 Mystery: September 19, 2018 Issue [#9133] |
This week: The Same But Different Edited by: Jeff  
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"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the
fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science."
-- Albert Einstein
Trivia of the Week: Bill Pronzini is a writer of detective fiction and anthologist, and prolific by anyone's standards. To date he's written more than 92 novels, 21 short story collections, 11 books under various pseudonyms, 4 works of nonfiction, and edited over 100 anthologies... including over half a dozen works he's collaborated on with his current (third) wife, novelist Marcia Muller.
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THE SAME BUT DIFFERENT
Mystery is one of those few reading genres where a certain segment of the audience enjoys reading the same type of story over and over again. Along with romance, action, and thriller, many readers are looking for familiar tropes throughout any new story they start reading. In the entertainment industry, a creative executive once summarized it by saying, "I want it to be the same as everything else, only different." And as oxymoronic (or just plain moronic) as that may sound, there's a certain logic to it.
Many mystery fans are looking for the same general kind of story in different packaging. For example, they might like police procedural stories where some kind of law enforcement professional is trying to solve a case. The details of the case (whodunit, whydunit, how the dun it, etc.) will vary, but it's inevitably the story of an investigator taking on a case, unraveling all the hidden threads, and solving it satisfactorily. Similarly, action/thriller fans who are really into treasure hunting stories may be looking for the same general structure: protagonist hears about a treasure, tries to find the treasure, runs into opposition, then ultimately finds the treasure... and are content with only the slight details being different: a treasure aboard a sunken Nazi submarine, an ancient Mayan treasure hidden in the jungle, a buried treasure left on an island by pirates, etc.
This "same but different" dynamic to the mystery genre is in some ways a strength; you don't have to overthink it when you're writing one of these stories. Some genres like science fiction and fantasy are largely built on the expectation that the reader is going to experience something they've never experienced before. Authors in those genres are often faced with the task of giving a reader something strange and different, rather than playing to precise expectations. Mystery writers, on the other hand, often have an idea of where they need to go, right from the start. On the other hand, writing the same basic story in different packaging all the time is what can lead some authors to feel burned out and uninspired. (Also, please note this is only a large generalization... there are definitely some subgenres of of science fiction and fantasy - military sci-fi, for example - that rely on predictable, familiar tropes... just as there are some readers of mysteries and romances and action/thrillers that want more than the same story told over and over again. This editorial isn't intended to imply that all readers of any particular genre are one way or another).
As someone who finds himself in a bit of a middle ground, where I enjoy the genres of mystery and action/thriller but don't necessarily want to keep reading (or writing) the same basic story over and over again, I've developed the following guidelines for myself to help keep things interesting:
 Different series. I find myself rotating between a variety of different series. I really enjoy Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series for gritty, realistic procedural type mysteries, but will also gravitate toward Gregg Hurwitz's Orphan X series when I want to read about an ex-assassin turned vigilante. And when I'm not feeling like either of those two subgenres in particular, I might also mix in some humorous bounty hunter stuff from Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series to change things up a bit. It's never a bad idea to have more than one series or type of subgenre you're reading if you find yourself getting bored easily, and as a writer it can really help you find new fans if you have different series with a detective, a spy, and a treasure hunter rather than three different series with interchangeable characters.
Different genres entirely. I also change up genres fairly often. If I get to a point where I just feel like I'm reading the same mystery story over and over again, I'll try some science fiction for a while. Or action/adventure. Or fantasy. Or nonfiction. Sometimes just getting out of your familiar genres entirely can be a great way to refresh your perspective. As a writer, it can be a real challenge to tackle a different kind of genre entirely. Even if you don't necessarily want to spend a ton of time and energy on writing something that's not your forte (or your bread and butter as a professional writer), a short story or novella or other smaller work can sometimes do the trick.
Characters who change. If I'm really committed to a particular set of characters, the ones that change are usually the ones I like the best. If a character just acts the same way all the time, I find that I get bored really easily. It's part of the reason why I just don't enjoy television shows like NCIS or Law & Order (whose characters are largely remain unchanged from their first episode to their last) nearly as much as I enjoy shows like Breaking Bad or Westworld (where the audience watches characters learn and evolve for better or worse). As a writer, developing a character who subtly changes over time is a great way to keep readers interested since they'll want to keep following along with someone they've invested in.
Ultimately, the "same but different" overall advice can probably apply to any genre if you zoom out far enough. At a certain distance, all genres have overall tropes that readers expect. But as you get closer and really look at certain genres - like mystery - and the way in which large segments of their audience expect very similar characters and narratives from story to story, you'll see how those expectations can feel liberating at times (like when you're staring a blank page!), and restricting at others (like when you're itching to do something different). Hopefully a few of the suggestions above will give you some ideas about how you can change things up as a writer (or reader) to give yourself a fresh injection of inspiration!
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations"
"New & Noteworthy Things"
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EXCERPT: The cycle is beginning again today. Day One of no sleep, and I am ingesting every B-Vitamin Complex in existence to make it through the day. More than twenty four hours ago marked the first night in roughly five years that I dreamt of a fear that bears no true identity. I woke with a start and haven’t been able to even doze since. All too suddenly, my life in its entirety has begun to unravel as a seamstress’s livelihood might upon developing dementia and losing the ability to hold fabric together. After wrestling with this particular demon for roughly fifteen years, I still hadn’t found a way to shake it for good. Maybe this attempt would be different and possibly, the last.
EXCERPT: The twin gold doors of the edifice he’d worked at shut in his face. Mister Alvin Murdock was left holding onto a cardboard box with his personal belongings. Strangers stared at him as they avoided contact while passing in and out of the investment bank.
Stunned, the golden boy of New York finance turned to the street. The black limousine which always brought him to and from home was gone. It meant the luxurious twenty-third-floor apartment would be gone as well. The company officers were quick decision makers this rising star knew well.
Someone had it in for him. Some backstabbing, knife-wielding, miscreant creature had done him in. He, Alvin Murdock, of perfect health, stature, social graces, impeccable taste, rich beyond a Midas touch had been turned into instant garbage. How?
EXCERPT: Back to the main scene, I stand against the pillar directly adjacent from Mari's location, that being on the floor near the front door of the house. She doesn't move, not in the slightest. Her long red dress spreads out like a drink spill on the floor and the make-up on her face is distressed. I want to say something. I cant stop thinking that same line over and over again. It repeats rather than developing a useful thought to be heard. My mind is chasing a sentence to speak but all I find is emptiness. I thought if i came out here, it would work. Taking her somewhere she could be comfortable with, it seemed like the right move. I've spent the last few years that felt like millennia trying to be close to her physically and emotionally, and now seconds feel like eternity. Maybe i should just leave. Yeah. Maybe. It would probably be best if I just leave her alone.
EXCERPT: My short career at the Cerfberr household initiated on the morning L'Inconnue de la Seine was fished from the river. If I’d known at the time, I would have idled away those precious free hours on a rainy autumn morning in a boulangerie, contemplating my own existence instead of sitting on the edge of a hard chair in Mme. Brodeur’s grey office. She was pleasant with a wide, open face and lively eyes. The appearance of laugh lines behind her spectacles reassured me in a way the dour room and foyer had not.
EXCERPT: "Yes?"
"Is Samantha here?"
"There is no Samantha here."
"You sure?"
"I'm quite sure."
"Can I come in and look for myself?"
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Feedback from "Mystery Newsletter (August 22, 2018)" about sensible villainy:
Quick-Quill  writes: "This is so true. Self-published authors can often tell a good story, but when you're done reading you wonder, "I don't think the villain would have done that, or reacted like that or given the perimeters the author described, the villain would have reacted differently." In my thought process. Sometimes it's the reader's perspective. Those of us who read a certain type of genre, know the psychology of a criminal/villain. When a writer changes that psychology or twists it, it feels out of place. That's why I don't like the new Modified Vampire/werewolf/new creatures."
Thank you so much for writing in! I really appreciate your insight and feedback! 
DB Cooper  writes: "Talking about self-published, I checked out a POD and they want big $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ to publish a book. Anybody else miss PublishAmerica?"
Yeah, some vanity publishers charge a lot of money. I totally understand the allure, and there are some services out there than can be worth the money, but there are also a lot of places looking to make a buck (or several) off the hopes and dreams of authors without actually delivering a return on investment.
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