  Mystery
This week: The Past Edited by: Jeff  
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"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known."
- Carl Sagan
Random Mystery Trivia of the Week: Kathy Reichs is the bestselling author of the mystery book series featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan (also the basis for the television series Bones on Fox). In real life, Kathy Reichs is actually a forensic anthropologist, and in the television series Bones, the Temperance Brennan character is also a bestselling author. The protagonist of Temperance Brennan's fictional bestselling book series? Forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs.  |
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THE PAST
What is it about the past that makes it so rife with mystery? One would think that the past, which by definition is something that's already happened, would be pretty clear cut and not very mysterious at all. I mean, that photograph of you at your fifth birthday party is documented proof of something that actually happened, rather than subjective interpretation or speculation. If the photo shows you face-planting in your double chocolate fudge birthday cake, you face-planted in your double chocolate fudge birthday cake. (We'll save the talk of Photoshop for another newsletter.  ) With all the factual evidence that the past can provide, however, it's also the perfect source for a mystery. Why? Because it's impossible to know everything about the past... and that uncertainty, by its nature, provides us with a source of mystery.
Just think about all the unanswered questions that the past can provide. In the age of piracy, vast treasures were secured and lost among sunken ships. What if one of those ships were discovered today? The Bush and Kennedy families have both seen many, many of their own at the highest seats of public office and corporate management. What if there was some discoverable secret to their success and influence? In the Cold War era, both the U.S. and Soviet Union pursued dozens of avenues of research and development, both in the realms of real and theoretical science. What if some of those experiments came to light? Or if one of those facilities was still active today? Or you stumbled across top secret documentation that was supposed to be covered up? World history is filled with mysterious potential, both from the past actions of modern powers, and those of long lost civilizations, communities, settlements, and structures.
On a less "global conspiracy" scale, let's take that photo of you at your fifth birthday party. Maybe you remember it, maybe you don't; regardless, there's really no denying that it's a photo of you with fudgy, chocolatey goodness all over your face. But what about that kid sitting next to you? You know, the one with the sour expression, staring daggers at you. What was his name again? And whatever happened to that kid? Or even more mysterious, what is that in the background of the photo? Is that your dad and the neighbor's wife having a heated conversation? Is he touching her shoulder inappropriately? Our past (especially the distant past) is a goldmine of mysterious potential, because things that happened long ago and left forgotten can come back into our lives and pique our curiosity.
A sense of mystery is one of the most important tools a writer has at his or her disposal. It's that sense of mystery that often propels your reader forward. While there are some books that get by on the eloquence of the written word alone, or the intricate and complex characters and their relationships to one another... a great many books rely on plot, which - at its simplest form - is about presenting a problem or posing a question, and then answering it. Look at how mystery (and specifically, mystery about the past) informs some of our most celebrated and successful authors, in a variety of genres:
 Sahara by Clive Cussler: This novel, by bestselling action/adventure writer Clive Cussler is about the modern-day discovery of an old Civil War ironclad in the Sahara desert. The mystery is established right away... what is a Confederate boat doing in the African desert, and if it is there, what's inside it after all these years?
The Dead Zone by Stephen King: Johnny Smith spends six years in a coma after a tragic car accident. Upon awakening, he has psychic visions of both past and future. The mystery is inherent in the concept alone... how did he develop these extrasensory abilities after his coma? Horror and mystery have long been intimately related, and Stephen King is a master at putting the two together.
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: Bella Swan is in love with an enigmatic boy named Edward... who also happens to be a vampire. Combine that with the fact that there are mysterious disappearances in their small town in Washington State, and you've got double the mystery in what's predominantly a supernatural teen romance story. Throw in the long histories of the immortal Cullen family (spread out over the series), and history plays an important part in providing some of that mystery about who these characters are and where they've come from.
Even within the mystery and thriller genres themselves, the past plays an important role. Robert Ludlum is known for big, broad thrillers that hinge on global mysteries. Who is Jason Bourne? What is The Sigma Protocol? Who's behind the shadowy organization known as The Matarese? And on the opposite end of the spectrum, you've got Harlan Coben, known for contained mysteries that evolve out of everyday circumstances. Why is there a strange photo of your husband, several years younger, stuck in with a recently-developed roll of film you just picked up? How is it possible to receive an e-mail with a phrase known only to you and your wife, when she's been dead for eight years? What would you do if your son has been unusually despondent and you discovered a message on his computer that told him to just stay quiet? In all of these stories, the past is an important part of the mystery these characters find themselves exploring... and they run the gamut from globe-trotting, gun-toting adventures, to what could happen to any parent or spouse on any day of the year.
The next time you're thinking about writing a mystery, whether it's big and bold like Ludlum, or confined and frightening like Coben, consider infusing some of your characters' past (or the past of an object or place) into your story. Answering the unanswered questions from our history is a particularly effective way of making sure you keep your reader locked in until the final detail is explained. 
Until next time,
- Jeff
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This week, I would encourage you to check out the following mystery items:
The shreds of what was once a dress met her fingers first. She remembered this dress, remembered the time she had stitched it together so many years ago. Its color now faded and stained, its form beaten and shredded, in pieces many too small to even yield a proper cleaning rag. Within the folds of the fabric, a couple of articles of jewelry met her fingertips. A ring that had been in the family for as long as could be remembered.
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#1642172 by Not Available. |
Because time is a mystery / And it is full of history / That many have forgotten.
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#1620084 by Not Available. |
Walking down what has become an all too familiar street in my neighborhood I was struck by the odd and seemly sudden appearance of an old, mansion style colonial home replete with two large pillars supporting the wide span of an arched portico roof. Given the grandness of the structure I was amazed at why I had not noticed it before on my numerous walks over the last ten years of living in this quaint and well-established neighborhood. But then giving pause to the question I realized that it was likely as result of the recent hail-storm that ravaged the many large, old maple and oak trees in the area that finally exposed the property to anyone's view in passing.
The clipping was even more worn than the paper of the letter and Evie remembered handling it very carefully afraid that that small link to her past might crumble and leave her lost forever. It was about the 1982 grand opening of Kelly's Bakery and Café in Clifden, County Galway, Ireland. It had led Evie to Clifden and to her current state of confusion. This and a name which had been underlined in the clipping, Tomas Ryan, were all she had to go on.
Now, the candles had long since been blown out and the soft music was eclipsed by the sounds of the other diners' screams. Dice ducked as a second wineglass flew over his head to shatter on the wall behind him, squirting purple liquid all down the pale green wallpaper. Dice winced. Yet another restaurant he'd be banished from... this was starting to get old.
It was a dark and rainy night. Mark was driving to his home after a large and hard work in the office. When he almost arrived, headlights swept the street, illuminating the world with a ghostly sheen. But then... a mysterious shining light appeared, blinding him. He lost the control of the vehicle and crashed in a tree. Mark blackened out.
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In response to my last newsletter on noir:
Budroe  writes: "SoCal: The word "noir" makes me want to grab my PJs and a bag of popcorn! It really is one of my favorite genres of both books and screen. Writing in this form has some unique requirements, and you have covered the basics very well. Great read!"
I totally agree... nothing beats a good old fashioned black-and-white noir for movie night!
Davina writes: "Thank you for this! I certainly don't consider myself clever enough to be a mystery writer, but this has provided some sparks to a story that just wasn't working right for me. Amazing where inspiration can spring up!"
Glad to hear you're inspired to write something in this genre!
LJPC - the tortoise writes: "Hi SoCalScribe! My degree's in filmmaking, too, and I also love film noir. The characters' cynicism is what gets me. Dark, dark, dark. Few pulled it off as well as Bogart -- the anti-hero you just had to root for. Great newsletter!  -- Laura"
Totally agree, Laura. Bogart was an incredible leading man. Nice to see another film major here! 
Cassie Kat writes: "I love your newsletters SoCal, they are always EXACTLY what I'm dying to hear, but just don't know until after reading. This week was no different. I just wanted to thank you for explaining to me what the Noir genre is, because it turns out I was writing a story with noir elements and had no idea! . This said story has been giving me some trouble lately, but now that I've read this newseltter, perhaps its time I revisit this piece with a fresh new pair of eyes."
Thanks for the kind words! I'm happy to hear that you're already diving into the genre.
tyroneg421981 writes: "Hi, My story Reflections: Revamped has plenty of Mystery you should read it, it's someowhere within My bio. Great Characters who are caught up In many different stories."
I'll check it out. Thanks for writing in!
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Mystery: July 07, 2010 Issue [#3840]
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