Mystifying Mystery

Here is another focus on another genre I am familiar with

I haven’t seen anything that really annoys me here…yet.

Just some key facts about this genre…

#1 Dead Ends are fine, if the character hits the wall, great they have to find another way.

#2 the villain hangs off in the shadows with whatever weapon necessary to the story

#3 The detective has a hard time figuring out whodunit

#4 Criminals are smart now a days with technology

#5 Sometimes forensics gets it wrong

#6 Better to keep the audience guessing to the end

#7 better be some nail biter scenes

#8 Detective don’t necessarily get the villain if it is part of a series.

#9 Whoever the lead is don’t necessarily get the love interest either.

#10 Then there are times where the lead gets the love interest and the villain.

Other than that well there isn’t much to say.  Mystery is about discovery and there isn’t away to really goof it up.  Now if you write about Mary Sues, rewrite now and give them issues and reservations.

Ciao for now!

5 Reasons Fantasy gets on my nerves

A rant about the cliché nature of Fantasy….

5) There must be a prophecy.  Not true in all cases but most of the time some great prophet comes along and says unless so and so here at the random farm can save the world…doom awaits us all.

Seriously get a grip and rework this tired old thing.  Prophecy makes for interesting reading but it can have a thousand different tones and undercurrents under the surface.

To be a hero requires sacrifice of current living conditions.  To be a hero it doesn’t take a prophecy.

4)Inherit and obvious racism.  Elves, dwarfs, humans, orcs, ogres, trolls.  Oh my goodness its a nasty troll or oh its a stuck up elf.  Really, I don’t think so.

Elves are pure magic, they are mystical and yes aloof but they all shouldn’t have the I’m better than human attitude, good grief so you have pointed ears, wow and magic likes you a big whoop for you.

Then some kind of evil races of ogres, trolls, and orcs.  Serious a mad horde of trolls come dashing out of the mountains to slay people sure, sure whatever.  Things can be turned on its head.

3) Dragon issue.  Really unless you can take human form you don’t need gold or jewels or fair maidens.  You really shouldn’t need to be big as a train.  Really no sense in being any bigger than bus.  They have to eat something, there aren’t enough cows to feed a serpent the size of a train.

2) Must take quest to save the world because a wizard says so…

Enough said.  Tell that to one of my characters and see what they do.  They would all give him the equivalent of a vulgar gesture.

1)Lack of a choice.  He can walk away from it and watch the consequences or face the danger on his/her own terms.  I know young naivete of a farm boy with some secret royal or magical lineage there had to be a reason.  There has to be a reason for everything and no prophecy.  No wizard to tell you what do to do without having the ability to sense magic from person.

Freewill plays an important part in people’s lives and being forced to do something goes against it.  No body can be forced to do something if they don’t want too.  The only thing is doom may rain down on all their friends and family.  Choice makes for an important decision and tension factor.