  Mystery
This week: Lone Wolves or Team Efforts 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
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LONE WOLVES OR TEAM EFFORTS
In most stories, protagonists come in one of two forms; they're either a lone wolf operator, or they rely on a team to help them achieve their goals. And, depending on the kind of story, these two character types can fit into any structure. You can have a lone wolf cop out on his own just as easily as one with a partner and a lieutenant and a whole array of technical experts. Similarly, you can have a spy character who is out on their own, operating independently of oversight... or you have have a spy who, even if undertaking solo missions, relies on a support system of experts and associates to get the job done. This week, let's look at some of the pros and cons of each of those setups.
Lone wolf operators are usually easier to write because you don't have to manage multiple characaters and the viewpoints that accompanying them. You can spend the entire narrative inside one character's head and really get the reader to know and identify with them.
Team players, on the other hand, since there are multiple characters to interact with, have the opportunity to spread the narrative out among them. There is also an opportunity to bring in specialists that can provide information above and beyond what a single protagonist is able to accomplish without being a larger than life superhero. For example, a spy with a team supporting them can have a technical expert to hack a database, a procurer who can get them weapons or equipment, or an analyst who can give them key information about the mission so the protagonist doesn't have to be an expert themselves.
The type of story you're trying to tell will likely determine to some extent what kind of character or characters will be involved. Heist stories, for example, traditionally lend themselves to team efforts since a variety of skills are often require to pull off a theft and the story often requires people to be in multiple places accomplishing multiple tasks at the same time. Spy thrillers and private investigator stories, on the other hand, often work well with lone wolves because those narratives often involve one person overcoming the odds.
Whether you prefer lone wolf characters or team efforts, there are ample opportunities to tell both kinds of stories. Even if a particular genre is more inclined toward one or the other, it may be a worthwhile challenge to try and turn the situation on its head and tell a traditional story with an untraditional protagonist situation. A lone wolf thief? Sure! A team effort vigilante justice tale? Why not!
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
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This month's official Writing.com writing contest is:
I also encourage you to check out the following items:
EXCERPT: "I told you that you would end up back here. Did you listen to me? No. You never listen to me." Why didn't Mothers come with a mute button? Mine was gloating because I had been let go from my job as an investigative reporter, and moved back to the Harlem neighborhood where I grew up. "Randy is married now and you are still single. If you had listened to me...."
EXCERPT:
In 1926, Joseph Stalin told Ilya Ivanov, Russia's foremost biologist. "I want a new invincible human being, insensitive to pain, resistant and indifferent about the quality of food they eat."
Ivanov attempted cross-breeding humans and anthropoid apes, but failed and ended up being transported to a Siberian gulag as a reward for his efforts.
Where Ivanov failed, others persevered, and this account tells of how I discovered this.
EXCERPT: Tommy Whistler was awesomely unlucky. You will, perhaps, tell us that the term “awesome” doesn’t quite fit for the description of so sad objective reality, which dear Tommy has faced? Oh, if you had only known what his family had to pass through over the last year! You, certainly, don’t have a slightest idea of that and therefore we are ready to forgive you such inconvenient and unreasonable remarks. And Tommy didn’t even whistle on a constant basis – only quietly under his nose from time to time during short moments of spiritual bliss. And they, believe us or not, weren’t that long. And how he has managed to come to this low-water financial mark – only the God or the accountant knows.
EXCERPT: His eyes were cold and lifeless as he stared at me. "You have no idea who I am do you?" he said with no expression. "Please!" I tried to yell through the gag but it was no use. No one would hear me, there was no one to help me, it was hopeless.
EXCERPT: Granny G brought socks to life
by knitting in her chair.
First came Left and then came Right.
They said, “We’re quite the pair!”
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Feedback from my last newsletter about the long-term impact of characters ("Mystery Newsletter (July 26, 2017)" ):
Azrael Tseng  writes: "Thank you for featuring my story in your newsletter, and for your great tips on building a long-term character. They're especially useful for recurring characters in novels and book series. Cheers!"
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Mystery: August 23, 2017 Issue [#8464]
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