  Mystery
This week: B & C Stories Edited by: Jeff  
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"Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle; they read it to get to the end.
The first page sells that book, and the last page sells your next book."
-- Mickey Spillane
Trivia of the Week: Steven Gore is an American thriller writer of the Graham Gage and Harlan Donnally series of books. The subject matter of his books is largely taken from his own experiences as a San Francisco Bay Area private investigator who investigated real cases of murder, fraud, money laundering, organized crime, political corruption, and drug, sex, and arms trafficking.
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B & C Stories
In screenwriting, particularly television, it's very common to assign letters to the different subplots of your story for ease of discussion. In most cases, the "A Story" is the primary narrative, while the "B Story" and "C Story" are different subplots that also take place in the same episode. Generally, the B Story is shorter than the A Story, and the C Story is shorter than the B Story.
Examples:
Blue Bloods. The A Story was whatever case the cops were trying to solve that week, the B Story was typically a secondary story (Erin's cases at the DA's office, Frank's challenges as the police commissioner, etc.), and the C Story was the family dynamic that always revolved around their weekly dinners.
Chicago Fire. The A Story was typically life in the firehouse and responding to a specific emergency call. The B Story was typically one of the characters' personal lives (Matt running for Alderman, Herman's investment antics, running the Molly's bar, etc.), and the C Story was usually a personal relationship between the characters (Matt and Gabby, Severide and his various love interests, etc.).
Modern Family. This one's a little bit tricky because the A, B, and C Story are each of the immediate families within a larger extended family and the focus changes from episode to episode. But whether they're mixing and matching characters or giving one immediate family more screen time in a particular episode than the others, watch each episode carefully and you'll see a story about one person from the Pritchett family (Jay, Gloria, Manny, Joe), a story about one person from the Dunphy family (Phil, Claire, Luke, Alex, Hayley), and a story about the other Pritchett family (Mitchell, Cam, and Lily).
Suits. The A Story was typically the legal case of the week: someone they're defending, a deal they're trying to make, etc. The B Story was usually a long-term seasonal story (Daniel trying to come back and take over the firm, Harvey's old nemesis trying to sink the firm, etc.) that's pushed along each episode. And the C Story are the personal relationships (Mike and Rachel, Jessica and Harvey, Harvey and his love interests, Louis and Harvey, etc.).
Lucifer. The A Story was typically the crime of the week being investigated. The B Story is, again, a long-term seasonal arc that usually had to do with Lucifer's relationship with his father, mother, fellow angels, or other supernatural elements. And the C Story, as you probably guessed by now, are the personal relationships (Lucifer and Chloe, Dan and Chloe, Lucifer and Dr. Linda, etc.).
Why is this worth mentioning?
Because most good stories have more than one storyline happening at the same time. In mysteries, it's not hard to figure out what the A Story is; it's usually the actual mystery. Whether you're writing a detective or private investigator trying to solve a case, a wrongfully-accused person on the run, a criminal trying to pull off a heist or a con, or whatever, that job or social activity is usually the A Story in a mystery tale. It's what the audience picks up a book to read about.
Somewhere in the story, though, there are usually other storylines. Maybe your character is in a relationship with someone, or flirting with the idea of one. Maybe, if you're writing a series, there's a larger story being told across multiple installments. Maybe there's another character perspective and you want to tell two angles on the same set of events. Whatever it may be, this is often how stories get rounded out.
In screenwriting, one of the biggest mistakes writers make is trying to stretch out the A Story to fill an entire episode of television or an entire feature film. It usually results in slow pacing and filler scenes where it's clear the writer is just trying to bide time and fill up the anticipated amount of space.
In prose writing, it's not so different. There are a lot of books out there that meander for dozens if not hundreds of pages, filling up space with needless scenes and description because the author is trying to fill the entire length of a full novel, novella, etc. with a story that just isn't the right size for the medium.
In the vast majority of cases, a long-form mystery story is most effective when you have B Stories and C Stories to help balance out the narrative. It's even more effective when you can transition between them so the audience has to keep reading to get the full story. Ever wonder why Dan Brown and James Patterson books are so addictive? Because they often alternate the A Story and B Story between chapters and leave off with a cliffhanger. You're following detective Alex Cross just as he realizes who the killer is... and then the next chapter switches to the killer and their plans rather than continuing with Alex. And just when the killer is about to enact the last part of his plan... the next chapter switches back to Alex radioing in what he's discovered.
If you've got the space in your work to include subplots, don't feel like you only have to tell the main A Story all the time. There's a lot of power in B & C Stories.
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations"
"New & Noteworthy Things" |
This month's official Writing.com writing contest is:
I also encourage you to check out the following items:
EXCERPT: "Ahhh., I see you have found our sculpture. Do you enjoy the workmanship on her? She was found in an Italian village shortly after the end of World War II. The Italians had taken good care of her over the years. Is this your drawing?" A dark headed man with a goatee stood looking over a younger man's shoulder. "You have talent, my friend. I will be in my office, should you need any more information on the history of this piece of art. Please continue..." The man walked down the marble stairs and into the hallway that led to the Administration wing of the Museum.The footsteps echoed down the hallway, and then a large wooden door sounded like it closed. It was quiet again.
EXCERPT: “Can you possibly make any sense of this?”
Andy pulled out a cigarette, knowing it would piss the Police Captain off to no end. But, he wouldn’t say anything, not after this. He inhaled deeply, and exhaled in the Captain’s direction without blatantly blowing smoke in the older man’s face. The Captain stood stoic, unwilling to cough or show his obvious displeasure. Andy knew the Captain would be eating more than crow, a whole murder of crows he guessed, when the press found out about this room and vivisected him for it.
EXCERPT: Hairy, furry Rufus, Gretna’s large ugly Saint Bernard howled, whined, barked, and grunted. The other dogs in nearby houses seemed to listen, responding to his expletive woofing, but what could any of them do? Rufus was usually mild mannered, a nice quiet dog. He wasn’t himself tonight, so verbal so early in the morning. Glancing at her round brass vintage clock on the wall, Gretna shortly cursed. Gremlins weren’t infiltrating her house, not tonight. Hustling into the kitchen, she grabbed a sturdy wooden broom. She’d whack sense into those pint-sized monsters until they bled their green blood dry.
EXCERPT: Simon Sanders, retired, invited in his young colleague, turned down a Miles Davis LP playing on an antiquated stereo, and limped to his chair where a Tiffany-style lamp on a small table lit the New York Times he'd been reading. Quaint. Pipeweed steeped the study in its acrid perfume.
“I'm listening, Detective.” Simon settled back into his easy chair.
EXCERPT: Alison had only met the legendary author, Bryce Caradin, once in a local coffee shop. She had been struggling with her follow-up story, and her due date was approaching quickly. Alison knew the success of her first novel was as much a happenstance of timing as it was talent, and the pressure to follow it up with something remarkable was too much. She had been struggling with character development and was wearing down the backspace button, apparently quite loudly, when Mr. Caradin approached with a sheepish grin. He admitted he could spot a struggling writer when he saw one. He introduced himself, as if anyone in the world of literature wouldn't recognize him, and asked if he could help. |
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Feedback from my last newsletter about genre expansion ("Mystery Newsletter (April 5, 2017)" ):
innerlight  writes: "Dear Editor,
Your article has inspired me to write a mystery novel. My mystery is an romantic thriller. To be honest I have a long way to go possibly by the end of the year it will be done."
Good luck with your writing! It's always an uphill climb, but well worth it when you get to the top! 
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Mystery: May 03, 2017 Issue [#8271]
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