 Mystery: October 21, 2020 Issue [#10427] |
This week: Novel or short story? Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon  
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Quote for the week: "If you don't turn your life into a story, you just become part of someone else's story."
~Terry Pratchett |
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How long should your mystery story be? Should it be a short story, a novel, or something in between?
The answer depends on the answers to a few more questions:
Is there one main mystery or several subplots?
How many important characters are involved?
How many suspects are there?
How much investigation will need to happen before your characters solve the mystery? Will they follow a chain of two or three clues, or a complex web of information?
How many twists and turns does your plot have?
Generally, short mystery stories work best if there is one main mystery, few major characters and suspects, and a fairly simple solution with one or two twists. A longer story or novel has room for more characters and a more complex plot.
If a mystery story doesn't seem to work well, it may be in the wrong format.
The writer may have tried to shove an entire novel into a 1000 word short story. This type of story feels rushed and confusing. Narrative summaries and "telling" prevent the reader from really getting to know the characters and becoming involved in the story.
Other writers try to stretch a short story into a 400 page novel. A plot that works great as a short story may just not have enough "meat" for a full length novel. The writer might use "fillers" such as unimportant details of the detective's personal life which don't add a thing to the story and just make it boring.
Remember that stories and characters often take on lives of their own. Let the story tell you what it needs as it develops in your mind.
You might start out to write a short story, but find you need more words to do it justice. The characters and plots might just need more development than you can give them in a short story. A character you intended to kill off at the beginning might be more interesting if left alive. A background character, such as a store clerk or helpful neighbor, who wasn't supposed to have an important part in the story might emerge as a major suspect.
You might start out with the goal of writing a novel, but find it moves slowly and doesn't seem to engage readers. Resist the temptation to add more subplots and characters, and try reducing the main plot to a short story. If subplots and characters are not important to the main solution, take them out and save them for another story. Cutting out characters and events is really hard for some writers, but remember you don't have to cut them out for good. Save each version of the story in case you want to put something back.
Something to try: Take a mystery story that isn't working as written, and try expanding it or cutting it down.
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|  | Lemuria (13+)
A Man And His Nephew Go Looking For An Ancient Lost Civilization...
#2197784 by Angus  |
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| Question for next time: What topics would you like to see in future mystery newsletters? |
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