Thursday, January 31, 2008
Writing Mystery Plots (Alternative Title, “Does This Sound Too Much Like Clue?”)
I love a good mystery. In fact, I love a good mystery almost as much as I love a good romance. (*gasp*). Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Dick Tracy… Nancy Drew. I confess to having seen practically every episode of Law and Order, some multiple times. I admit to adoring The Usual Suspects and The Fugitive. The whodunit aspect keeps me thinking, wondering, and engaged. There is something about sitting down to watch or read a good mystery that gets all the brain cells working. It’s as if the story is challenging me to figure it out before it gives me the right answer. I get the same thrill when I watch Jeopardy, trying to answer the questions before the contestants. No one can hear me (at least I hope no one can hear me talking to myself), but I know if I got it correct faster than the other guy. And when I do, I feel a sense of elation. I won, at least in principle.
Reading mysteries is a little trickier because I have the answer to the whodunit right there in my hand. If I REALLY wanted to know whodunit, I could simply skip to the last couple chapters and piece it together. Yet, even when I do give in and read the end first – yes, I admit it, I have done that before – invariably I feel cheated. But, really, who cheated me? I did, and that’s the worst kinda cheating.
So, I try really hard to tough it out and figure it out on my own, fair and square. Sometimes you just have to be firm with yourself.
In the current overhaul of my WIP, I see a space for a mystery plot. In fact, I think it would be a great addition and something fun to write.
However, as I sat down to puzzle it out, I realized that writing a mystery is even harder than solving a mystery. In my case, I’m hoping to include a murder mystery. So, this isn’t just a “where did my heroine leave her glasses” kind of problem. Someone dies and I need to figure out who, what, when, where, and why as well as the how. Add that to all of the motivations in the romance portion of the plot and I’m going to need a map and GPS to get out of this story.
While puzzling over all these logistic details, I have the additional concerns of a mystery reader. I hate mysteries I solve too fast. I want a challenge. In fact, I don’t mind being outsmarted if the end result makes sense upon reflection. I’m trying to figure out a plot that isn’t obvious, that makes sense, but that feels fresh to both me and my reader. This seems to center around finding an unlikely, but believable, villain.
Having to defer to the mystery plot is a little frustrating as well. The romance is supposed to be number one, but I’m finding, when it comes to plotting, the murder trumps the love. I guess I have to smooth in the love around the murder.
So, it’s your turn, lovely wenches. If you’re writing a mystery plot, how are you doing it? What characters make unlikely, but good villains? What are some good motivations for murder? Anyone else yell out the answers to Jeopardy?
By the way, I know I said I was going to blog about babies and puppies this week, but alas, it wasn’t to be. Here’s something to tide you over, though.
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24 comments:
I want that puppy!!! He's ADORABLE! lol And I totally yell out the answers during Jeopardy. It's my favorite show. My 8 yr old even does it though she has no idea what she's talking about. It's funny the answers she comes up with.
Alex: She ruled England for most of the 19th Century.
Wee One: Britney Spears!
Uh...no. LOL! But she tries.
This is the exact reason I have not taken on the task of writing Romantic Suspense. And I LOVE RS books. But all those details.
The first books I ever glommed were Encyclopedia Brown. Then I read a kids version of The Hound of the Baskervilles and I was addicted. There's just that great aspect of trying to solve the puzzle. Can't resist a challenge and all that.
It would be hard to walk the line of making sure the romance is more prominent in the story but I have total faith that you can do it. And we're always here to help.
*cue music*
You are not alone....
I love mysteries. I don't think I'm smart enough to write one. I did start something, but tucked it under the bed. Of course since I'm a pantser, I hadn't even decided who the villain was or what s/he was going to do. Maybe someday...
LOL! Britney Spears!! :)
Aren't those puppies cute!? It almost makes me want to get a puppy. ALMOST....
I love the Hound of the Baskervilles too. And I don't think I've ever read Encyclopedia Brown. I just looked it up and wondered how I missed it. I must have been too busy reading the Babysitter's Club. LOL!
Maggie, you better arm the dustbunnies under your bed because once you're a famous author, people are going to hear legends about all the stuff you've left there and start wrestling those bunnies down to get to your byblows.
You know, I never read those Babysitter books. But I'm not sure they were around when I was the age for them. I just remember skipping from the mysteries to the Harlequin YA romances. I don't think they were called that back then but I know I went through hundreds of them.
I've tried writing a straight romance and I get bored. I have to have a mystery to wrap around and weave into the romance. I love figuring out the clues, and the whodunit details. I loved playing the game "Clue" as a child so it makes sense.
When I plot the mystery murder. I look at all the places my characters will be in scenes through out the book. I think of all the secondary characters at these places that will interact with the heroine,hero, and victim. I determine how I want the person to be murdered and the clues I want to leave surrounding their death, and I try to point the finger at several different characters so it won't be easy to solve. I always have a large black moment where it all comes to light, and in the process the hero or heroine are threatened by the killer.
Good motivations for murder are jealousy, passion, cold blood, angry impulse.
In my opinion the best murder suspects are the people closest to the victim, that you would never suspect. A family member, a sceretary, or a person who appears to have the least access to the victim.
I try to yell out the answers to Jeopardy, and when I'm right I'm amazed:)
Great blog Marnee, and Ter is right we're here for you Babe!
I love mysteries too--well, the cozies at least. I don't read mysteries if they are too dark, and most romantic suspense these days is too dark for my taste.
Nancy Atherton, Dorothy Cannell, Patricia Sprinkle, Carolyn Hart, Lee Harris, Julia Spencer Fleming, and more are autobuys for me. And my favorite mystery series, Margaret Maron's Deborah Knott books, has a prime spot on my keeper shelves. But I could never write a mystery. I think doing so requires a certain logical bent that is sorely lacking in my makeup. My mind never moves straight from point A to point B; it meanders and may well skip point B completely. I can admire the logical operation of other minds however. :)
Lis - I think I need to throw a couple of red herrings in there. And some clues at the crime scene might just be the thing to do that! Thanks!!
I like your motivations too. :) I'm keeping those for future reference.
Janga - I think a lot of romantic suspense these days isn't so much suspenseful as disturbing. I don't like to sleep with the light on, ya know? I just like to be challenged and involved.
I remember reading Encyclopedia Brown as a kid and I'm okay with a little suspense or mystery, but I really don't like when it takes over the whole story. Or even worse, when the author finds it necessary for me to be inside the psycho killer's brain. I'm afraid I'm a little more like Janga - I'm not really fond of the really dark stuff I've been seeing lately. I'm more of a Columbo type of person than a CSI type of person. I don't like it to get too gory or violent.
Maybe there is a difference between mystery and suspense. I think I like a little mystery and clues that lead me in the general direction of "whodunit!", but suspense is more scary and I'm a big chicken! I don't like to be scared.
By the way, great blog, Marnee. I don't think I've ever considered this whole mystery/suspense differentiation before. More times than not I get on this site and before the day is through I've worked through how and why I choose the books I choose and it always fascinates me! LOL
Oh, and I LOVE the puppies. I am a sucker for a puppy. I swear if I had millions I would get so many different types of dogs. They are all so cute in their own little way.
Oh I love a good mystery.
In my WIP I'm going for the least likely possiblity and making it happen. I want you to be so shocked at the end, that you say to yourself, "WTF! OMG!"
I plot a good mystery like a routine. Everything has to flow together to make the ending possible. You need good lead in. You need good action and suspense. To keep the suspense level up, I always keep my heroine on her toes. She's not spooked, but she can feel someone watching her. She's walking down the street, and feels like she's being followed, but when she turns around, there's no one there. I love that creeped out feeling you get when you're reading a good book and you just want to jump out of your chair and squeal because you know something is coming, but you don't know when.
Just like a movie.
Good motivations for murder. Depends on the person. An insane person can justify murder for just about anything. Someone who is desperate can justify murder to save themselves from the same fate.
PS. I forgot to add at the end that this was an awesome blog!
AWWWWWW...Okay, I'm not a huge puppy fan. They smell kinda funny and piddle all over everything--and drool. Wow, they're a lot like babies. BUT those guys are CUTE!!!
This is how Hellion writes a mystery:
"Wow, there's this married guy who flirts with me...and he's dumb enough to have bought his jealous wife a gun. Huh. I wonder what would happen if someone really shot him?"
Okay, so Hellion now has a body, though she can't decide if he'll live or die. It depends on what he does the next time she meets him. It's a tough call.
Hellion writes and writes and writes. She re-writes the beginning to the HERO is at least likeable. She picks up where she left off and writes some more. She has no idea WHO the person is who shot the HERO or really why she did it--but obviously it's the HERO's fault. Hellion simply can't think who else's fault it could be. Around 3/4 of the book, during a critique meeting, in which her critique partner who unabashedly admits she loves Ben, screams she knows who Cindy is. (Hellion finally decided WHO was shooting Ben, just not not really clear WHY.)
Then she told Hellion; and it was so much more clever, exciting, twisty--and more importantly, made Ben that much more loveable--Hellion said: Of course, that's the twist! You guessed right.
And that's how Hellion writes a mystery.
When I say RS I'm talking Garwood's contemps or Nora's stuff. I don't like the really dark stuff. But I remember when I read Montana Sky by Nora (my first RS from her) and I was totally flummuxed by whodunit. I never saw it coming.
However, after reading enough of them, it's very easy to spot the culprit within the first few chapters.
I like the adrenaline rush but not the creepy, keep me awake stuff.
Terri, NR's Carnal Innocence is the one that really caught me by surprise. I was not at all prepared for the ending. Creepy stuff!
Divine Evil is the only NR I have ever taken to the UBS. It made me ill, literally. I couldn't wait to get it out of my house.
Divine Evil is the devil worship one, isn't it? Yeah, that woman creeped me out and I couldn't believe she let it end that way. Sort of like the evil won. Very odd.
I didn't mind Carnal Innocence. That had that dark side of a small southern town thing that doesn't get talked about as much. But it's totally there. And I lived in a small southern town with a dark side back when I read it so that probably made a difference.
Oh, and yes, TOTALLY yell out answers to Jeopardy. Okay, not anymore because I never get to watch Jeopardy...but when I did, I yelled.
Hellion - wow, I wish my stories happened to me like that. Although, it would be better had you said you were convinced the entire time that it would all work out like that in the end. Because had I had to rely on fate in this fashion, I would have a nervous breakdown.
Irish - I'm glad you find our random ramblings useful! We love to hear that around here!! And I don't like to be scared either. I hate scary movies. But, I don't mind when people die and I have to figure it out. Go figure.
Sin - I agree about your motivations, but I hate getting inside crazy people's heads. See Hellions blog from earlier. Though, desperation, I can understand.
I haven't read any of NR's creepy stuff. (I know, gasp). But, Sandra Brown writes some creepy stuff I've read. Or, Linda Howard and Iris Johansen. I like some of it but sometimes I have to stop in the middle and turn on Nick at Night.
Worry not, Marnee, I haven't read a single Nora Roberts' novel.
I can totally believe you can get the same miracle I got. Just tell us what you have so far, and pretend to be mysterious about WHODUNIT and WHY. We'll guess and guess and guess--and you'll have your pick of possible solutions. Whichever one blows your skirt up--that's the person who guessed right.
Ah! So, you're saying Fran that a lot of your writing process involves smoke and mirror tactics? I LIKE IT!!
The Captain's life process is SMOKE AND MIRRORS. lol! That's really the only way to go. I stick by it.
Hey, just following the code. You can't tell me that Jack's life process isn't smoke and mirrors, eh?
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