The Mystery of Writing Style
An early “locked room murder mystery” is The Big Bow Mystery (1892) by Israel Zangwill. The plot is interesting, but the writing style of the time was mostly telling with long passages of description and narrative.
That style, and its omniscient point of view, can easily distance the reader. That’s what happened to me. I didn’t care about any of the characters enough to root for them. I simply finished listening to the story to find out who committed the murder.
But many readers of the time considered the plot, with its surprise ending, compelling enough to cause Hollywood to produce three movies with that plot.
Some summaries of this book tout that all of the clues are there, and readers could figure out the ending. The description and narrative were so overwhelming to me, that I didn’t try to piece together the clues. And looking for clues is the fun part of a mystery to me.
Writing Style Mystery Solved
One of the soundest pieces of writing advice is to read in every genre, but read the most in the genre you’re writing. That helps me learn to be a better writer — not just how to craft a story, but also how not to craft a story.
For me, the style of The Big Bow Mystery reminds me:
— I don’t enjoy reading or writing long passages of narrative and description. And consequently, my readers won’t be the people who enjoy reading those lengthy sections.
— Obscuring the clues in too much detail makes me feel that the author isn’t playing fair. So I must sprinkle in the clues in plain sight, and have a few, but not too many, red herrings of other possible theories. Those plausible diversions will drive the reader away from the real solution until it’s revealed.
— Writing style is a major component in whether a reader enjoys the story. Even more proof of that is a recent TV show that mirrored the plot of The Big Bow Mystery. With more action and a single character POV, it was much more compelling to me.
What writing style do you enjoy most?
The Mystery of Writing Style – What style of writing do you enjoy most? Share on XJoni Vance is an award-winning author of fiction, essay, and poetry. She loves mystery, history, and how God reveals Himself every day.
May God reveal the mystery of His love in your life story.
I’m in agreement with you and Tim, Joni. Keep the story moving, don’t get bogged down with too much description or “tell.” I enjoy these messages where you delve into writing styles. Thank you.
Thank you for reading and commenting, Katherine. I’m glad my posts are helpful. 🙂
I enjoy most styles, but some are harder to get into than others. I’ve enjoyed reading “The Penderwick” books lately. They are for middle graders. I wasn’t sure what that series style was so I looked it up and it is “third person, shifting point of view”. You get the thoughts of Rosalind, Skye, Jane, Batty (4 sisters) plus their father and a friend named Jeffery.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Jane. I appreciate you letting us know what you’re reading and mentioned the POV aspects of the series. Hope you enjoy them all!
Crisp and tight, with a lot of well-crafted dialogue.
Thanks for sharing, Tim. Concise writing with well-crafted dialogue is the style I like the best as well.