  Mystery
This week: Connecting the Dots Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon  
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Quote for the week:
Some mystery should be left in the revelation of character in a play, just as a great deal of mystery is always left in the revelation of character in life, even in one's own character to himself.
Tennessee Williams
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What do a millionaire's missing daughter, a dead homeless man in a roadside ditch, and trampled flowers in your grandma's garden have in common? Maybe nothing, but in a mystery story, they could all be connected because...I'll let you and your detectives figure that out!
While one main plot is usually enough for a short story, longer mystery stories and novels are often built from several interwoven subplots. In the best mysteries all of the subplots are related. Writing a story of this type requires some planning. The connections between the subplots should not be too obvious, but they should not seem forced or contrived.
There is no magic number of subplots or interrelated cases. I like stories with at least three, but it will depend on the complexity of the cases and the relationships between them.
Unless your mystery takes place in a very small town, the same detectives will probably not investigate all of the cases. Larger departments have sections for different types of crimes, such as homicide, robbery, and vice. In other instances, the crimes might fall under different jurisdictions based on where they were committed or other circumstances.
If the missing heiress is an adult, the police may not investigate at all, unless there is evidence she has met with foul play. In this case, one of your characters may be a friend or family member who tries to convince the police to investigate. If she has been kidnapped and taken across a state line, the FBI will take over the investigation. The county sheriff or the highway patrol may investigate the dead homeless man, and a brand new police officer may be stuck with grandma's flower garden.
Real life investigations are often complicated when several agencies are involved. The I-5 Killer, who terrorized the west coast of the United States in the 1970s, was not caught for six years because his crimes spanned multiple states and police jurisdictions.
Something to try: Write a mystery story combining one of the following sets of seemingly unrelated items. Be sure your story is believable.
 A bank robbery, a missing cell phone, and a barking dog.
A murdered politician, a stolen car, and a complaint about noisy neighbors.
A shoplifting teen, a dead fish, and a blood stain on a rug.
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Mystery: February 26, 2014 Issue [#6176]
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