  Mystery
This week: The Only Thing To Fear Edited by: Jeff  
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"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known."
- Carl Sagan
Random Mystery Trivia of the Week: Physician/thriller writer Robin Cook often deals with topical or even cutting edge social issues in his books, including stem cells, organ donation, fertility treatments, medical malpractice, genetic engineering, and research funding. He has often stated that he believes his books - in addition to being entertaining - can also serve to educate readers about medical topics and issues of which they may not be aware.
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THE ONLY THING TO FEAR...
Almost all of us are afraid of something. Some of us are even afraid of many things. Fear is a recognizable, understandable human emotion that we've all experienced at one point or another in our lives. Fear itself is defined as, "a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid." (Dictionary.Com), with the more acute term of phobia defined as, "a persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that leads to a compelling desire to avoid it." (Dictionary.Com).
I was going to list quite a few phobias here for easy reference, but it might be easier just to provide a link. There are, after all, hundreds upon hundreds of things that people are afraid of. Here's a list of quite a few of them:
Fear is perhaps one of the most recognizable human emotions. Empathy for a particular emotion is often tied to our own past experience with those emotions, and fear is something that we've all experienced at one time, whether that was seeing a scary movie as a child, or a phobia that we've carried with us through our entire adult lives. We all know what it means to be afraid - to be scared of something - and we're therefore understanding of that emotion in others... even if we don't share that particular fear with someone. For example, when we see someone who's afraid of spiders encounter one, most of us can empathize with that situation even if we're not afraid of spiders ourselves. Why? Because we know what fear feels like, and can relate it to our own experiences and phobias.
When it comes to writing, a reader's ability to empathize and understand the characters often directly relates to how engaged they are in the material, and even how much they enjoy the story. That means introducing emotions and actions for your characters with which your reader can identify. And since most of us know what it's like to fear something, why not give your characters a fear (or better yet, a phobia) of something that they have to grapple with throughout the story. Not only will your reader identify with the experience, but it also feeds into the concept of flawed characters that I discussed in my last mystery newsletter: "Mystery Newsletter (June 8, 2011)" .
How does this apply to mysteries? Mystery stories are often filled with the unknown. We're invited to delve into worlds where nothing is certain, where questions must be answered, and where the characters must move forward and persevere without knowing what's around the next corner. Mystery, therefore, is an ideal genre to introduce a character with a phobia. What better drama and conflict than a private investigator who's afraid of crowded spaces, having to track a suspect through a filled-to-capacity concert or sports venue? How much more compelling can you get than a cop who's afraid of failure being tasked with tracking down the one criminal he's never been able to catch?
Fear is a universal experience. It can also be a traumatic one and - for that reason above all others - I think it's an emotion that other people can understand and empathize with. It also plays perfectly into the mystery genre's affinity for exploring the unknown and exploiting the uncertain. If you're looking for a way to write more effective mysteries, consider introducing a fear or a phobia for your characters. 
Until next time,
- Jeff |
This week, I would encourage you to check out the following mystery items:
Her killer leaned in closer so Ashley could clearly see the face of the person she had trusted so much just hours ago. "because I can" those were the last words Ashley heard before she slumped against the wall and fell dead to the floor.
"I need your help." How many times have you heard this throughout your life? Many I'm sure. From the mundane to the extraordinary. You hear it from your kids whining because their bike tire is flat, dragging you away from another Bulldog loss. You hear it from a neighbor who’s too cheap to buy his own video camera, but thinks nothing of screwing yours up while recording his kids swim meet. You hear it from your boss who hasn’t done an honest days work in years, but wants to use your time teaching him how to download files from the internet, for “business purposes” of course.
In Los Angeles, Chad walked into the local Starbucks. Chad's muscular body, thin lips that curled into the a beautiful smile with the most perfect set of white teeth, and golden blonde hair was enough to make any girl he met swoon. He walked with a confidence that says "I know who I am". He opens the door to the the famous coffeehouse.
Luciano stared as the plane dipped down and crashed at the end of the landing field. Tears streamed down his face as he raced blindly toward the site. ‘God, let them live. Los Ninos. Dios, déjà los ninos vivir!.’ He wiped his tears from his eyes so he could see, but he could not stop crying.
Staring at a dead body was something she had to get used to. Michelle Warner is a homicide detective in Boston.She is medium height and weight with brown hair and green eyes. She is working on a case that has her baffled. four bodies have been found over the past few months but none of them has anything in common.
He had not expected her to be the new customer that had just entered the restaurant. Because of that, he had flashed her his best “I’m Mister Charming” smile. He flashed every attractive woman he saw what he thought was his best smile. But as she moved closer, he recognized her. She saw his expression change as recognition dawned on him. |
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QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Which phobia do you think is the worst? Which is the most interesting or unusual?
In response to my last newsletter on flawed characters (the question was regarding favorite fictional protagonists and their flaws):
DB Cooper  writes: "Your outstanding prose inspires me every time. BTW, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg owe everything to the Japanese director Kurosawa. He was buried by history!"
Absolutely. While Lucas and Spielberg have each made amazing contributions to popular culture, it's remarkable how even the most talented artists can be influenced by those who came before them. 
Brooke  writes: "Great newsletter, as usual. I think flawed characters are much more interesting (and real) than everyday people. It can also be a great way to get your readers to sympathize with your villain. Keep up the great work my friend. "
Thanks, Brooke! Always a pleasure to receive a compliment from you.
wildbill writes: "My favorite flawed protagonist is George Smiley, the pudgy bespectacled British spy created by John Le Carr'. Smiley isn't the typical spy hero. He's fortyish, overweight and no hand with the ladies. In fact, his infatuation with his wife is his flaw, the chink in his armor that Karla, the Russian masterspy uses against him. The Smiley character broke all the rules of spy/thriller hero characterization but his flaws made him human and real to millions of readers. "
I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I've never read any John Le Carre, although he's definitely on my list. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
writing wizard  writes: "I wanted to ask everybody at wirting.com this: What is your favorite Mystery/Suspense book and author?"
Hopefully other people will see this and email you as well, but some of my favorites are Harlan Coben, Lawrence Block, Michael Connelly, and Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child (when they write together). There are so many great books out there!
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Mystery: July 06, 2011 Issue [#4490]
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