  Mystery
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All that I see or seem is but a dream within a dream
Edgar Alan Poe
A mystery is an answer in search of a question; knowing what’s been done and the journey to discovering the how and why of it. It deals with something unknown to the reader, which the writer reveals in bits and pieces by use of clues, drawing the reader into the puzzle. Welcome to this week's edition of the WDC Mystery Newletter, where we will explore some of the means by which we plot the journey to discovery for ourselves and our readers.
Welcome to this week'd edition of the WDC Mystery Newsletter.
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Greetings,
A good mystery will have several suspects of which one of the least obvious commits the crime. It will have several red herrings tucked in with the bait (clues) to trick the reader into believing a false theory, but it can't be too fishy, lest the puzzle get lost and become unsolvable. A good mystery allows the reader to uncover and discard the herrings before their 'aroma' gets so cloying that the reader can uncover the real clues and follow them to the real resolution. A good mystery has some resolution to ensure that the criminal never commits a crime again. A good mystery also has both types of evidence, physical and verbal, that the reader and the detective need to integrate in order to obtain the solution.
A good science fiction story nexplores the possibility of a certain field in technology that is being developed in the present and give a vision of what would happen, how the world would appear, if this field were developed further. A good science fiction story will address the effects of technology on society in general, as well as thoughts, reactions, and emotions regarding its development and controversies that might occur in the future due to those attitudes. Such fiction must be scientifically accurate, since inaccurate science fiction does not present the possibility of its world actually existing in the future, and especially with today's access to the internet, specious science is quickly discerned by the reader. In well-written science fiction, there isn't a lot of backstory, rather, subtle clues weave throughout the story for the reader to piece together the nature of reality in the world you're portraying. Both the readers of mystery and of science-fiction reader are natural detectives, eager to find and solve clues in an attempt to solve the puzzle woven by the author.
You see the parallels in crafting a mystery (puzzle), whether it be cozy, noir, procedural, and a science fiction story. The two combined create a unique puzzle where the reader and protagonist face obstacles to solving clues that lead to a resolution that is unexpected yet believable and satisfying to the reader and sleuth.
Consider the work of Isaac Asimov, in particular his Caves of Steel, which offers numerous suspects. One of the least likely suspects, scientifically proven incapable of murder and not intending to commit the crime, is proven the murderer through other salient clues placed before the discerning reader to follow. A mystery, as the sleuth and reader have to weave their way through believable scientific premises to weed out the fish (herrings) and find the real trail to solving the puzzle.
Both mysteries and science fiction stories are puzzles, with rational and believable solutions for the reader (and sleuth) to uncover by following the clues planted for them by the author. I've recently discovered the writing of Robert Sawyer, who crafts a blend of mystery and science fiction that has won him acclaim and awards as a mystery writer. Remember, it's the rational logical succession of clues and the interaction of the characters and reader with the puzzle that makes for a mystery. The puzzle has to be solvable and believable, leading to a resolution that satisfies while somehow changing the character.
Science is based on postulates (clues with probable results that can be tested and either validated or discarded). A mystery is founded upon postulates (clues that can be tested and either validated or discarded - herrings). So a mystery I think can blend effectively with science fiction, taking a scientific possibility and developing it to a fictional reality with which the characters and readers interact to follow logical clues and probabilities to a believable, yet unexpected, resolution.
I'm intrigued by this blend of mystery with a touch of science. The research is easy to find, whether it be technology, social engineering, androidal telepathy, the seeds of the future are planted in clues existing today for the discerning writer (and reader).
Write On!
Kate
Kate - Writing & Reading |
See how the clues weave mystery and science (fiction/fact) into a solvable puzzle ~ and let the writers know your thoughts
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Now, how about joining in to postulate some 'weird' science of your own?
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Thank you for this respite in your virtual home. I recently discovered the work of Robert Sawyer, who effectively blends mystery with science fiction, and who has earned awards as a mystery writer for his blended mystery-science fiction short stories. If there's an author you've read, either in our Community or the outer world, who you think effectively weaves a mystery with believable science fiction, do share with us.
Until we next meet, may your clues flow to a smooth, believable, logical, yet unexpected conclusion ~ that's fun to write
Keep Writing!
Kate
Kate - Writing & Reading
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Mystery: April 07, 2010 Issue [#3604]
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