  Mystery
This week: Let's do the twist! Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon  
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Generally my typical books have lots of twists and turns a big surprise ending and then usually another surprise at the end and ideally, as in Garden of Beasts, we get to the very end and we find at the last few pages that there's yet another surprise. ~Jeffery Deaver
In this newsletter, we will talk about my favorite literary device, the plot twist! |
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Plot twists and surprise endings are important ingredients in a good mystery. Actually they're important ingredients in stories of any genre. Nobody likes a predictable story!
There is no formula for a perfect plot twist, but here are a few suggestions:
Give the reader a fair chance to guess the twist. Introduce all suspects as early as possible, and give the readers all the information they need to solve the puzzle. The secret is introducing the clues without making them obvious. When readers finish your story, they should slap their foreheads and say, "I should have seen that!" not, "Where the heck did that come from?"
Create an illusion without lying to the reader. A good mystery writer is like a stage magician, using smoke and mirrors to distract readers from facts right under their noses. Characters can help you create your illusion. While an author should not lie, characters do not always have to tell the truth. They can be ignorant of the facts or lie deliberately.
Twists should be unexpected, but logical and believable. Mystery readers love to be surprised, but don't want to feel cheated.
Don't advertize the fact that your story has a twist or surprise ending. People will look for it, and it won't be as much of a surprise. Everyone told me the movie "Sixth Sense" had a plot twist, and I figured it out in the first ten minutes. What a disappointment!
Here are a few twists to avoid. Some have been used so often that they have become cliches , and others just aren't very effective!
The whole story was a dream
This was a great idea for "The Wizard of Oz" but it has been used at least a hundred thousand times since then. Of course it might be fun to lead the reader to believe the whole thing is a dream, and then...
Deus ex machina
Deus ex machina means "god from the machine". It comes from ancient Greek plays where a machine was used to lower actors playing gods to the stage. In literature, it means an outside force comes in to save the day or explain everything. Examples: The police arrive in the nick of time, lightning strikes the villain as he is about to shoot the hero, or the killer gives himself up.
Shaggy dog stories
A shaggy dog story is a complicated tale that is told for the sole purpose of a bad pun or silly statement at the end. I love puns, so I am more tolerant of shaggy dogs than most people, but they will make many readers want to strangle you. Shaggy dog stories are okay as jokes if they are short and actually funny!
A previously unknown identical twin
I don't think there are as many identical twins separated at birth in the entire world as there are in mystery stories!
The main protagonist turns out to be the killer
It's fine for a likeable character to turn out to be guilty, but it should never be the main character.
A character's alias is his real name spelled backward
This one is used so often that whenever I see a strange character name, I automatically flip it around. Anagrams of real names are a little harder to spot, but they are also overused.
Here are my favorite twisted stories:
"Charles" by Shirley Jackson
"Rain, Rain Go Away" by Isaac Asimov
"The Open Window" by H.H Munro (Saki)
"The Burning Court" by John Dickson Carr
Almost any episode of "The Twilight Zone" or "Night Gallery"
Some of my favorite twisted stories by WDC authors are highlighted in the "Editor's Picks" section below.
Something to try: Take any one of your stories that you are not satisfied with and add a plot twist or surprise ending. It might be just what the story needs!
Until next time
Arakun the twisted raccoon
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These items are not all in the mystery genre, but they all have great plot twists!
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#1145951 by Not Available. |
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#1758730 by Not Available. |
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Question for next time: What is your favorite mystery story or novel?
Answers to last month's question: Who is your favorite fictional detective and why?
Indelible Ink 
Favorite fictional detective(s) would have to be the Hardy Boys. Why? They solved a ton of cases -without ever uttering a curse word - AND in spite of the fact they weren't terribly bright. (Last I checked, they were still in high school)!
---I liked Nancy Drew for the same reasons. Did she even go to high school? Arakun the twisted raccoon
BIG BAD WOLF is Howling 
There was this one show about a teenaged detective, who was turned into a six year old and was forced to team up with a third-rate detective who couldn't figure out who burned his cookies.
---I think that's an anime called "Case Closed" I've never seen it, but it sounds good. Arakun the twisted raccoon |
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Mystery: February 01, 2012 Issue [#4824]
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