 Mystery: July 05, 2017 Issue [#8374] |
  Mystery
This week: The devil (and angels) in the details Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon  
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Quote for the week: "Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning."
~Winston Churchill |
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A well crafted plot is important for any type of story but especially mystery stories. Mystery readers love to chase down clues and follow chains of events to try to work out the solution before the characters do. Nothing annoys a mystery reader more than a story that is full of plot holes and inconsistencies that make the story less believable and make it impossible for them to "play detective."
Mystery stories may require more planning than other genres, because of the importance of a strong, airtight plot without inconsistencies. If you write without some kind of plan in mind, you may find you have written yourself into a corner where any solution for the puzzle is either too obvious or not possible because of previous events. If that happens, you may have to tear apart all your hard work to plug up the plot holes. Worse yet, you may finish the story without considering all the angles, only to have readers find the plot holes for you.
You might think that details don't matter, but even the smallest detail can destroy the fabric of your plot. Imagine a real life defense attorney preparing a defense for the character who has committed the crime in your story. If he finds the smallest piece of evidence to exonerate his client, he will use it.
Half the fun of writing a mystery story is the planning. Your plans may be plot driven or character driven. If your plan is plot driven, you may start with a situation or scenario, and then develop characters to live it. If your plan is character driven, you may start by developing a group of interesting characters, and then think of a scenario to throw them into. Most writers use some combination of the two types, and may rotate back and forth between plot and character planning in the same story.
You might want to try using a flow chart to help plan the timeline of your story. Timelines are very important, but often overlooked. In one popular TV show, flashbacks showed a certain police officer getting paid off to cover up a crime in the past. However, many fans pointed out that he would have been about 12 years old at the time the crime was committed, and could not have been on the police force. The writers didn't seem to notice this problem, but the fans definitely did!
At first, you can make a chart showing the linear relationships between events, and later make a timeline for each character. That way you can keep track of where everyone is at all times and make sure you don't have anyone in two places at once. Of course, where a person actually is and where you want the readers and the other characters to think he is may be two different things. Just make sure that you, the author, know where everyone really is at all times.
It might also be fun to make a chart showing relationships and connections between characters. Include details like when they met, how they are related, and whether they are friends or enemies. You might discover an important detail you left out or maybe see a relationship you hadn't thought of using in your story. Sometimes you might also discover that while you intended a certain character to be the main character, the relationships and events of the story actually revolve around someone else.
Planning your story in advance doesn't mean you can't change it. As you write, you might think of a much better ending or decide to add a character. Just make sure you consider any plot holes you might open up with any changes you make.
Something to try: Make a timeline chart and a chart of the relationships between characters for a mystery story you have written. See if it points out any problems you may have overlooked. |
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