The Weekend Novelist Writes a Mystery by Robert J. Ray

Author:Robert J. Ray [Ray, Robert J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-49039-1
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2011-08-09T16:00:00+00:00

The Importance of Scenes

The mystery writer writes scenes because today’s readers are also today’s viewers: for them, stories are scene driven. The fact that you write scenes, using them to structure your book, does not eliminate the need for narrative summary. Because narrative summary is easy to write, and because it compresses time while it divulges important information, you will still use it as one of your writing tools. Narrative summary is especially useful if you have written half a dozen short scenes to close a time gap in your plot. Because this time gap showed up when you mapped out your book with a diagram, you’re ready to close the gap when you get there. With planning, you eliminate nasty surprises. An excellent model for closing a time gap in the mystery is the “Shatura” section of Gorky Park. As we pointed out in the plotting section, the sleuth is wounded in May at the university fountain. The writer needs a time gap between May and November for four reasons:

The sleuth needs time to heal from his near-death knife wound.

The KGB needs time for an inquisition that places the blame, making the sleuth a scapegoat in his own murder case.

The Prime Suspect who opened the book, KGB Officer Pribluda, needs to atone for his sins by saving the sleuth’s life. If Pribluda can change, there is hope for mankind.

The writer planned to close off his story where it began, with death in the snow.

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