 Mystery: July 30, 2014 Issue [#6463] |
  Mystery
This week: Liars Edited by: Jeff  
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"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known."
-- Carl Sagan
Mystery Trivia of the Week: P.T. Deutermann can draw on a lifetime of military experience for his writing. He spent 26 years in the Navy (including a tenure as a captain of the USS Tattnall) and served in both the Pacific and Atlantic fleets. But lest you think that's the extent of his military pedigree, he's the son of Vice Admiral H.T. Deutermann. His son was a 20-year Navy veteran prior to retirement. His daughter was a radar intercept officer aboard an F-14 fighter jet. His two uncles and both of his brothers served. In fact, there has been a Deutermann on active military duty continuously since 1920. 
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LIARS
A couple of weeks ago on their Scripnotes podcast, screenwriters John August and Craig Mazin discussed the importance of liars to a story, and I thought it would be worthwhile to investigate that topic here, since it applies to mysteries as much or perhaps more than any other genre. The thing you have to realize is that everybody lies. Some people lie to other people with the intention of hurting. Some people like to other people with the intention of being kind or sparing someone hurt. There are others who lie compulsively, and even those who lie to themselves, often out of a sense of self-preservation.
When it comes to lying, it's important to look at the motivation for the lie, and the liar's awareness of what he or she is doing. The way people lie can tell you a lot about a person. When the Joker tells the compelling story of how he got his scars in The Dark Knight ... and then tells a completely different but equally-compelling story of how he got his scars to someone else later, we realize how pathological he is. When Leonardo DiCaprio walks away from the spinning top at the end of Inception, depending on your interpretation of the ending, that could be a significant indicator of his willingness to lie to himself in order to find happiness. In The Sixth Sense, Bruce Willis' realization at the end of the movie reveals that he's been lying to himself the whole time, and we sympathize with him for it.
On a more practical note for mystery writers, the lies are what keep us invested in the story. Especially in whodunit type stories, everybody's lying about something, and the objective of the protagonist (and the reader) is to determine what each suspect is lying about and whether it's related to the crime at hand. It's why soap operas, dinner theaters, and so many other whodunits often involve characters who are engaged in other questionable pursuits; in their attempts to lie and conceal their involvement in those activities, their less-than-honest behavior is what convinces us that they might be involved in the crime we're investigating.
Don't be afraid to make your characters liars. We all do it to some extent and, depending on your objective, the way your character lies could reveal much about them (both positive and negative) or convince a reader to pursue a red herring that actually has nothing at all to do with the plot at hand. Lying can be a powerful tool when used effectively; feel free to use those lies to your advantage. 
Until next time,
-- Jeff
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I encourage you to check out the following mystery items:
A man is captured from across the room by a woman's piercing gaze.
Rebecca Knight has never stayed in one place for too long. Her mother would always move them from place to place, but Rebecca always thought it was because her mother never could hold a job for very long. Then they move to Pine Creek, a small town in Washington state with a population of only 1,253. And when it turns out that they'll be living in the creepy manor in the middle of the block, Rebecca is not thrilled. Leave it to her cheap mother to buy the house that looks like no one has lived in it since the 1950's. She is absolutely certain that it will be the worst summer yet.
Holding open the door to the limousine Roger caught a whiff of the French perfume Angela had dapped on her neck just before leaving her apartment. He was determined to hold down the powerful desire he felt for her. He had been hanging around that amorous lion for too long. There was a job to accomplish tonight and any lust he felt now would just have to wait.
It was a stormy afternoon at the hospice office. Dark clouds shrouded the sky, thunder rolled, lightning lit up the heavens and rain was pouring down. Everyone was quiet in the office, each lost in their own private world. Suddenly there was a loud, eerie, wailing scream!
Sarah smoothed down her skirt and sucked in a deep, nervous breath. She sat down on the park bench and tried hard to relax. The trouble was that she could not ignore the fact that the hands of her fellow sitter repulsed her; the scaled and mottled flesh of advanced age. She had not expected it, and the sight drew on some vague memory which induced her present disgust. What if I fail?
There was this boy who was abandoned by his parents. The boy was at a tender age, so innocent that he had no idea of what was going on. He kept on been moved from one place to another. No one wanted him not even his people, the only place he was welcomed was at his grandma's place. It's the only place this kid felt accepted, the rest of the world had shuttered him down. He was a poor looking little kid. His hair was brownish, due to lack of proper nutrition. He was malnourished, his clothes were dirty and his skin was kind of rough. There's was little his grandmother could do , the grandma had nothing much to offer but her sincere love . She was in her mid-80 when the little kid was brought to her. She had no source of income, all she did was to plant some veggies behind her backyard and use them to survive.
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Feedback from my last newsletter about mystery as a sub-genre:
Quick-Quill  writes, "I am in total agreement with you. One of my favorite books, Shanna by Katherine Woodiwess is labeled Historical Romance. Within the pages is a mystery/murder and a plot twist. Young Shanna has a plan, she will travel to England to find a husband per her father's decree. BUT she is going to marry a man subject to die in prison. When he is dead she'll return to her father a grieving widow and live her life as she always planned. But nothing goes as planned, when the man she married with the promise of a wedding night, unfulfilled is plucked up secretly by her father's manager to be a plantation slave. Now what? Back in the states some of the women of the evening are dying horrible deaths, who amongst them could do this? Have I hooked you yet?"
Sounds like a great story!
Ẃeβ࿚ẂỉԎḈĥmas  writes, "Great Newsletter, Jeff! You define the mystery genre but also show your readers that cross-genre mysteries can be a wonderful read. I love romance/mystery cross-overs. There is the case to be solved, danger is usually involved, but a softer side of the characters are seen when there is a love interest involved. I also enjoy a mystery with a supernatural twist. Mmmmm, good stuff! Thanks for the highlight, Jeff!  W W "
Thanks for writing in! I'm glad you enjoyed the newsletter!
snason writes, "I love this post. I can't help but mix many genres into my novels, I think it helps draw a different variety of readers to your work. It also has a certain appeal in boosting you ideas and bringing forth a well rounded piece. My current novel (Vampire Whisperer- sold on Amazon) is a Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult, Fantasy book. With an added element of suspense and action."
I love mixed genres too. Mostly because I love reading a lot of different kinds of things, so when an author finds a way to include different kinds of things in the same story... even better! 
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