Stop Shouting Already! by Marvin D Wilson

Just a short post today, and an invitation to comment and discuss.

This has to do with all fiction, not just specifically the mystery book, but I do see it a lot in novice mystery novelists that I read ... the overuse of exclamation points. As if yelling your story to me will add to the intensity, the mystery, the suspense, the overall gripping nature of your tale. You know, passages like-

"Oh my god! It's a vampire!" Joan screamed. She had to hurry - it was fast gaining on her! "Help!" she hollered to no one, and thought, There's nobody to come to my aid ... I'm doomed!

Puh-leease. You are not getting me worked up and excited with your story that sounds like a constantly barking dog. It's kind of like the parent who yells at his or her kids all the time. After a while, the children become numb to the decibel level and just ignore the shouts. Takes a hammer over the head to get their attention. On the other hand, a parent who always speaks in an even tone and exhibits steady self control only has to raise their voice a little bit to get the kids' undivided attention. Woa - they perk up and think, better pay attention. Mom hardly ever raises her voice like that.

And so it is with any good writing, and particularly with mystery/thriller/suspense novels. Restraint, self control, and a guided steady slow build to the intensity is far better, and an indication of masterful writing, than is constantly resorting to over writing through the easy use of loud punctuations.

What say you all?

On Pace

Today I want to share with you another example of writing styles. It's all about pace - the speed of movement of your story. Here are two versions of the same scene. One is slow paced, the other fast paced.

First example-

Crack!

The ball went up. Up. Up. Out. Further. Higher. Further.

Thirty thousand fans held their collective breath as time stopped and held them transfixed. Glen clutched at his sinking heart. Still there was hope. Maybe. A mighty west wind had held center field yard unbeatable all afternoon. The ball rose higher. Glen's heart sank deeper.

Surreal, it seemed, as the slow motion play unfolded below. Like clay puppets struggling to scramble, but without actual muscles to propel them with any efficient motion. Fate seemed to mold their motions frame by frame in a stop/adjust/stop/adjust/stop/adjust impossible to believe lackadaisical series of jerky hiccups. Excruciating.

The pitcher's pained face was fixed on yonder far yard. The catcher's mask was off, his stance and body language one that said, "Dammit, I told you he'd hit your heat. He knew it was coming. Why don't you ever listen to me?"

The center fielder made his way back. Back. And the ball went up - and back. But wait - a sudden downward trajectory! Glen's heart pumped again with the glimmer of hope, with the scarcely believable but just-might-be-possible chance. He fixed his eyes westward, his mind taking a snapshot of the backdrop of azure skies spotted here and about with puffs of cumulus, his nose registering atmospheric conditions heavily dosed with scents of beer, popcorn and corn dogs. Then the play. The play that would decide everything. This was it. It all came down to now. With his back against the wall, the player leaped - glove wide, high above the fence.

Smack!

Horse-hide met cow-leather in an eye and ear popping catch that could be heard throughout the entire massive stadium. The fearsome reign of silence that had been lord of the arena began to slowly crumble. The very fabric of the air began to tear apart as thunderous peals of shouts and roars of victory pummeled the heinous dictator and banished it forever into exile.

Glen sighed, let go his grip on his jacket just outside of the heart, and turned to his wife. They hugged, jumped up and down, hooted and hollered together. The impossible had become a reality. The little guys had beat the big bad guys. Celebrations would ring the city's all-night hours alive with the joyous sparkle of a million happy-go-lucky and inebriated townsfolk tonight.

***

Second example-

Thirty thousand held their breath as the pitcher let his heat fly. Smack! The ball flew up and away, streaking out into center field like a laser guided missile on a search-and-destroy-every-heart-in-the-arena mission. Glen grabbed his heart and choked, gasping for not only air but some glimmer of hope. Players scrambled about in a flurry. Center fielder was the last chance, the only possible one to stave off certain doom, an end to what had been the most improbable of journeys all season.

The ball went out and up. Just as it seemed all was lost, the center fielder leaped right at the moment when the ball fell just enough to ...

He caught it! The stadium erupted in waves of disbelief and torrential screams of victory. We won! We won! We're number one! The champions!

Glen and his wife grabbed each other and jumped for joy in a hopping happy dance. Hometown would be party town tonight.

***

Two different styles, different approaches to writing the same scene. And of course you can go anywhere in between. Which style do you like best, and why, and for which kinds of scenes do you think fast pace is better than slow pace and visa versa, especially in the mystery/suspense book genre?

Show and Tell

This is a short tutorial I wrote some time ago for another blog I write for, the Blood Red Pencil. I thought it would be appropriate to post it here as well. It is especially apropos in the mystery and thriller genre - see what you think.

***

Something I’ve learned about effective writing in fiction is knowing when you are “telling” the readers your story and when you are “showing” it to them. There is a place in any good book for both methods, but the “shown” passages are always more illustrative, while the “told” passages are more narrative. They create two entirely different effects. Instead of telling you the difference, I will show you. Here is a short paragraph, an example of a story being told to the reader.

***

Bob walked over to the door. He turned the door knob, opened the door and started to walk outside. It was an icy cold winter day so he went back inside in a hurry and put on his coat.

***

Well, if I’m the reader I haven’t missed anything, I know what’s happening, but the passage doesn’t draw me into Bob’s world, doesn’t let me feel or sense much of anything. Now I’ll rewrite the same passage showing you the story.

***

Floor boards creaked underfoot. Step by step, across the room. The chill of cold brass felt smooth in his palm as the knob turned. A thunk nudged against the quiet as bolt released from its locked position. The squeak of old hinges cried “please oil me” to Bob as they pivoted. A final push, swing and a step. Whistling arctic wind whipped his face as shivers crept all over him.

Wow. Cold. Bob thought better of his choice of clothing. Slam!

Nippy fingers worked their way through the dark foyer closet, feeling for heavy suede.

***

In the second example, we see, hear and feel Bob’s world. It’s a much sexier read. By comparison, the first passage is more a simple statement of a sequence of events. In fairness, I did not try very hard to write an impactful narrative in the first passage, because I was trying to emphasize a point. There are cases, lots of them, when narrative prose is just the right thing. A fist, knife or gunfight, for instance, often demands a fast, even hectic pace and needs to be told in a hurry. It usually depends on the pace you want your story to move at; which will be the subject of another post.

The History of the Mystery

I was doing some online research on the history of the Mystery novel. Most sources credit Edgar Allen Poe as having penned the first American mystery book, Murders in the Rue Morgue, in 1841. But the grandfather of the mystery story in all recorded history? Oedipus Rex. Yep. Take a look at this, the general consensus "Top Ten Classic Mystery Novels" of all time.

1. Oedipus Rex - Written by Sophocles in Ancient Greece.
2. Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841)- and all of Tales of Mystery and Imagination, the collection of mystery horror by Edgar Allen Poe in America.
3. The Woman in White- 1859 by Wilkie Collins in England.
4. The Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee, written in Chinese in the 1700s and translated, with original English-language stories added.
5. The Compleat Sherlock Holmes (written in the 19th and 20th centuries) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle of the UK- all of the Holmes and Watson stories, especially The Hound of the Baskervilles. Of the pastichenovels based on these characters, two or three collections are also superb, including one written by a man from the old radio tapes and the scripts used by Basil Rathbone as Holmes. The author had listened to those very radio shows as a young boy.
6. The Maltese Falcon- Dashiell Hammett in America. The film starred Humphrey Bogart, with Peter Lore in a humorous role and the film is still very entertaining as well as mysterious. This book and film are famous all over the world. See The Maltese Falcon for review, summary, and discussion.
7. The Birdsby Daphne Du Maurier, England. Set in WWII, brds systematically attack people all through Europe during the war. Made into film by the famous mystery producer Alfred Hitchcock, The Birds is a horror mystery classic in many countries.
8. Laura- Vera Caspary in America. Caspary was active in the Anti-Nazi group The League fo American Writers. A police detective investigates the murder of a newspaperwoman and falls asleep under her portrait in her home. He awakens to find her standing there before him. The film version co-starred mystery pro Vincent Price.
9. The Mystery of Edwin Drood - Charles Dickens, 1870; England. A young man, Edwin Drood, is an orphan that grows up, becomes an engineer and plans to marry. The wedding is called off and he plans to go hiking, but disappears and is found murdered.
10. The Mystery in the Yellow Room (1907) and The Phantom of the Opera(1911) - by Gaston LeRoux in France.

Any others you can think of in say, the last 3,000 years - that should have made that list?

Plot is Everything

While doing some online studying on writing good mystery novels, I ran across an article written by Ginny Wiehardt, titled "Top 10 Rules for Mystery Writing." Good article, just click on the title if you want to read it. She puts as number one in importance, the plot. Here's an excerpt from the article:

1. In mystery writing, plot is everything.
Because readers are playing a kind of game when they read a detective novel, plot has to come first, above everything else. Make sure each plot point is plausible, and keep the action moving. Don't get bogged down in back story or go off on tangents.

***

I tend to agree. Certainly in any fiction genre, plot is of tremendous importance. But in the mystery novel it takes front and center stage, more so than say, the romance novel - where the same old "boy meets girl and they eventually fall in love against all odds and probability" plot will work just fine. Back story all you want, go off on a romantic and/or dangerous tangent here and there if you please, so long as the characters and situations are complex and interesting enough, and it all ends in a steamy lovemaking scene with the promise of living happily ever after, you're fine. Or the spiritual/inspirational novel where the messages delivered, if powerful and insightful enough, can be of more importance than a super duper move-it-always-straight-forward plot interlaced with several sub-plots and all kinds of twists to it.

Not so in the mystery novel. The "guessing game" aspect, the beloved "twists," those smack yourself on the forehead "aha!" moments when you realize how cleverly the author has misdirected your attention and/or had you despising the wrong "obviously guilty" character up until now - this is the quintessential stuff of good mystery writing. A superior plot is absolutely key and the mystery novel without one is doomed to mediocrity without it.

That's my opinion. What's yours - and why?

Complete the Scene - Your Way

Today I thought we'd have some fun. This is a blogience participation post. I'm going to write the first two sentences of three mini-scenes ... you all write one final sentence to each of them in the comments. The idea is to share the most compelling, mysterious, shock-value-hair-raising endings we can come up with, okay? Cool. Here we go-

***

The door opened slow and noiselessly, without Cameron's noticing. Anthony slipped into the room and crept silently up from behind, carrying the instrument of judgement, of slow and tortuous death, thinking how just and sweet his vengeance would ... but wait - what?

***

It had been three hours at the stakeout with not so much as a sighting or a sound, when suddenly John heard a strange noise from behind. He jerked his neck around to see the hideous thing crawling through the back window.

***

Marlene awoke to the sound of an intruder coming up the stairs. She switched the bedside nightlight to on and realized in a fit of panic the power had been cut off.

***

All right, MMM'ers - come up with some shockeroos!

Click on Tweetie bird and Tweet this post if you liked it!

The Mind of a Genius

British mystery novelist David Snowdon is on tour with his new book, The Mind of a Genius. When I was contacted for a possible host stop by Nikki Leigh, who is organizing the tour, I thought, perfect for Make Mine Mystery blog! Mr. Snowdon has answered some questions I asked of him for the purposes of posting the interview below. But first, about the book:

The Mind of a Genius by David Snowdon
(The Formula That Could Change The World)

Special Agent, Jason Clay from the MI4 is hired to find a secret formula that was invented by the famous British scientist, Malcolm Prince. The only weak element in Clay’s strategy to accomplish his mission is Laura Prince, the beautiful wife of the scientist, who Clay has to seduce in order to obtain the formula.

But the CIA, the Denmark Intelligence, the Australian Intelligence and many other very determined individuals are also after that formula, and can’t wait to get their hands on it. The competition is fierce, but who’s going to win?

The story develops as a travel through the world; with the action starting in London, then moving onto Copenhagen, Hong Kong and Australia.

Clay appears to be the right man for the job; extremely handsome and a natural charmer, nothing could be easier for him than seducing a beautiful woman in order to obtain a top secret.

***

All right. Let’s get into the interview with author David Snowdon. Enjoy, and please feel free to ask him questions in the comments. Remember he is in a considerably different time zone from US readers and there may be a gap in the interaction if you are from the States or other parts of the globe, so keep that in mind.

***

Marvin: David, as a British author, do find your books appeal more to the European market, or the American market, or are they received just as well in both markets? How many countries are your books available in and how are the sales globally?

David: The kind of fiction I write is universal. My books are set all over the world, so I would say that there’s a similar kind of interest in the UK and the US. My first published work, Too Young To Die, was set in London, Jamaica and Miami, so you can see why my books would appeal to both the British and the American readers. But only time will tell what will happen in the long run. At the moment, the books are predominantly available in the UK, but they can be ordered from all over the world. The global sales are not bad.

Marvin: Your new release, The Mind of a Genius, has a story line that takes the action from London to Copenhagen, to Hong Kong and Australia. Have you lived in and/or spent considerable time in all of those countries? Or did you have to do some research to be able to write your story and make it (the scene settings) so believable?”

David: I live in London, and I have been to all of the other countries. So the descriptions of the countries are accurate. You can write about a country you haven’t been to, but it’s always better to visit the country or countries that you intend to write about. That way, the story will be more realistic.

Marvin: Mystery, suspense, the thriller – seems to be your favorite genre in which to write. What compelled you to write in that genre?

David: I’ve always been interested in that genre. I find mystery and suspense thrillers fascinating. To be able to read a novel that keeps me on the edge of my seat is fantastic. Having said that, I also like a bit of humour and a bit of romance in a thriller, but it’s the ability to keep wondering what’s going to happen next that really attracts me to a novel. And that’s why I write mystery and suspense thrillers.

Marvin: When did you first decide it was your calling to be a published author? Can you point to any particular event or stage in your life when it became obvious to you that you were meant to be an author?

David: As a child, I used to write and narrate short stories and I enjoyed it. But it was later on in life when I started reading novels, that the urge to write a book materialized. And that was when I realized that I wanted to be a published author.

Marvin: What was the inspiration for the story line of The Mind of a Genius?

David: I wrote my first espionage thriller in 1984. Twenty-three years later, I had a desire to write another espionage thriller. And it was the desire to write a modern-day espionage that inspired me to write, The Mind of a Genius. All I had to do was use the plot from my unpublished 1984 espionage thriller in a new story, and the new story was, The Mind of a Genius.

Marvin: Ever have writer’s block? If so, how do you overcome it?

David: I’ve never encountered writer’s block. I get an idea, I do the research and I write.

Marvin: How do you go about creating your characters? Are they drawn from real life, or do you just dream them up, or a combination of sorts?

David: My characters are figments of my imagination, but I like to use general human characteristics for all of my characters to make them seem as realistic as possible. When I have an idea for a certain character, I determine its characteristics before I start writing about the character.

Marvin: What is your writing regimen like? Do you write every day, the methodical writer, or are you a binge writer when the inspiration hits. Or maybe both or something else entirely?

David: It all starts with an idea. When I get an idea for a book, I consider the idea. And if I think it’s a good idea, I write an outline, do some research and then I start writing. When I’m working on a book, I don’t write every day, just a few days a week, and for a few hours. Most of the corrections are done after I’ve finished writing the first draft.

Marvin: Name the three or four most important things, in your professional opinion, that are crucial elements in a good mystery novel.

David:

• The plot; a good plot is very essential. A bad plot will result in an unrealistic book.
• Mystery and suspense; this plays a key role in a good mystery novel. The ability to keep the readers guessing what will happen next, and to have them on the edge of their seats is very important.
  
• Action and interesting characters; a certain amount of the right kind of action at the right time will arouse the readers interest. And interesting characters will make the book fascinating.
  
• Good dialogue; this is also important as poor dialogue can make a good mystery novel boring.

Marvin: What other advice can you give aspiring authors on how to write a book that will capture the interest of today’s readers, especially within your genre – the mystery/suspense/thriller?

David: Painstaking research is indispensable.

Marvin: David, it’s been a pleasure having you here on Make Mine Mystery blog today. Please feel free to stop in a few times throughout the day and evening and interact with our readers. I know some of them may have some questions for you or may ask advice from you. And please- leave us your website info, where to buy your books, etc. Thanks once again for sharing with us today.

David: Thanks, Marvin. Likewise, it’s been a pleasure being on Make Mine Mystery blog today. I look forward to hearing from the readers. And the information is as follows;

For more information visit www.the-mind-of-a-genius.com

About the book:

The Mind of a Genius
ISBN: 978-0-9552650-1-3
Publisher: Pentergen Books
Date of publish: Nov 16, 2007
Pages: 288
S.R.P £6.99/ $13.56

Available from Waterstone’s.com, Blackwell.co.uk, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com and all good bookshops in the UK.

Studying the Mystery versus Having Fun with the Mystery

I am unique to the staff of contributing writers on this blog in that I have never published a mystery novel. I just love the genre, and am pretty darn well read in it. My main genre of choice is spiritual/inspirational with a bent towards humor and mischief. Kind of a cross-over guy. I plan on releasing a novel this year titled, Detective Snoop – a comedic whodunit detective story with some underlying spiritual messages. And it has several elements in it that are essential in a good mystery book. I also plan on writing a true mystery one day. But that requires more learning on my part.

Like any good student of the art he or she is pursuing, I do my studying. Even with a “cross-over” pseudo-mystery like Detective Snoop, I have to be able to include some mystery book elements. Like “clues,” the all important “crucial clue,” and maybe toss in a couple “red herrings” for good measure.

The crucial clue. The one clue that the protagonist finally “gets it” and solves the case. It could be something that points straight at the perpetrator. Like let’s say one character, call him Billy Joe, claims he got a bizarre visitor at his door at seven o'clock in the evening on a certain day. Later on, the detective (or cop, or protagonist, whatever – main character) gets full information about where all the suspects were at that time. He thinks back to what Billy Joe said about the strange visitor at that time, and now he knows that couldn't have taken place. Gotcha.

And the red herring. A bit of information an author throws out there to mislead the reader into thinking someone who is actually innocent is probably the guilty one. These are fun elements in a good mystery and make the case harder to solve. They can also add punch to the beloved “twist” in a well written mystery.

See? I’m learning about this writing a good mystery book stuff.

Funny, the more you study and work at an art, the less you can be just a casual lover of the craft. I am an accomplished musician. Have been ever since high school. I cannot listen to music like most people. I am constantly analyzing it. Wonder why the artist chose that instrumentation? Interesting bass line. Ooops, the vocalist had a bit of slippage between registers on that passage. I don’t think I would have put the bridge in for a third time in that arrangement. Things like that.

When I undertook becoming a writer, a serious writer, pursuing a career with it, I lost the ability to simply relax and enjoy a good book. Now I am constantly analyzing the writing. Why did she switch from “telling” the story to “showing” it for this scene? Interesting shift in tense – not sure if I like it all that much. Oh no, way too many adjectives for my tastes. Wow – great one-liner – wish I’d thought of that! See what I mean?

And now that I’m endeavoring to learn how to write a good mystery, I’m losing the ability to enjoy reading one without taking it apart and dissecting it for analysis! Help!

It’s all about balance. I need a new hobby. Music and literature are both classroom activities for me anymore. I’ll have to take up synchronized swimming or something for my “fun only” times.

Has anybody else experienced what I'm going through? Oh and I need a partner for my synchronized swimming class. Any comers?

Plot Twists

Essential in a good mystery is the beloved "twist." The sudden unexpected turn of events or realization that things are not what they had seemed to be up to this point. To me ya gotta have 'em, and the more the merrier. Sure you can overdo it, but several twists in a story keep you guessing, make you wonder, and add that surprise! surprise! element to a gripping story.

In a classic whodunit, a good author can have you feeling for certain that "this person" is guilty, then for sure it's "that person," but oh, no! - you're kidding me - it was her all along? And then still you weren't correct. It was him that did it!

Love it. Plot twists. They add to stories in many genres, but the mystery/suspense genre, to me, really shines when this ingredient is well done. Again, not overdone. While not a novel, the last "Mission Impossible" movie (I think it was the last one) with Tom Cruise went stupid with the mask wearing thing. I thought I was going to puke if just one more person tore off their mask right at the height of a pivotal scene to reveal that they were impersonating someone, whether good guy or bad guy. That's weak redundant overuse of the same old same old.

My favorite twist is when the protagonist, all book long, turns out to be the perpetrator.

What's your take on plot twists? How much is good, how many is too many, and what kind is your favorite?

Favorite Titles

To me, the title of a good mystery book is of paramount importance. I think more than in any other genre, it is the main “hook” that gets me to pull a book off the shelf and give it a look. If the jacket/cover blurb continues to intrigue me I may just be plopping down my cash or plastic at the counter. And a fundamental element in a good title in the mystery genre is that the title itself be somewhat mysterious. Catchy, grabby, but leaving you like, “what?” Here’s ten of my favorite mystery novel titles, in no particular order.

And Then There Were None – Agatha Christie

The Postman Always Rings Twice – James M. Cain

Double Indemnity – James M. Cain

The Anatomy of a Murder – Robert Traver

The Silence of the Lambs – Thomas Harris

To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee

The Bone Collector – Jeffery Deaver

Speaking in Tongues – Jeffry Deaver

In Cold Blood – Truman Capote

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold – John le Carr

How about you? How important is the title to you, and in what way? And what are some examples of great mystery book titles in your opinion?

***

Owen Fiddler is a Mystery to Most

Hey everyone. This guy is swamped right now, in the midst of a whirlwind virtual tour with my irascible, incorrigible and enigmatic character Owen Fiddler. So Morgan gave me a by this Tuesday on coming up with an original post. Thank you, sweetie - I needed that!

But how about this? Join me on the tour today - or as often as you like, for that matter. The entire fabulous line-up is posted HERE. Lots of prizes and giveaways also.

And for all the fun happening today, go to our very own Dana Fredsti's blog, Zhadi's Den. Dana posted a review of Owen Fiddler, and a humorous piece written by yours truly and also - now get this - a preface written by Owen Fiddler! Yep. You'll need stitches. Mebbe even some bandages and/or a cast afterward. So proceed with caution, but the risk is worth the fun.

Okay, that's it for the old silly today. Gotta jet. But I'll be back in two weeks with something to share from my perspective on topic with our Make Mine Mystery blog!

I Like My Mysteries to be Scary

When I read a mystery I like the element of fear. I want to be mystified, stumped, totally out there and afraid. That’s a major allure of the genre to me. That and a complex multi-layered plot. Give me hints, tease me, lead me on, then do a plot twist that makes me quiver and shake my bewildered and frightened head with a “Huh? - Wha?” You can repeat this cycle as often as you want. I lap I up.

And the scarier the sexier. That’s the way I like my mysteries. I suppose that’s more the thriller/suspense kind of mystery, but hey- just sharing.

How about you? How do you like your mystery reads to be?

Vampire Posts Extravaganza

Hi, "Make Mine Mystery" readers!

I want to thank Morgan Mandel for inviting me to be part of the writer's team here at M3. I am more of a spiritual/inspirational author, but a BIG lover of and a well-read fan of the mystery book genre, so hopefully my input here will be of some benefit and entertainment for all concerned. I am also working on a new novel that is a comedic detective whodunit with soft underlying spiritual messages, so there is some nifty overlap between the genres in that work. More on that as the work draws toward publication.

Yesterday was of course Halloween. If you'd like to get your belated fill of lots of really great and creative Halloween and vampire posts, many of which you may not have been aware of, try bopping over to this post at My Friend Amy's Blog. Amy is a marvelous marketing blogging socialite maven and she started this wonderful literary holiday Halloween festival. Great stuff.

Also, if you missed my entry in the frolicking fanged-creature fray, you can read my original vampire story I wrote and posted yesterday by clicking on its title below. It's an example of the cross-over genre novel I'm working on that I mentioned above, with the main character featured, in the rollicking, ghoulish, frightful and funny story-

Detective Snoop and the Case of the Selfish Thirsty Vampire.

That's it from Transvestite today. Enjoy! I gotta jet.


Marvin D Wilson, author of:
I ROMANCED THE STONE(Memoirs of a Recovering Hippie)
And
OWEN FIDDLER (A Modern Day Parable)