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Printed from https://writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/6484-I-confess--I-did-it.html
Mystery: August 13, 2014 Issue [#6484]

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Mystery


 This week: "I confess! I did it!"
  Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon Author IconMail Icon
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Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

Quote for the week:
"It is not the criminal things that are hardest to confess, but the ridiculous and shameful."
~Jean-Jacques Rousseau


Word from our sponsor

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Letter from the editor

Occasionally, the guilty party walks in to the police station, and says, "I confess! I did it!" While every real life detective wishes for this kind of ending to an investigation, it would make for a boring mystery story!

However, every now and then, someone who is perfectly innocent walks in to the police station and says, "I confess! I did it!" Why would anyone want to confess to a crime they did not commit? Here are a few reasons:

He really believes he did it.
Maybe he was drunk or drugged and someone planted the murder weapon on him. If he hated the victim or had argued with him, he might believe he did it. He might also be feeling guilty because he wished the victim was dead.

Protecting someone else.
The guilty person might be a loved one, such as a spouse or child. You could complicate the story even further if the loved one is actually innocent, but the person who made the false confession believes they are guilty.

Paid or forced to confess.
If the false confessor is a gang member or part of a crime family, he might be forced to take the blame for a leader or superior. Maybe the guilty party has a lengthy police record, while the person making the false confession had never been in trouble with the law or is a juvenile. The guilty party might have promised lots of money for his family or maybe threatened to harm them if he did not take the blame.

Attention
Some people are so desperate for attention, that they will get it any way they can. Maybe he actually admires the killer, and wishes he had committed the crime.

Police often keep some details of a crime out of the news, so they can use them to determine if anyone who gives evidence or confesses is telling the truth. False confessions are a nightmare for police in real life, but they can add interesting twists to a mystery story. If a character in your story gives a false confession, be sure they have a good reason. The reason for the false confession could even be a major part of the mystery.

Something to try: Write a mystery where a false confession is a major part of the plot.





Editor's Picks

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One Long Day in Chicago Open in new Window. (18+)
Private Detective Lou Ryan, 1930s Chicago.
#1998004 by Ẃeβ࿚ẂỉԎḈĥ Author IconMail Icon


 
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Bait and Switch Open in new Window. (13+)
Can they pull off the crime?
#273727 by Fictiøn Ðiva the Wørd Weava Author IconMail Icon


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Remembrance Open in new Window. (13+)
"I don’t think we need secrets now, Grandma" - A Journey Through Genres Entry (Mystery)
#1996979 by 🌕 HuntersMoon Author IconMail Icon


 Sam I Am - Chapter 1 Open in new Window. (13+)
(Read Prelude first) Sam discovers not all is what it seems. Who is she?
#1987858 by Shawlyn Author IconMail Icon


 NURSERY RHYMES Open in new Window. (13+)
A detective cracks a case thanks to a parrot
#521973 by Joy Author IconMail Icon


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#1983858 by Not Available.


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#1314272 by Not Available.

 
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Ask & Answer

Question for next time: Have you ever written a story where you liked the villain more than the protagonist?

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