysteries generally diverge, however, from detective mysteries, is the perspective the writer uses.
True crime mystery writers provide historical or journalistic realism to plot the clues, create a realistic atmosphere for the characters, a climax and believable resolution. They may tease the reader by withholding the identity of the perpetrator if the case isn’t well known, providing clues so the reader can solve the crime. The writer often takes license with the details of the crime and by offering the reader an in-depth view of the thoughts, feelings, and interaction of the people involved by imagining conversation to set the scene and plant clues for the reader to keep him/her in the thick of it all.
True crime stories and verse appeal to a variety of readers, along with television viewers, as witnessed by the popularity of true crime film. And writers have to write the stories so directors can shoot the film (yes, bad pun ). True crime mysteries in short story and verse forms are also found in mainstream and mystery magazines. Yes, in verse as well - recall "Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her mother 40 whacks..." and "The Story of Bonnie and Clyde" by Bonnie Parker.
So, if you want to take a stab at writing, from current events or a historical perspective, a true crime mystery, you need look no further than your own surroundings.
 Read the news in your local paper for national, international, and local crimes. The metro section or police beat provide items with local or regional interest, which would be easy to research. Once you find a story that piques your curiosity, you can read back issues on line or at the library for additional details.
Alternatively, if you enjoy reading history, perhaps a particular period or people, look for a crime of significance at the time – a train robbery, a kidnapping, murder, that created a lasting effect or was otherwise memorable in a historical or ongoing context.
Pose a quest for the reader – if the crime is not well know, here’s where you can withhold perhaps the identity of the criminal and set clues for the reader to find and solve. If the crime is well known historically or as a current event, consider developing the details. Here’s where some ‘poetic license’ works to flesh out the details of the crime.
Consider writing the mystery from the perspective of either the criminal as a flawed protagonist or sympathetic antagonist (if possible), or one of the ancillary characters in the story.
Explore and reveal the thoughts, impressions, feelings of the people involved in or affected by the crime to bring the reader into the story and make him/her want to keep reading, keep seeking the clues to solve the why of the crime.
As in all engaging mysteries, remember to be straight with your reader – since your readers can also research the facts – keep your fictional observations and exploration plausible while engaging; the clues and their resolution achievable; and the resolution believable.
I hope you’ve enjoyed our exploration of true crime mysteries and, when you next read the paper or a historical figure’s memoir or autobiography, perhaps consider an exploration of one yourself ~ a challenging creative exercise for the muse creative and your potential readers. The folloiwng site offers a broad selection of crimes and criminals to perhaps incite the Muse Creative to pen a true crime mystery:
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Some true crime mysteries - in prose and verse - penned by members of our Community for your sleuthing pleasure
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A challenge this month for the sleuth in you ~ be it true crime or a mystery quest imagined
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Thank you for this brief respite in your virtual home.
Until we next meet, I wish for you each a Happy Valentine's Day
Keep Writing!
Kate
Kate - Writing & Reading
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Mystery: February 11, 2009 Issue [#2885]
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