Since we at SleuthSayers are still posting about our stories in the new Murder, Neat anthology, and since my slot has rolled around again and I've already done one post about my story here . . . I thought I'd just do a different take on it today, and talk mostly about plotting.
As you probably know, many writers and readers believe all mystery stories are whodunits. That's not correct. According to most editors and publishers, a mystery story is merely one that has a crime central to its plot, or at least includes a crime. Some even say it's a mystery story if it implies that a crime is committed. If you want a real-world example, take a look sometime at the mystery fiction section in your local bookstore: the one thing those novels have in common is that they're crime stories. They're not all whodunits.
Neither is my short story, "Bourbon and Water," in the SleuthSayers anthology. It's a crime story set mostly in a bar, which was the theme we chose for the book. (It goes a bit beyond that, but I can't say more without getting into spoilers.)
My point is, there are other kinds of dunits. Lots of mystery stories are howdunits or whydunits. The late great Elmore Leonard, a recipient of Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master Award, once said in an interview that he'd never written a real mystery, or at least never a whodunit. He said, and I'm paraphrasing here, that in none of his novels was the villain's identity ever kept secret from the reader until the end. Even so, I think his shorts and books were--and are--great examples of the mystery genre.
Another example: Neither of the two TV series Columbo (old) and Poker Face (recent) featured whodunits. Or howdunits, or whydunits. All those episodes were howcatchems. In every show, the viewing audience knew at the beginning of the story who the murderer was. The fun was in the rest of the hour or so, in watching the hero (or heroine, in the case of Poker Face) figure out the identity of the killer. It was a concept that worked just fine. Columbo ran for ten seasons, and (current news flash!) three episodes of Poker Face are among the five screenplays that are nominated for the 2024 Edgar in the Best Television Episode Teleplay category. It's a fantastic, well-written series.
As for me and my writing, I suspect that at least two-thirds of the mystery stories I've written and published are not whodunits. They're crime stories, period, to the degree that if you took the crime out of the plot, you'd have no story. Not that I have anything against whodunits and traditional mysteries--I like reading them and writing them, and yes, trying to figure out who the villain really is. But I also like the other kinds of mysteries, and I think the others are often more fun.
I've heard a lot of writers say they don't submit mystery stories to Woman's World because WW publishes only whodunits. Not true. I've also heard they publish only murder mysteries with at least three possible suspects in each story. Again, not true. A couple of weeks ago I sold my 130th story to WW (my 128th mystery, there), and less than half of those were whodunits.
What about you? Considering both short stories and novels, do you mostly stick to the tried-and-true whodunits in your mystery writing? How about your reading? Do you find that you like UNtraditional mysteries just as much? Better? What's your definition of a mystery story?
I'm looking forward to seeing just how the stories in Murder, Neat fit into this discussion. (I've not yet seen a copy of the finished product.)
I guess that, for now, is a mystery.
Looking forward to reading your story, John. Might be awhile. Evidently my copy is being delivered on the back of turtle. I enjoy reading, and writing, all varieties of the genre, although in my stories elements of horror keep creeping in, so I try to temper them with humor, often macabre.
ReplyDeleteEdward Lodi
Nothing wrong with macabre! I too like reading several different genres, and writing them too, including all the crime subgenres. As for delivery of the anthology, I don't have my copy yet either--maybe today.
ReplyDeleteThanks as always, Edward. Hope you'll like the stories!
I really appreciate this article, John. I've been 'somewhat' perplexed as to mysteries vs. crime and if editors are really hard core, asking for whodunits, when requesting mysteries. For the life of me, I try to write 'whodunits' but often fall short and then give myself a few lashes when I get a rejection. 'Learn how to do it--push your muse to another level', I declare. But then...another crime story starts telling itself. I really enjoy crime stories...and definitely will put away the whip now that the master has voiced what works for him as far as acceptances.
ReplyDeleteYou are too kind--thank you--but YES, put the whip away. If there's a crime involved, it qualifies. Some of my stories are even told from the POV of the bad guy, and we sure know whodunit in those. There can still be a lot of tension and suspense and surprises in the stories. Very few of the stories I've sold to the familiar mystery markets have been whodunits.
DeleteKeep writing!
Congrats, John! I’m looking forward to reading your story and the book!
ReplyDeleteHey Teresa. Thanks so much--hope you enjoy it. I've enjoyed reading about all your recent writing events and travels!
DeleteMy copy of the book arrived yesterday, and I'm looking forward to your story, John, not to mention everyone else's.
ReplyDeleteWhodunits are hard, because plotting is my weak spot. My mind doesn't work in a linear fashion--when it works at all. When I was writing novels, I usually knew who my culprit was--the reader often did, too--but I almost never knew how my protagonist would figure it out until I got there. That often meant revising earlier parts of the book to provide the important clue.
Most of my short stories--including the one in Murder, Neat--are more crime than mystery, and many are told from the "bad guy" point of view. Lots of them involve revenge or ironic justice, too. That means I can focus on the characters, whom I like, and they drive the plot. If I do it right, of course.
Steve, I too am looking forward to reading those stories! Plotting is my favorite part of writing these mysteries, so I wind up doing a lot of it before I ever start writing. It's always interesting to me how different writers approach the process--outlining, pantsing, whatever. Like you, though, I find it fun to see the story from the villain's POV now and then, and I seem to have been doing more of that lately. Hey, whatever works, right?
DeleteMy story "The Tell-Tale Armadillo" in "Crimeucopia - The I's Have It" could be considered a who-how-why-dunnit. The victim of an explosion becomes the chief suspect, but the protagonist can't make sense of the few clues. It was both a challenge and a joy writing it. And yes, tweaking genres is part of the fun.
ReplyDeleteMike, I told someone the other day (Barb, I think) that I can often judge how good one of my stories is by how much fun I had writing it. Glad to hear your Crimeucopia story was that way for you. (I was in that same issue/anthology--cool cover, wasn't it?--and I remember your story!)
DeleteI hope, since your story was a who/how/whydunit, you asked John Connor for three times the pay . . .
Great post, John! I agree re howcatchums - almost all books in my entire Goddaughter series were heists or capers. You watched the crime happening, and wondered how and if they would get away with it. Or - even more fun - read on to see how the whole thing would fall apart! My story in Murder, Neat is an example. I always start my workshops with "A crime story is about a crime. If you took out the crime, you wouldn't have a story." - pretty much just as you said! And then I break it down into the different kinds of stories you can have.
ReplyDeleteMelodie, I've heard writers say they prefer writing whodunits because they want the endings to be a surprise--but other kinds of mysteries can also feature surprises, both during the story and at the end! (I love love love your Goddaughter books, by the way.)
DeleteThanks as always, for the thoughts.
Melodie, "See how the whole thing falls apart" is a subgenre in itself, isn't it? Donald Westlake was a master of those. Or you could call them "What could possibly go wrong?" stories.
DeleteTo me, the best of that kind of story, a neo-noir movie by the Cohen Brothers, was called Blood Simple. If you've not seen that one, I hope you will.
DeleteCoen Brothers, not Cohen. Good grief.
DeleteSome of my favorite stories/novels are those in which we know who the killer is and have to watch to see if he/she will be caught and if so , how. Malice Aforethought by Francis Iles is a terrific example. I'll look for you story, John. Undoubtedly another good one.
ReplyDeleteWhat you described in your first sentence is what happens in every Columbo episode, Susan. It's a process that works, for readers AND viewers.
DeleteI've not read Malice Aforethought, but I will. Thanks!
Hope you'll like my story, in the anthology.
I'd say my stories are about half and half - crime stories (like "The Sweet Life" or "The Closing of the Lodge"), whodunits ("Brother's Keeper" and "Bad Influence" in Murder, Neat). A couple also might have been howcatchums. And I have a semi-series of Crow Woman stories, which are somewhere between crime/supernatural (Dark That Rides, Crow Woman's lover and knight errant, is not from around here, and by here, I mean this earth).
ReplyDeleteI like a lot of genres.
Writing in all those genres and subgenres is obviously fun for you, Eve. I love that, also. To me, it's one way to make sure the writing process never gets boring. (To the writer at least; I hope also to the reader.)
DeleteKeep doing what you're doing!
John, My Bruce Kohler novels and stories are whodunits because when I started out, I thought that's what mysteries were. Now I know there are a lot of different kinds of stories for which I'd use the broader term crime fiction. I've written a number of what I call "murder at the end" stories and even let out my inner serial killer with a couple of female protagonists. I also like writing cross genre stories that combine mystery or crime with urban fantasy. It was pouring rain all day in New York today, and I participated in an MWA NY library reading across the street from the Museum of Modern Art, reading the beginning of my Murder, Neat story (a whodunit) and two flash stories that both had the murder at the end but were otherwise radically different in voice and setting. Fun!
ReplyDeleteI bet that was fun! Yep, you've had plenty of experience with all kinds of mystery stories. I too have had a good time mixing genres: mostly mystery/western and mystery/fantasy/SF, etc. And, as we've discussed here before, even some of the bigger mystery magazines occasionally buy the mixed-genre stories.
DeleteThanks as always, Liz. Keep writing the good stuff.