Writers in the Storm

Writers In The Storm is delighted to welcome back Elizabeth Craig, one of the most giving writers we know.

She released her latest Southern Quilting Mystery last month and stopped by WITS to help the rest of us take some of the guesswork out of writing mysteries.

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By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

So you’re a big mystery reader and decide you’d like to write one, yourself.  Or maybe you’ve already written a mystery or two and think you’re in for smooth sailing now.

I hate to say it, but each book is a little different, just like each mystery is different.  About every other book, I find that I run into a significant plot problem. The good news is that once you diagnose your issue, there are plenty of ways to troubleshoot it.

What I thought I’d do today, as a follow-up to my previous post on mystery writing here at Writers in the Storm, is to offer fixes for common problems you might encounter while writing your mystery.

Mystery writing problems and some possible solutions

#1 - The story isn’t long enough. 

If you’re writing for a traditional press, you’ll need a book between about 65,000 and 80,000 words.  There are plenty of solutions for making a mystery longer—the important thing is that the added words need to add to contribute to the plot instead of watering it down.

One way of approaching this is by adding a subplot to your story. This could be (if you’re writing cozy mysteries), the sleuth’s hobby. It could be a relationship between minor characters or between the sleuth and another character.

It’s even better when the subplot impacts the main plot in a surprising way: maybe the sleuth lost her day job and comes across an argument between suspects while she’s on her way to an interview. Maybe the subplot helps the sleuth solve the mystery or get out of a dangerous situation.

Other ways to add length to a mystery novel (and also some added interest for readers) are red herrings.  A red herring is information that appears to be a clue but then is later discovered to be a false lead.

You could also try putting your sleuth in a dangerous situation or upping the stakes in the story by adding another murder.

Another consideration: self-published books can be shorter.  If you feel your mystery would genuinely be watered down by adding more words, why not consider putting it up on Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords, yourself?

#2 - Your amateur sleuth doesn’t have a good reason to be involved with this case.

Why is your amateur sleuth putting aside her comfortable life to go chase down a murderer?  There are different ways to approach this problem (and, unlike some of the other problems listed, this is an issue every writer who uses amateurs faces).

• Your sleuth could be unfairly suspected by police and needs to prove her innocence.
• Your sleuth could have a friend or family member who becomes a suspect.
• Your sleuth could be a personal friend or family member of the victim.
• Perhaps your sleuth discovered the victim’s body and feels personally involved.

This isn’t something that needs to be brought up more than once, but it’s important to establish the sleuth’s personal connection with the case.

#3 - The plot is too linear—I’m worried that it’s not complex enough.

Sometimes our stories might feel a little too pat.  If you feel like you’re just connecting the dots with your plot, you probably need to send your sleuth out in a different direction.

Consider having a few of your suspects lie...or having them tell the truth and tell a lie, so the sleuth must ferret out which is which.  Consider adding some more secrets to your plot.  What if your suspects have something to hide…something that isn’t the fact they’re murderers.  Maybe it’s obvious that they’re not telling all that they know, but the sleuth isn’t sure why that’s the case.

#4 - I’m not sure what to write next in the story. 

Are you stuck?  Going to your library and reading recent releases can help you determine a general pattern of events for mysteries.

Mine usually follow this pattern (which is based on a traditional mystery model):

• Introduction of suspects and victim.
• Discovery of victim’s body.
• Sleuth determines suspects, and then questions them.
• Sleuth investigates leads and re-interviews some suspects.
• Discovery of second body.
• More interviews and more information to consider…how does the crime connect to the first murder (if it does)?
• Moment of danger for the sleuth (frequently coincides with her uncovering of the murder’s identity.)

#5 - My motives for the murder all seem to be the same.  

This is a problem that I know editors and my agents don’t like to see.  If all the suspects’ motives are revenge, that might either confuse readers or bore them.

There are lots of reasons why we might want to kill somebody—most of us just never carry it out (a good thing!)

Since I set many of my books in small towns, I’ll sometimes focus on minor irritants between neighbors…the kinds of things that can build up over time. Those could be as minor as dog waste issues, property boundary issues, noise issues, forgotten Christmas light issues—you know the types of things. But there are big motives, too—revenge, love, hate, financial gain.

For more ideas to get you thinking, check out this post, “Murderous Motivations” by Beth Terrell on the Murderous Musings blog.  And Agatho on the Mysterious Matters blog also has a nice post on motives in “The Reason for Murder.”

#6 - I can’t think of any good clues. 

Clues can be anything that makes the sleuth follow a lead.

We all think of very clever clues from classic mysteries, but in most books, the clue is just something that simply leads the sleuth to discover the murderer’s identity.

• This could be a slip of the tongue—maybe the murderer says something that she shouldn’t know…unless she’s the killer.
• Maybe she says something to indicate that her alibi is faulty.
• Maybe there’s a bit of physical evidence (no forensics, if you’re working with an amateur)—an item that the murderer left behind—that points to the murderer.

Once you’ve got your clue or clues, you need to make sure you drop it so that it’s fair for the reader, but not completely obvious.  You can do this by distracting the reader immediately—drop something else that seems to be a clue, but isn’t.  Introduce two suspects having an argument. Anything to deflect attention from the clue you just planted.

#7 - The book’s beginning is boring. 

When is the body discovered? Can you push the discovery of the body up more?  My editors like to see a body in the first thirty pages. Before the body’s discovery, everything is just set-up—and that can definitely get boring.

#8 - Beta readers say that they’re confused by all the characters.

How many suspects do you have?  I try to use a maximum of five. In addition to suspects, you’ve got a sleuth and probably a sidekick…then you’ve got regular characters if you’re writing a series. The plot can get crowded with characters if you’re not careful.

#9 - I think my mystery is too easily solved.

One great solution: point to someone else right before the actual killer is unveiled.  Another solution to this problem would be to add another suspect…but that won’t be as quick of a fix as making it appear that another suspect is the murderer shortly before the end of the book.

Have you ever run into some of these problems while writing a mystery? How did you address them? Can you think of other potential issues that I’ve missed? Are there any other mystery questions you wanted to ask?

(Thanks to the Writers in the Storm bloggers for hosting me today!)

About Elizabeth

Elizabeth Craig’s latest book, Knot What it Seams, was released February 5. Her next release is Rubbed Out, which launches July 2^nd. Elizabeth writes the Memphis Barbeque series for Penguin/Berkley (as Riley Adams), the Southern Quilting mysteries for Penguin/NAL, and the Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink and independently.

Elizabeth is also the creator of the Writer's Knowledge Base--the Search Engine for Writers, full of amazing links on every writing topic imaginable.

She can be found at her blog, Mystery Writing is Murder or on Twitter at @elizabethscraig.

by Orly Konig-Lopez

The other day my husband stayed home and was working on the couch so I decided to work at the kitchen table to be close. (Cue the "Awwww"… okay, are we done?)

So here I am, typing away, lost in the world I was creating in my head with “real” people who live only in my imagination. And I was in the groove. Until…

You know that feeling of being watched? Yeah, sometimes it’s really happening.

I looked up and my husband was staring at me with something between interest, confusion and pure panic.

“What?” I demanded.

“What are you doing?” He asked, looking rather worried.

“Writing.” Duh!

“What’s with the …” and he proceeded to twitch and jiggle and flail...and toss his head.

“I’m writing.” Seriously, what did he think I was doing?

We don’t just communicate through words, right? Facial expressions, body language, and gestures are actually a huge part of how we get our message across. (I may stumble over words sometimes, but my gestures are always spot on.)

As a writer, your job is to create vivid descriptions and draw the reader into the moment. The reader needs to ‘feel’ your characters and ‘see’ how they react. Oh yeah, and write it in a fresh way. How?

Monkey Think, Monkey Do

What do you do when someone asks you a question and you’re stalling for an answer? Do you rub the back of your neck and roll your head left and right in a “stretch”? Do you pick at imaginary stains on your clothes?

What about when you’re on the phone? Do your hands move as fast as your mouth? Do you hold the phone between your ear and shoulder and pick at split ends?

And if you’re sitting at a restaurant and conversation drags with your date? Do you move the silverware back and forth on the table? Tug at the tablecloth to see if you can flatten the crease or rearrange the breadcrumbs into the shape of Florida?

How do you make those descriptions realistic without getting bogged down in the mechanics of the movement? How do you write a movement that you’re probably not even aware you do and rarely notice when people around you do it?

I (to the dismay of my husband) act it out.

So while one character is rubbing a sweaty palm on his jeans, guess what my right hand is doing? Yup, heel of my hand...on thigh, and off we go. Another character squares her shoulders in preparation for a confrontation. And, you guessed it, I’m wiggling those shoulders and putting out there what Mother Nature gave me.

Then there are times when my character needs to react to something and the first thing that comes to mind is the overused shrug or nod. That’s when I find myself moving and grooving until that one “reaction” feels genuine.

Some scenes provide plenty of aerobic activity for brain and body.

What about you – do you act out scenes as you’re writing them? How do you find that “fresh” take on an old gesture?

About Orly

After years of pushing the creativity boundary in corporate communications, Orly decided it was time for a new challenge. Three women’s fiction manuscripts later (plus a handful of picture books), it’s safe to say she's found her creative outlet.

Orly's manuscripts have finalled in seven contests including the Wisconsin Romance Writers "Fab Five" and the Greater Seattle Romance Writers of America’s "Emerald City Opener." She's currently querying her most recent manuscript, THE DAY THE MERRY-GO-ROUND STOPPED.

When she's not talking to her imaginary friends, she's reading or at least trying to ignore everyone around her long enough to finish “just one more paragraph.” Orly has also joined forces with some amazing women's fiction authors to launch the Women's Fiction Writers Association.

You can find Orly on Twitter at @OrlyKonigLopez or on her website, www.orlykoniglopez.com.

by Sharla Rae

The first thing writers learn about Point of View, or POV, is that it refers to whose head we’re in.

In other words: through whose perspective will the reader experience the sounds, smells, actions and emotions of a story/scene?

Seems simple, but as writers it isn’t always easy to decide which character should be showing the story at a given point.

First, decide the type of POV you want to use.

Author omniscient or Omniscient narrator is when the all-knowing author narrates the story. Currently it’s out of fashion.

First person POVs are viewed from one person’s perspective, the character who is telling the story.  It's not always to easy to write, but when it comes to choosing POV, it’s simple; there’s only one choice.

Third person is especially popular in romance, and it’s not unusual to see three or more character POVs. We learn what’s happening through the outside voice of one of the characters in a scene.

Note: It’s the third person stories with multiple viewpoints that we’re discussing here.

How does a writer choose the point-of-view character in any given scene?

In some scenes, there’s only one character on stage so no problem. In most cases there’s at least two.

The reader may not understand a character’s actions/reactions unless they are in his head or have been at some point. The motivation and action/reaction elements tie into the whose-head decision.

In critique, we decided the most important POV element determining whose POV should be used is emotion – the character’s and the reader’s. A scene has more “pow” if we’re in the head of the person who is emotionally involved and/or has the most at stake.

Again, seems simple. But maybe not.

Sometimes two characters are experiencing major emotions in the same scene and both have a lot at stake.

Simplified examples:

• Two people are on stage arguing. Both have reasons and motivations behind their opinions. Both have something at stake.
• A woman streaks naked through a shopping mall. What in the heck is going through her head? Why would she do such a thing? But wait! What if her husband is coming out of the pet shop? He can’t believe his eyes! His sophisticated, genteel wife would never do such a thing!

See what I mean? Whose head should we be in?

Ask these questions:

• Whose story/scene is this? Or, who has the most at stake? (Instigating circumstances)
• What kind of emotional impact is needed?
• Whose POV will engage readers and drag them along for the ride?

It’s not always an easy choice. Sometimes we need to write the same scene from two different prospectives, before we know what’s right. No harm in that. The important thing is this: Always involve the reader’s emotions.  

All this POV talk begs the question:
Can we skip from one person’s head to another’s, that is, head hop?

Yes, but — and this is a big but – you gotta have skills, and that’s another blog.

Okay, let’s talk. How do YOU choose whose head to be in?

~ Sharla

* Photo credit: Revista Quo via Wikimedia Commons

 

About Sharla

Sharla has published three historical romance novels: SONG OF THE WILLOW, LOVE AND FORTUNE, and SILVER CARESS. SONG OF THE WILLOW, her first solo effort, was nominated by "Romantic Times Magazine" for best first historical. Her current work, HOW TO FELL A TIMBERMAN is in the submission process.

When she's not writing and researching ways to bedevil her book characters, Sharla enjoys collecting authentically costumed dolls from all over the world, traveling (to seek more dolls!), and reading tons of books. You can find Sharla here at Writers In The Storm or on Twitter at @SharlaWrites.