What I Like to Write, What I Don't Like

January 8th, 2017

January 8th, 2017,

Detective

There is a slight difference between a Detective story a Mystery one. But not much. Both involve detecting, but detectives are usually professional and a mystery aren't. It can be professional for both genres. But it usually isn't.

A mystery can be, and often is, an advenure. The protagonist or protagonists has questions about something that has happened or is happening. And they have to figure out what is really going on.

True, in a lot of ways a detective does the same thing. But it's a little different with them. There is usually a crime, or series of crimes, like murder, robbery, etc. And it's up to the detective or detectives to solve it.

There basically three kinds of detectives: The cop, the Private Investigator, and the amateur slueth. Each one has their own obstacles to rummage through. It's the hardest on the cop because of all the regulations they have to follow.

A Private Investigator is a lot like a cop. They also have a code to follow. But they are a lot more freer to break or bend the rules whenever it's needed to solve the crime. Some examples are: Breaking and entering, asking direct questions, and searching someone or someplace.

The amateur sleuth has it the easiest because they can do pretty much anything that they want. But it's also the hardest because no one wants them involved. There's another difference between amateur and a cop or private investigator. An amateur usually stumbles into the crime where the others are assigned to it one way or another.

I have done several stories involving detectives. But I don't think I have categorized them as Detective stories. Maybe I should check into that, and correct it if I have to.