I’ve been writing a murder mystery, and I am continually reminded of
the “Rosebud” incident in the movie Citizen Kane. Everything that appears in the book must have a meaning, but some
things can’t be obvious until the end. So how do I insert a crucial bit of
information without giving it away? Or, to put my dilemma another way, how do I
make an important clue look like it isn’t?
Theoretically, the answer is simple: I can hide it in the text the way
the bird in the picture is hidden in the trees. But the execution is more
complicated.
In my first draft, I brought up the clue but wrote it so the detectives
don’t see how it can be applicable and choose to dismiss it. Even so, I’m
worried that it will be too obvious, the way the red on the bird in the first photo
makes it easier to pick out.
But if I make it too obscure, my readers will miss it and wonder where
it came from when the importance of the clue is revealed. The bird in the
second photo blends in so well few of you will find it, and I don’t want to
create that kind of frustration in my readers.
How do I find the right balance? I don’t think I’m there yet.
So I’ll keep working on the execution.
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