by RR Gall
Knock knock.
Who’s
there?
Tease.
Tease
who?
...
The detective has
gathered all the suspects into one room of this splendid house. The piano tuner
– Major Alan Hollingsworth(retired) – is dead, crushed when the massive lid of
a grand piano fell on his head as he tinkered away with its inners. Unusually
the deceased appears to be well-liked and his piano tuning was more of a hobby
than a job. In fact, Hollingsworth would only work on the finest of grand
pianos, leaving the detective to suspect it was merely a method of meeting wealthy
and influential families, a way to tell them about his family’s parquet
flooring company.
The crash of the
falling lid had been heard throughout the house. The sonorous death chord, in A
Flat Major, had brought everyone running – but no-one appeared to have witnessed
the crime.
Now as he stands in
the centre of the room, the detective looks round at the ten faces before him.
Suddenly, he points a finger at Artur Filey, used carpet salesman, and cries,
‘He did it!’ The doors burst open, the police rush in, and the man is arrested.
The End.
We might feel a
little disappointed, even a little cheated, if this ever happened in, say, an
Agatha Christie novel, as more is expected from the denouement. We are used to it
being stretched out. So it is my theory that teasing is a good thing, and in
moderation, can and should be applied to other parts of a story.
When a detective
is interviewing a suspect, for example, delaying the answer to an important
question may be beneficial: not only does it break up a sometimes flat question
and answer sequence, it can help build tension, as well as give the reader time
to consider the implications of the question.
The same teasing
can be applied to other aspects of a story. In The Case of Colourful Clothes
and Kilts (second book of my trilogy) the detective arranges for a hospital
walking stick but it is many pages later until he uses it, and it is not until
the end of the book that the reason is given: the aim being to keep the reader
thinking and guessing while other matters are on-going.
And then there is the root of the mystery, the heart of the story. In some circumstances, the drama can be heightened if it is exposed, not in one full gush, but by one delicate layer after another.
And then there is the root of the mystery, the heart of the story. In some circumstances, the drama can be heightened if it is exposed, not in one full gush, but by one delicate layer after another.
So, used sparingly
– no-one likes to be teased all the time – delaying outcomes, in my view, can
be a useful aid in writing.
Tease.
Tease who?
Tease all crossed
and I’s all dotted, time to get this beast published.
Okay, that might
not have been worth the wait. But some things can be.
Click here to visit RR Gall's Website
Click here to visit RR Gall's Website
The Dumfries
Detective trilogy is available on Amazon:
Part 1. The Case
of the Pig in the Evening Suit.
Part 2. The Case
of Colourful Clothes and Kilts.
Part 3. The Case
of the Hermit’s Guest Bedroom.
Oh, these sound like such fun reads.
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