 Mystery: February 14, 2018 Issue [#8755] |
  Mystery
This week: Don't be a lazy mystery writer! Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon  
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Quote for the week: Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired.
~Jules Renard
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This newsletter was inspired by a discussion in which a friend lamented the poor writing in some TV series. It could apply to any genre, but being "on your toes" as a writer is especially important when writing mystery stories. Mysteries depend on an original, well constructed plot and solid character development. If any of these are lacking the story may fall apart.
Here are some signs of lazy mystery writing:
Overused plots or devices
Previously unknown identical twins, secret rooms and passages, a dying character writing a cryptic clue in his own blood...The list goes on and on. If you have read many mysteries, you have probably encountered plot devices that were once original, but have been overused to the point of becoming cliches.
Predictability
When I was a little kid, I loved to watch "Scooby Doo," but even then, I could always point out the guilty party right at the start. Some degree of predictability can be expected in a show for young children, but many shows and stories intended for adults are almost this predictable. If readers can predict the entire plot after the first chapter, it is time to go back to work and change things up.
Improbable events
In many mystery stories, events occur that would simply not happen that way in real life. In many stories, police often enter suspects' homes while they are not there and discover evidence without obtaining warrants. Worse yet, a person who is not associated with law enforcement in any way will enter a suspect's home, discover a crucial piece of evidence, and take it to the police. In real life, evidence collected that way would not be accepted, because there is no proof the evidence actually came from the suspect's home. The person who brought it in might actually be guilty and be setting up the suspect. Other improbable events include lab results that take days coming back in a few minutes or unauthorized personnel wandering around a police station and stealing evidence or classified information.
Cliched characters
Character types such as the hard drinking private eye have been overused in mystery stories to the point that they have become cliches. One of the most overused characters in current mystery fiction is the "tortured hero" who either has: a) lost his or her family in some horrible accident, or b) has made a crucial error in a past investigation which allowed a killer to go free. I dislike this character type so much that if "trying to escape his/her tragic past" is anywhere in the plot summary, I will not read the story. It is especially annoying if the detective's romantic life or personal problems overshadow the story.
"Mary Sue"
The "Mary Sue" character type is based on a character of the same name who was featured in a piece of Star Trek fan fiction. A Mary Sue can ruin a story, because everything comes too easy to them. Mary Sues are usually young inexperienced characters who outshine the experts and excel at everything they do without any practice or training. Nancy Drew is a bit of a Mary Sue, because she seldom makes mistakes and often excels at activities she has never done before.
Deus ex machina
Deus ex machina means "god from the machine." It's source is old Greek plays, in which characters playing gods were lowered to the stage by means of a machine similar to a crane. In writing, it has come to mean having an authority figure of some kind turn up to solve the crime or make everything okay. In many stories where the main character is female, she often gets herself into a dangerous situation by doing something stupid, so a big strong male character has to come and rescue her.
Plot bunnies
Plot bunnies are inconsistencies that spring up after incomplete editing. For example, you might decide to kill off a character who was originally present throughout the story, but he still shows up in a scene near the end. It is often difficult for an author to single handedly find and round up all plot bunnies who have escaped their warren. This is a situation when editors and review partners are invaluable.
Something to try: Write a story (for fun) using as many cliched mystery characters as you can.
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