  Mystery
This week: Pass the red herring! Edited by: Arakun the Twisted Raccoon  
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Quote for the day:Murderers will try to recall the sequence of events, they will remember exactly what they did just before and just after. But they can never remember the actual moment of killing. This is why they will always leave a clue.
Peter Ackroyd |
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Where would mystery stories be without the red herring? A red herring is a false clue deliberately inserted in a story to misdirect the reader. There are several different explanations for the origin of the term. In one version, red herring, a strong smelling fish cured in brine, is used in the training of scent tracking hounds. Once the dog is given a scent to track, a red herring is dragged across the path, and the dog is taught to follow the correct scent without being distracted by the fishy smell. In another version, criminals used a red herring in a similar fashion to confuse tracking dogs.
In reality, smelly fish were probably never used to train or confuse dogs. That idea was invented by a journalist who used it as a metaphor for the way the press can distract readers from important issues by emphasizing unimportant ones.
Whatever their origin, red herrings are essential to mystery writing. Reading a mystery story is a little like navigating your way through a maze. Wrong turns and blind alleys are part of the fun. A mystery story with no red herrings would be like a maze with no wrong turns--way too easy!
Characters, objects, or events can all serve as red herrings. Some red herrings are seen by both the reader and the characters, and others are intended just for the reader.
Red herrings intended for both the reader and the characters need to be believable. If your detective spends half the story chasing after a false suspect, you need to give him a logical reason for doing so.
Red herrings intended just for the reader must be placed so a reader has a fair chance of picking them up without being too obvious. Seasoned mystery readers know that if a clue is too obvious it has to be false.
You might be tempted to fill your story with thousands of red herrings, but that usually isn't a good idea. If a reader needs a scorecard to keep track of all the suspects and a warehouse to store all the clues, the story is probably a little too complicated. Use only as many red herrings as you need to keep the puzzle challenging.
If you have a mystery story that isn't working, maybe the red herrings are to blame. Are there too many of them? Not enough? Are they too obvious or too obscure? Do the red herrings add to the readers' enjoyment of the puzzle or make them feel cheated?
Something to try: Look at a mystery story by your favorite author and identify all the red herrings. How does the author introduce them? How does the real clue blend in? When you first read the story, which red herrings led you astray? Then look at your own stories, and try to use red herrings to improve them. |
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Question for next time: What do you think is the hardest part of writing mysteries?
Answers to last month's question: Do you plan your stories or just start writing?
J. A. Buxton 
Once an idea drifts into my imagination, I simply begin writing. More often than not, my characters quickly take over so I just sit back and type what they tell me. The main problem with writing this way is what I intended as short stories only ended after my characters let go of my worn-out fingers after at least 100 chapters. The third in my "Home of the" trilogy began as a one-word Cramp prompt and finished 129 chapters later.
BIG BAD WOLF is hopping 
I tend to just write, but I usually have a general idea on what to write about. |
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Mystery: April 25, 2012 Issue [#5002]
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