  Mystery
This week: Ronald Knox's Rules for Mystery Stories Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon  
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Quote for the week: Often the hands will solve a mystery that the intellect has struggled with in vain.
~Carl Jung |
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Ronald Knox was a Catholic priest and mystery writer in the early 20th century, a contemporary of Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, G. K. Chesterton, and E. C. Bentley. Father Knox wrote several mystery novels, but he is best known for his "Ten Commandments of Mystery Writing." With some updating, this list still contains some good advice for mystery writers. The following statements in bold type are Knox's original rules, with my comments in normal type.
I. The criminal must be someone mentioned in the early part of the story, but must not be anyone whose thoughts the reader has been allowed to follow. I think it is fine to let the reader follow the criminal's thoughts, as long as you don't use these thoughts to lie to the reader. Make sure the criminal's thoughts are something he really would be thinking, without giving too much information away.
II. All supernatural or preternatural agencies are ruled out as a matter of course. This is still good advice for a pure mystery story, but who says a mystery can't occur in a fantasy or sci-fi story? Genre crossovers are fun!
III. No more than one secret room or passage is allowable. Secret rooms and passages are fun, but if you use them, make sure they are plausible and realistic.
IV. No hitherto undiscovered poisons may be used, nor any appliance which will need a long scientific explanation at the end. Avoid any plot element that needs really long explanations at the end or anywhere else.
V. No Chinaman must figure into the story. Remember that this list of rules was written at a time when political correctness did not exist. Chinese characters and other Asians were often portrayed as extreme stereotypes in Golden Age mysteries. What this rule really meant was "No racial or ethnic stereotypes must figure into the story." Removing all other stereotyped and cliche characters is also a good idea. Characters who should never see another story include the hard drinking PI, the damsel in distress, the tortured hero running from a traumatic past, and my personal pet peeve, the stubborn, self-righteous, and sanctimonious heroine.
VI. No accident must ever help the detective, nor must he ever have an unaccountable intuition which proves to be right. A weak plot depends on coincidence. Let the characters solve the mystery with detective work and reasoning.
VII. The detective must not, himself, commit the crime. This doesn't mean the criminal cannot be a police officer or detective, but the main protagonist should not turn out to be guilty.
VIII. The detective must not light on any clues which are not instantly produced for the inspection of the reader. Don't let the detective pull information out of nowhere at the end of the story. Readers should see everything the detective sees and have a chance to work out the meaning of the clues on their own.
IX. The stupid friend of the detective, the Watson, must not conceal any thoughts which pass through his mind; his intelligence must be slightly, but only very slightly, below that of the average reader. I don't think it is necessary for a "Dr. Watson" character, if there is one, to be of lower than average intelligence. This character functions as a surrogate for the reader, asking the questions that occur to the reader throughout the story.
X. Twin brothers, and doubles generally, must not appear unless we have been duly prepared for them. Previously unknown identical twins are one of the most overused cliches in mystery writing. If you are going to include them in your story, make sure you use them in an original way.
Something to try: Have you written a story that you don't like or one that has received unfavorable reviews? Look it over to see if it breaks any of Knox's rules. If it does, try rewriting the part that breaks the rule, and see if you like it better.
Just for fun, you might also try writing a story that breaks every one of Knox's rules. Although these rules are "ten commandments," they are not written in stone. Don't be afraid to break them if you feel it is best for your story. |
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Answer to last month's question: What is your greatest strength as a writer?
Quick-Quill 
A to Q: I think outside the box. My stories are varied and I am motivated by things I read or contests. I hope it is the follow through. I write like I review GMC and Resolution.
Question for next time: What type of book character do you find most annoying? |
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Mystery: May 22, 2013 Issue [#5681]
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