It's March 1st and it's colder today than it's been all February. The sky spits snow or large fat flakes fall lazily to the ground just outside my house. The stark contrast of brownish gray bark on bare trees reminds me of black and white photographs of nature from coffee table picture books.
As snow continues to fall, a light film of white ice crystals blanket trunks and limbs reminding me of my own need to burrow under warm covers this time of year. This need to be cocooned, drinking hot coffee or hot cocoa transports me to a safe place when I should be writing.
But enough procrastinating and on with my blog. I'm working on a self-imposed deadline, but needed to take a break to recharge my creative thoughts. So what brought me here today?
The need to put pen to paper and crank out stories has been a constant companion since I was eleven years old. The stories have always held some of the same elements; mystery and romance. So I thought I'd talk about mystery today and then later romance.
We all love a good mystery. Not just in books or movies, but mysteries in and of themselves are like puzzles. They need to be solved. The mystery of where I left something or did I complete a set goal or more and more lately did I get everything on my list.
Mysteries worm their way into our subconscious and beg to be solved. So as a writer I like to take ordinary ideas, things or settings and blow them out of proportion so I can solve them.
Now I've read many mysteries and I've loved them all, but not all mysteries are the same. For my style of writing I take it slow and lay out clues like breadcrumbs in order for the reader to find their way home. Any writer does that, but while I'm leaving those obvious breadcrumbs, I add a few other clues. Not so many that the reader latches on to that person as the criminal or mastermind, but enough to leave doubt. Then I add a slight of hand and the ending isn't what the reader expects. I'm doing that now in my full length novel, Unfinished Business.
For other author's there are so many twists that a snake wrapped around a limb several times over wouldn't be able to unravel. I like reading those types of mysteries, but find them too dark and deep for mystery, romance. I mean who wants to read a chapter where the bad guy fantasizes about stabbing their victime fifteen times and the next chapter has the two main characters entwined, with their hands on each other's good bits. You might call into question my sanity. (You may be doing that already, but you know I'm not that far gone yet, right?)
So how do I lay out clues that capture the readers' attention? By taking lessons form anglers; bait, tease, hook, catch.
Bait: Give the audience what they want. A fish likes minnows, worms or those little flies. The reader isn't much different. My first chapter baits the reader. I get them in by telling the tale of the protagonist. Usually the scene is self introspection. That introspection sets the background of what's already happened and then tells why they are where they are now. What problem got them there.
I tease the reader with information that is pertinent to the mystery. For instance in Unfinished Business, the main characters have a past, but are linked again later as co-heirs of an estate. I tease the reader with instances of their time together, show that they've been apart and just when the female lead is comfortable on her own, BAM! He waltzes back into her life.
Next I hook the reader in by giving leaving breadcrumbs. Obvious clues to who's doing what. I have several characters in mind for the bad guy. In Unfinished Business he's smooth, suave and sophisticated. He's nice and well liked; a little too much. He's interested in the female lead, but that wouldn't be the only character. The main male character is interested, she's had a fling with two brothers, she has a cousin and this guy snooping around not to mention names mentioned in passing. So now I've got the reader hooked on deciphering which guy and what those guys have done to make them the criminal.
Finally, I've caught the reader with well planned episodes of violence. Not too harsh. Anything big against the female protagonist will turn the reader off. But like the small sounds at night that get our attention until our hearts are pounding with blood roaring in our ears so that it makes it difficult to hear the small sounds and we're lulled into false hope when suddenly the loud bang has us jumping up and turning on all the lights in the house to see where the problems coming from; thus I do the same thing to hook the reader in until they can't wait to finish the story.
So, I've given a few tidbits, but you're wondering how. Develop a strong storyline. This will evolve. While I began one story where the character is a thief and in her youth stole a necklace from the main male character. I changed the plot from their meeting when she returned the necklace, to him seeking her out for a reason. Now the story is much better.
Flesh out the characters in outlines and synopses. Give them back stories. Back stories are not used in your book. I gave one main male character a setting of coming from Ireland. He has 6 brother's and sisters; all twins except him. His mother's been married three times, 2 husbands are dead and she's living with the 3rd. So I know my characters.
Develop plausible situations that bring about disaster. In Unfinished Business one of the reasons the two main characters can't get together is because her parents left half of their estate to an outsider. He's returned only because the estate is being bombarded by sabotage. They suspect one another, as well as others. I won't give away more, but do make sure the situations you put your characters in are sound with hints of being blown out of proportion.
Dialogue and conflict between characters are the backbone of the story. In a mystery give a little to gain a lot. Eek out not only clues, but the thoughts of the characters. In real life you may think of every little thing before doing something so you won't be surprised or blindsided. Writing a mystery means you need both. Writing romance mystery means my main female character is only going to tell her counterpart a fraction of the reason things are the way they are. He has to pull it out of her, little by little and vice versa.
Supporting cast. Main characters don't live alone. Just like man can't live on just bread and water, satisfyingly, so your characters can't either. Give supporting characters that offer insight. Even the bad guy can give a little insight. Thus throwing the reader and main characters off his/her trail.
Finally, make it the right length. Too long is just boring. Too short leaves the reader frustrated. This goes back to the beginning using outlines and synopses to help develop the story.
Happy Writing.
