Should We Write About What We Know, Or Can We Make Stuff Up?

The majority of my writing will be in the genre of fiction, so it might be assumed that I will be making stuff up. To a small extent, this is true. I can create an environment that does not exist, I can create characters that inhabit it, and I can create the situations that they face. But if I wander too far, I will lose my readers.  

Come on - this is fiction, anything goes! No, anything does not go. As writers, we want people to be able to follow our storylines. If they are confused about a storyline, or are simply not drawn to it, we have lost them. They won't want to finish the book that they are reading, and they will have no reason to purchase our future books.

My current WIP has its basis in the 60's and 70's. My major characters are remote viewers that have the ability to change, to some extent, what they see. They work for a private organization that is global in nature, and were recruited right out of college. They are charged with protecting the cultural assets of all nations, and their work is clandestine by nature. 

Given the nature of my WIP, which is a mystery, and not science fiction, I need to do the research that will make it sound credible - less James Bond and more  John Q. Public. Our stories, to be accepted, need to reflect daily life. After all, we do want to sell books! As many boundaries as we push in our stories, they need to make sense. The excitement generated in our stories comes from our readers believing that these things can really happen, and that there are consequences for what happens. 

Personally, I am tasked with making the use of metaphysical powers seem real, and available to everyone (which they actually are). I will need to show how my characters came into these powers, and how they affected their lives. How a son who never knew his father has inherited his tendency towards evil on steroids.

Where is your writing taking you?

(c) May 2019 Bonnie Cehovt

Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author.    

Outline For A Mystery Novel

I tend to work from outlines, even with my fiction writing. It flows, but I need to have some kind of foundation to get a grip on what I am writing, In the first chapter I look at introducing the main character, and setting the tone for the story – I am working on a mystery, so I set the plot for the mystery itself, and what needs to be solved. The time and place of the mystery itself needs to be clearly set. This can get tricky, because often a mystery that occurs in the present is based on actions in the past.

In the second chapter, I start setting out clues … some of which may be real, some of which may be false. There needs to be a few twists and turns in this story, after all! Secondary characters may also start appearing as soon as the second chapter. A little “back story” on my characters – I do a complete identity sketch on each of my characters: their name, where they are from, what their physical characteristics are, what they do for a living, where they live, what they wear, what their beliefs are, what their goals are. This helps me to keep things straight, and to keep each character and their relationship with the other characters authentic.

In the third chapter I want my characters to start following leads. To start trying to solve the mystery. Odd facts start popping up, some leads end up nowhere, other leads bring out information that sheds new light on people and events. This is the chapter that I introduce a sub-plot … something for the reader to follow that has nothing to do with the mystery being solved. The sub-plot for me has to be two things: interesting and relevant.

In the fourth chapter the plot thickens! Clues start coming together, and suspects start revealing themselves. Clues may disappear, or people may disappear. Suddenly there is more of a sense of urgency to get this mystery solved, before something else happens, or someone else gets hurt.

In the fifth chapter evidence that is coming out of the investigation starts to point at a specific suspect, or group of suspects. A solution begins to reveal itself … although this may not be the right solution, or at least not the complete solution.

In the sixth chapter the sub-plot takes precedence. This generally has to do with the main character, and addresses what makes them tick, what drives them, that little something in their own background that has them taking the actions that they have taken.

In the seventh chapter  things start to get a nit sticky. Hidden motives, and hidden relationships start to reveal themselves.

In the eighth chapter the main character in some way reveals the results of their investigation. I try to put things together in a way that makes sense, but that does not reveal the solution to the mystery.

In the ninth chapter my main character is going over their actions, the clues that they have revealed, and the information they have gathered. Basically, they are looking to see what they may have missed. At this point, I will bring out critical evidence that has somehow been missed up until now.

In the tenth chapter I bring things together, and the mystery is solved. I love dramatic resolution, and I love justice for all!

This is my basic outline for mystery writing. Things can be adjusted, more chapters can be added, but the basic ingredients need to be there: there needs to be a crime, the crime needs to be investigated,  there has to be tension and drama, and my primary character needs to be deeply involved.

Here’s to a good mystery!

© 2000 – 2013 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited in any venue without the written permission of the author.