The Mystery Behind the Mystery– Ruben D. Gonzales

 I’ve come to the mystery genre late. Most of my early writing was poetry. Then I transitioned to short stories. Eventually I moved into historical fiction. But then I got the mystery bug and have enjoyed the journey. I don’t know why it took me so long. I’ve always enjoyed the mystery scene. I’ve got a huge collection of Sherlock Holmes and in college I think I read all the Poe I could get my hands on. John D. MacDonald was an early contemporary favorite and I was an avid fan of Sue Grafton, collecting almost all of her alphabet series (alas, we won’t see her final “Z” in the series). I’m pretty sure I’ve read all Jack Reacher has to offer and even worked my way through the J.J. Box Joe Pickett game warden series. Lately I’ve been reading all about Stephanie Plum, the feisty apprehension agent who careens around New Jersey chasing bail bond jumpers.

I’ve read Harlan Coben and Baldacci and others so its no wonder I finally came around to the mystery myself.  Of course, I haven’t even mentioned the genre within the genre - Cozy mysteries, which by their popularity have a niche all to themselves. Our local chapter of Sisters in Crime has one of the best in the romcom/mystery niche represented by Agnes Alexander (BTW - not her real name) and another author that has a cozy series surrounding her job in a small town library.

During this process I’ve manage to fumble my way through the erstwhile mystery of mystery writing and have picked up a few editing tips of the trade I try to use to improve my writing.

• ·       Remember that your readers are smart (probably smarter than me/you)
• ·       Portray your characters through their dialogue, actions, and thoughts.
• ·       Use sensory impressions to evoke imagery instead of exposition.
• ·       Watch out for redundancy between what’s shown and what’s told.
• ·       Make sure your character’s feelings are theirs and not your own.
• ·       Be careful with your red herrings so they accomplish what your mystery needs.

Outside of all that – writing the mystery is like walking down a dark alley at two in the morning in the wrong side of town without a gun.

www.rubendgonzales.com