Unanswered Questions
Yesterday afternoon my husband was out front talking to the neighbor, when a small brown pickup truck turned abruptly into the neighbor’s driveway, two men jumped out, ran between our houses, and continued down the hill in back.
Then two police cars showed up. My husband pointed which way the men had gone, and the officers went off to look for them.
Meanwhile the small truck remained, with its doors open, in the neighbor’s driveway. A little while later the police officers returned and looked through the truck, questioned my husband again, and proceeded to have the truck towed. They never said why they were after the men.
The mystery writer in me can think up all sorts of reasons for the two men to abandon their truck. But it’s possible they’d simply had too much Labor Day beer and were only being stopped for speeding when they panicked. I actually think I prefer not knowing the answer.
Writers: Do you ever not know how the story you’re writing will end? Do you prefer it that way?
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What a great opening scene….
Comment by mark — 9/7/2004 @ 10:31 am
I can understand the beauty in an unfinished story. But when it’s two wanted men who disappear somewhere behind your house… I think I would want to know what was going on!
Comment by seadragon — 9/7/2004 @ 1:04 pm
I usually have an ending in mind before I start. Sometimes, though, it doesn’t end like I think it will.
Comment by robin — 9/7/2004 @ 3:19 pm
Thanks for your comments!
The same thing occurred to me, mark, what a great start for a story. If it was a movie opening or a first chapter, I’d at least want to know what happened next.
In real life I’m afraid it was probably something more pitiful than entertaining. Drug dealers or illegal aliens, or maybe they’d stolen the truck.
They were in a great hurry to leave, seadragon, and there are a couple of crossroads just down that hill. We have so many dogs in this neighborhood, including our own, it would be close to impossible for anyone to hide out near our house for long without being detected. To be safe, my husband went out and checked around, and we kept our doors locked for the next couple of hours. But they were long gone.
Comment by Barbara — 9/7/2004 @ 5:06 pm
To answer my own question, I usually have an idea how the story will end, but that can change if inspiration strikes mid-story with something better. In the case of a mystery I prefer not to know who the villain is until after at least the first draft is done. I leave loose ends in the story, at first, so it could be one of at least two or three people. Then I sew up the holes when I’m done.
This helps me create a deeper, well-rounded villain. If I’m thinking of someone as a killer the whole time, I don’t really want to be inside their head, and that can affect good characterization. If I don’t know for sure whether someone is capable of killing, then I’m willing to explore who this person is, where they come from, and why they’re in the story.
Writers have to explore our darker sides, but I prefer the sideways approach.
Comment by Barbara — 9/7/2004 @ 5:31 pm
Good comments Barbara. You can’t hide a villian, however. It’s tough to manage."Secret Window” did a fairly good job. Suspense and surprise cannot be too predictable. For instance, “Sixth Sense” really got me. I enjoyed playing that movie for my parents and watching their reaction.
Comment by mark — 9/9/2004 @ 6:53 am
Hi Barbara, You have the strangest neighborhood problems and events it seems. Our neighborhood is very peaceful compared to yours. It would be a good opening for a play or movie though….
Take care, your sis, Yogini Elena
Comment by Yogini — 9/21/2004 @ 6:40 am
Hi Yogini,
Thankfully, this was a pretty unusual event for our neighborhood. The worst problem we usually encounter is loose dogs.
Comment by Barbara — 9/22/2004 @ 10:27 am