Delaware Top Blogs

Wednesday, August 02, 2017

Advice to mystery writers

In many mysteries I have read over the years, the villain makes a fatal mistake.  Having captured the hero (or heroine) and rendered him or her defenseless, he (or she) takes a much needed respite.  He decides to leave the victim where he is for the time being and go get some food, or take the dog for a walk, or any of a number of things that need doing.  He can always come back and murder her later.

  This is foolhardy.  The victim is bound to find a coat hanger or something and free herself.  You can make book on it.  In any room, no matter how little furnished, there is something that can be fashioned into a weapon in less than 10 minutes.

  In your absence, he (or she) will take a curtain rod from the window and fashion a lethal weapon out of it, a weapon with which she (say a 130 lb woman,) will subdue you, even though you're a 250 lb football player.  She will then take the discarded curtain and tear it in strips, which she will bind you with, before calling the police with your mobile phone.

The moral of this story is, Don't procrastinate.  Or as Lady Macbeth put "If 'twere done ,when 'twere done, 'tis best done quickly."  Or words to that effect.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I really like it when people come together and share ideas.
Great website, stick with it!

Anonymous said...

The next time I read a blog, I hope that it won't disappoint
me just as much as this one. I mean, Yes, it was my choice to read, nonetheless I really thought you'd have something interesting to
talk about. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something you can fix if you were not too busy seeking attention.

miriam sawyer said...

Anon II: have you never heard of a jest?

Anonymous said...

M, that was probably a bot. Pay no attention whatsoever.