This week: Uncovering the Evidence (or Hiding it) Edited by: Warped Sanity  
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| When it comes to writing in the mystery genre, the most challenging aspect is presenting the clues in a way that enthralls the reader into the plot and into solving the puzzle, without giving the conclusion away too early. This newsletter tackles several ways mystery writers present the puzzle pieces, while also often diverting our attention away from the obvious. |
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There is nothing worse than investing hours into a mystery novel and already figuring out the who, why, and how only halfway or earlier in the novel. If you are like me, you still feel the need to read the rest of the novel to find out if you are correct. When we are correct and there are no surprises, it is extremely disappointing.
For us writers, creating those surprises can be tricky. If the clues are not presented, then it looks like we just threw the conclusion in without any prior scheming. The evidence has to be there, but how do we present it without giving the surprise away?
 Piece by Piece –
This is probably the easiest to accomplish in mystery writing. Just simply, scatter evidence in a logical order, until the mystery is solved. Although without other diversions, you run the risk of your story becoming too predictable.
Before It Counts –
Early on, plant the clue before it has any context. The detective is reduced to living in a houseboat due to his wife kicking him out of the home for cheating on her with another woman. While he is trying to sleep, he overhears a couple arguing nearby on the docks. The argument becomes more to do with the character development of the detective because he relates. So, the pet name the man uses for the woman is overlooked until later in the story where the husband of a victim slips up and uses the same pet name, which in turn encourages the reader and detective to look back at that overheard argument at the beginning of the story.
Diversion –
The detective sees the relevance in evidence that the victim may have known about the corruption within a company. After interviewing a fellow coworker who was a known close friend of the victim, the reader and detective are taken in the direction that the victim may have been killed because they were going to publicize the corruption. Due to the apparent mourning of the friend, the detective neglects to analyze the friend's possible involvement in the crime or if the victim might have been part of the corruption, rather than a whistleblower.
The Not a Clue –
The clue is what isn’t there. It is apparent that a crime happened, but the how, such as a lack of evidence of an intruder baffle the detective and reader. Everything is tossed around and some expensive items are missing, suggesting a robbery, yet, no alarm was sounded, which tells the reader and detective, either the assailant was let in or they knew the code to the alarm. Or, a brutal crime occurred, yet there are no physical signs of a struggle in the area the body was found. Was the body planted there?
Secret Emphasis –
De-emphasize the clue by making another clue standout. The reader sees the clue but doesn’t see what’s important about it. The detective steps on a pen somewhat near the victim. Since the apartment is messy anyhow, it could have fallen on the floor at any random time, causing the clue to be overlooked. Instead, the detective focuses on the blood splatter pattern, in an attempt to retrace the crime. In turn, the detective overlooks the fact that a signed will in the hands of a lawyer was signed under duress. It isn't until later, when the lawyer shows some shady characteristics, that our minds divert back to that pen and the recently signed will.
Missed It –
This method is best used in first-person limited because the reader is forced to interpret clues through the character's mind. The reader must piece together how the detective misinterprets clues. A victim is found when her husband returns home from work. Since a bedroom window is open, it is assumed that the assailant entered there. This causes the detective to overlook the fact that the husband could have committed the crime on his hour-long lunch break.
In Plain Sight –
Create a cluster of clues and squeeze the real clue in with all the others. There has been a burglary where several items are stolen. The item that seems least important ends up being the most important overlooked clue. Jewelry and a substantial amount of money are stolen from a safe, along with a computer and all associated disks. Since expensive items are stolen, it looks like a typical robbery. The fact the robber took the time to attempt to gather all the disks is overlooked among the larger items, when in fact it is the most important clue because the real reason for the invasion might have been to steal incriminating evidence.
Distraction –
Draw your reader’s attention away from the clue. The detective is obsessed with finding the password to a victim's computer. The victim was a stockbroker and the detective believes the evidence to the why and who is on that computer. Turns out that the password is the most important clue because it happens to be the first name of a lover, who was previously interviewed as a fellow coworker.
Camouflage with Action –
Your sleuth is about to open a manilla folder in the victim's office when suddenly he’s hit in the head with a heavy object. The trip to the hospital and other consequential happenings, make the reader and the detective forget what they were about to look at when they were hit.
Learn from Others-
Just as we learn through reading and reviews here on WdC, we have the opportunity to learn from our favorite authors. Take note of how those writers plant their clues, creating those "aha" moments, while still keeping the mystery from being revealed until the conclusion. If you prefer a particular type of mystery, like hardboiled crime novels, maybe try a historical mystery or a cozy mystery. Then experiment in your own writing using the various techniques you learned.
In turn, learn from those mystery stories that didn't work. Why was the answer so obvious? How could the writer have presented the evidence in a less obvious way? In short, how could you have written it better?
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The following responses were to my previous Mystery Newsletter, "Mystery Newsletter (October 2, 2019)" :
 Quick-Quill  :
I agree with everything you said. I read Nancy Drew. My favorite was Trixie Belden. She picked up friends who helped her discover things. Who the stranger was living next door. I had a friend who’s mother bought every new book in the series. I began borrowing books until she went on vacation. I asked her mom if I could continue borrowing books. She was so nice. It took me a couple days to read one.
Warped Sanity :
That is so awesome that you had friends who shared your passion for reading mystery. Those early years are an important educational foundation for us. When it comes to mystery written for youth, it encourages those important thinking skills, because we have to try and piece the puzzle together from clues given. I'm sure those early influences attributed to some degree to the writer that you have become.
scifiqueen:
Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to read mystery as a child. I went through an episode of sleepwalking in grammer school, and somehow my parents thought that reading a Nancy Drew book was to blame, so mystery was banned for me until I was older. I initiated myself again in my teen years (this was the early 90's) with the Christopher Pike murder mysteries. My friends and I loved him! I still have some of those books, and reread them periodically (I wish they'd convert them to ebook format!)
Warped Sanity : That is wild. I would never have considered reading mystery would correlate with sleepwalking. Maybe they thought you were solving mysteries in your sleep? I'm glad that keeping you from reading what you enjoyed didn't stunt your love for mystery as you got older.
BradJShaw ⚓  :
To answer your question, & probably give away my age, my favorites in Elem school were:Nancy Drew (even though I'm a guy), The Hardy Boys, &The Happy Hollisters. I really wasn't into the characters, but the mysteries themselves.
Warped Sanity :
You would be surprised to know that reading those books in your youth does not necessarily give away your age. Some of them are still read in school, or at least my children read them, and they are relatively young (All under age 25). |
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Mystery: October 16, 2019 Issue [#9816]
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