MYSTERY MADE EASY by M. E. Kemp
(1.) a Detective,
with or without a sidekick. The
detective may or may not be a human.
Dogs and cats make popular detective series and I've used a pig named
Priscilla in some of my stories -- pigs are really smart animals, particularly
the old heritage breed of pig I use. (Yes,
I did my research on a heritage pig farm - this breed likes to take off on
"walkabout" but they always return; I witnessed such an
episode.) I use two nosy Puritans as
detectives because Puritans were supposed to be nosy to keep their neighbors on
the straight and narrow, and nosy makes a good detective. A sidekick is handy because he or she can be
in other places while the detective is busy at the crime scene.
(2.) the Setting.
I emphasize the setting because it should be chosen with serious consideration. It's a clue to the mystery and may BE the
mystery, aka: Salem in 1692, a foggy London street or a canyon in the
Southwest. My setting is Boston in the
1690's and I'm really lucky in that you can still find 1690's Boston walking
from the Common down the dark little side-streets to the Union Oyster House
shucking oysters at the bar since the early 1700's, to the North End past Paul
Revere's house, up Copp's Hill to the burial place of the Mathers, father and
son,Puritan ministers who are featured in my books, often using Cotton Mather's
own words which are unintentionally funny.
From this spot you can overlook the harbor and easily imagine the forest
of wooden masts and furled sails the Mathers saw in their day. (I have to note here that it was father
Increase Mather who, returning from England, stopped the Salem Witch Trials
cold.) Not every American city has such
an ambiance ripe for mystery writing, although Jane Haddam's Armenian community
of Philadelphia is certainly a major part of the story.
(3.) a Victim, either of murder or theft. The victim may be a nice person or a nasty
one; I often transfer persons I know and don't like to the grave via my
writing. Change details, of course. I've been told that they never recognize
themselves anyway, but why take a chance on getting sued?
(4.) a Villain.
You can't make the villain too obvious or you spoil the fun of solving
the mystery for the reader. I mean, just
one look at Darth Vader and you know he's the Bad Guy. You can even write the story from the
villain's viewpoint, if you're Agatha Christie or Dostoyevsky. And make sure the villain has an element of
humanity in him. No one is totally evil -- think of Tony Soprano or the
Godfather movies. Even Darth Vader had
his redeeming moment.
(5.) Clues and Red Herrings. The Greeks had a Deus ex Machina, a God who
could drop down from the skies and solve the problem for everyone. That doesn't work nowadays, although some
well known writers have used this tactic.
When the murderer comes out of left field and has never been introduced
into the plot, that's cheating. You have to plant clues within the body of the
story so the reader can figure out the answer, at least when he/she looks back
at it. Remember the man out walking his
dog in chapter three? He used the dog to meet women.... (Did the dog do it? Only Steven King can make that work.) Red Herrings are clues that mislead the
reader in the wrong direction. Maybe a
bystander saw a flash of red cloth and Madame Nicholai has a red cloak in her
closet.... Perhaps there's a paw print
on the floor -- but the victim feeds the neighbors' animals. Sprinkle red herrings as well as clues
throughout the story -- it's fun!
If you divide
the mystery into five parts it becomes a much easier task to tackle, doesn't
it? Good luck and good writing.
Death of a Cape Cod Cavalier Blurb:
"Relaxing on Cape Cod isn't easy when there's a body floating in the Bay. Hetty Henry, on the Cape for a shipment of oysters and friend Creasy Cotton, there to preach to the Natives, find that murder, sex and business are a strange mix."
Death of a Cape Cod Cavalier Blurb:
"Relaxing on Cape Cod isn't easy when there's a body floating in the Bay. Hetty Henry, on the Cape for a shipment of oysters and friend Creasy Cotton, there to preach to the Natives, find that murder, sex and business are a strange mix."
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Bio: M.E.Kemp is
the author of five historical mystery with a sixth in the works; she also
writes short stories and essays.
Kemp lives in Saratoga Springs,
NY with hubby Jack and two kitties, Boris and Natasha, who are her most severe
critics - they often shred her stories to bits.
Comments
Great post!. Thanks, Marilyn for guesting her.
Jackie