Crime writers and the Butterfly Effect

[John Dean]

Plotting is one of the biggest challenges for a crime writer - any writer, in fact - and it can be a tortuous process, not least because it is subject to the Butterfly Effect.

The Butterfly Effect, which is part of Chaos Theory, states that the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in one part of the world can cause a hurricane elsewhere.

But what’s that got to do with crime writing, I hear your cry? Let me give you an example. I am known for my intricate plotting and have been working on my latest crime novel for some months.

Even if I say so myself, it’s an ingenious plot but the more I developed it the more complicated it became, not least because of the Butterfly Effect.

Every time I changed one part of the plot, there were ramifications elsewhere. If I changed one fact, there was no way other that other characters could know pieces of crucial information essential to make the story work. Or be in the places they needed to be to make the story hold together.

Each time I changed something, there were consequences elsewhere and the more it happened, the more confused I became. I even started dreaming about it. And if I, as the writer, was confused, what chance would the reader have of following my story?

So how does an author get round such problems? Well, in my case it was simple – literally.  I took a sheet of blank paper, made a cup of tea (an essential tool for all authors) and jotted down only the things that were truly essential to the story.

The result? Overly-complex plotlines that required the introduction of too many new characters simply fell away, leaving me with a simple, but hopefully still ingenious storyline. I would be the last person to so that writing is simple but sometimes plotting can be.

This article first appeared in the Crime Readers’ Association’s April newsletter.  You can find out more about the association’s work promoting crime writing, and sign up for the newsletter with its mix of news and fascinating insights from authors, at www.thecra.co.uk

 

Picture Cindy Gustafson, used courtesy of www.pexels.com