  Mystery
This week: Clue me in! Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon  
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Quote for the week:
Murderers will try to recall the sequence of events, they will remember exactly what they did just before and just after. But they can never remember the actual moment of killing. This is why they will always leave a clue.
~Peter Ackroyd
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According to dictionary.com, a clue is something that serves to guide or direct in the solution of a problem or mystery. It is a variant of "clew", the length of thread that led Theseus through the Labyrinth.
Next to the crime itself, clues are probably the most important element of a mystery story. Most of the "meat" of a good mystery involves the characters finding and interpreting clues.
Almost anything can be a clue, including:
 Biological evidence, such as blood, skin, semen, saliva, or hair.
 Physical evidence, such as clothing fibers, footprints, dirt, fingerprints
 Testimony of witnesses and suspects
 Electronic evidence, such as phone or email records or security tapes.
Some clues are barely noticeable, like the frightened look on a witness's face or the way her voice trembles as she insists she saw nothing the night of the murder.
Give your characters enough information to solve the crime, but make them work for it. Let them deal with uncooperative suspects and meager evidence as real detectives do. Your characters can make mistakes, but make sure there are consequences. If detectives search a suspect's home without a search warrant, for example, they may find tons of evidence, but will not be able to use it in court. If your characters are not police or other authorized personnel, you will need to find creative ways for them to get the information they need. Don't let them wander in and out of crime scenes or restricted areas where they would not be allowed in real life.
Withholding evidence in a real criminal investigation is a crime, and it can get a mystery writer in a lot of trouble as well. Readers should see clues as your characters find them. If you allow a character to suddenly pull important information "out of the air" and solve the crime, your readers will feel cheated. Part of the fun of reading a mystery is trying to solve the puzzle before the characters do. That doesn't mean the solution has to be obvious. Like Theseus's clew of thread in the Labyrinth, the trail of clues may lead your characters to a few wrong turns, a couple of blind alleys, or maybe even a Minotaur or two!  Witnesses may lie, be mistaken about what they saw or heard, or may be too frightened to come forward at all. Innocent characters may be framed, or a helpful neighbor may turn out to be the killer.
While a reader should receive all the information the characters get, some clues can be intended for the reader alone. The reader might witness the crime without knowing the perpetrator's identity. In some stories the reader knows who the guilty party is from the beginning, and the story revolves around how the police will catch him or her.
Some thing to try:If you want to give your detectives a really difficult case, make them deal with a criminal who seems to leave no clues. That doesn't mean there will not actually be clues, but the detectives will need to be smarter than the criminal in order to find them. Or if you really want to drive your main characters crazy, give them a killer who taunts them by leaving false clues!
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Answer to last month's question:What is your favorite setting for a mystery story?
BIG BAD WOLF is Howling 
Depends on the story- local watering hole for one, somebody's home for another, and the whole city for a third.
Quick-Quill 
Any setting can be a mystery. I grew up reading the Greatest Gothic mystery writers of all time. Victoria Holt, Mary Stewart, Phyllis Whitney. They knew how to set a story and weave the mystery. Mistress of Melyn by V.H. was my favorite. The priest's hole was an twist!
Question for next month: What do you think is the hardest part of mystery writing?{/b} |
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Mystery: December 04, 2012 Issue [#5393]
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