 Mystery: October 17, 2018 Issue [#9178] |
This week: Authenticity Edited by: Jeff  
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"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the
fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science."
-- Albert Einstein
Trivia of the Week: Tasha Alexander writes historical mystery fiction, most notably her Lady Emily series set in the 1890s, which follows a young, Victorian widow to cities all across Europe as she mourns the death of her husband. She married into a family of writers too; her husband is British novelist Andrew Grant who happens to be the younger brother of Jim Grant... better known to the world as bestselling author Lee Child!
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AUTHENTICITY
One of the most important aspects of any story is the sense of authenticity you're able to lend it. Whether you're writing an epic space opera, or a subtle family drama, or a thrilling crime story, authenticity is what will make or break the story with your readers. If they don't buy into the world and characters you're creating, they'll check out and move on to something else.
If you're writing real-world mysteries (cops, private investigators, spies, etc.), you have an obligation to research the real-world situations you're writing about to make sure they're accurate and authentic. So many books have cops roughing up suspects, illegally entering or searching a suspect's property, etc. without any kind of repercussions that would come from a real-life law enforcement officer breaking the law in the pursuit of justice. Similarly, there are vigilante action stories where the protagonist goes on a rampage around the city, destroying property, injuring people, etc. and law enforcement is nowhere to be seen.
Even in more fantastical stories, we have to buy into the realism of what the author is presenting. If you're writing a story set in space that involves ships traveling between distant planets, how do they get there? Most science fiction settings like this have at least some explanation for it, whether it's loosely based in reality (like the warp drives of Star Trek) or made up entirely (like the hyperspace of Star Wars). Regardless of the specifics, thought has gone into the explanation of why things work they way they do.
Mystery writers have an especially large challenge because the need for authenticity doesn't just apply to the setting; it also applies to the narrative. Readers of mystery stories relish the journey of being presented with a problem and trying to figure out how to solve it. If that problem is nonsensical, random, or inauthentic, the resolution will feel like it's coming out of nowhere and will likely disappoint the reader. Each plot point of the narrative has to be authentic in terms of setting, story, and character so the reader will feel satisfied with the reveal and conclusion when they get to the end of the piece.
It's the middle of October and, with NaNoWriMo on the horizon, a lot of people are currently in the midst of planning what they're going to write during the month of November. This planning phase is the perfect time to do the research you need to do in order to make sure you're writing authentic stories. If you're writing a real world-based story, consider the laws and norms of the setting you've chosen, how characters in close proximity to the narrative are likely to respond to it or your other characters' choices, and look into any other details or backstory that you think will better establish the authentic world of your story. The work you put in now will really pay off down the road. 
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations"
"New & Noteworthy Things"
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This month's official Writing.com writing contest is:
I also encourage you to check out the following items:
EXCERPT: Does God wear shoes? This question was posed by one of the twins to his mother one fine day. The mom answered the question of the older twin, the one who by nature was the more inquisitive of the two. He was the one who popped out first at the appropriate moment at the time of birth. They named him Jim after his grandfather who didn't mind because he was already long gone from the picture and completely deceased from all accounts and all reports.
EXCERPT: It was an early autumn evening when they arrived, carrying a strange package in their hands. They handed it to me and left quite innocently, driving away in their large white truck which I had assumed was a mail truck. I closed the door and headed back inside. My wine glass and book laid in the counter where I left them and I placed the box beside them.
I sat there and stared at it for a while. I hadn’t ordered a package, or at least I didn’t remember ordering one. My birthday wasn’t for another few months, so it couldn’t have been a present, so what was it?
EXCERPT: "What a crazy last night," Ryker David says to himself. "Man... I've got a splitting headache! Where am I?"
EXCERPT: Anna lays flat on her back and drops from reality. She soars from her body to a place where she's detached from her body. Not a physical place, rather a place where nothing exists. Eventually, she will travel to the great unconscious conscious, but only after protecting herself.
I allow only love and light.
Blank my mind.
Wait until it happens
Submitted item:
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Feedback from "Mystery Newsletter (September 19, 2018)" about writing something the same but different:
DB Cooper  writes: "I am ALWAYS in your debt!!!!!!"
Always good to hear from you. Thanks for writing in!
Quick-Quill  writes: "Jeff, what an interesting NL. I’m writing a mystery. It sounds basic . A woman looking for her birth mother. She wasn’t adopted, she wasn’t stolen, she was raised as a daughter until the day her mother died. Then one bit of information was left to her “The only thing on your birth certificate that’s true is your birth date “. Hmmm. Giving the reader a journey to follow, to allow them to apply their logic and see it dashed. Is the Writer’s job. There are no new plots, just a variety of ever changing narratives. "
Thanks for your feedback, and good luck with your mystery story!
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