I got this email today:
Hey Lee,
I just discovered your site and look forward to visiting it more often. I’m new to writing mysteries and wondered if you, by chance, are aware of any books that are a study of the mystery genre that utilize equations or diagrams when it comes to analyzing how mysteries work…I know
this is probably an esoteric request but I just thought I’d ask because when I study mysteries I tend to see the orchestration & plotting of the suspects and clues in an almost mathematical equation…is that a common approach to the structural part of mysteries?Anyway I know you’re a busy guy but I just thought I’d pick your brain with this question…all the best, Matthew
Um, I dunno, Matthew. But there’s a new series called NUMBERS premiering on CBS Sunday about a guy who uses math to solve crimes. Does that count?
Lee, I’ve read a lot of self-help and how-to-write books, and I haven’t come across anything like that. There was one that used a circle with radiating spokes to help plot a mystery, but that’s about it.
But for sheer nuts-and-bolts advice, I’d recommend McKee’s “Story,” which did a great job of boiling down what telling a story is all about. It helped me organize my thinking when it came time to write chapters and focus on what really matters.