A session Crafting Twists and Turns acknowledged readers’ flexibility in accepting characters
From plot twists to red herrings, crime fiction writers discussed the craft of keeping readers on the edge of their seats at a session titled “Crafting Twists and Turns” at the 42nd edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF). Moderated by Michelle Halket, editor and publisher, the panel which comprised Ivy Pochoda, Noha Daoud and Adel Al-Sumaiti focused on the techniques and strategies used by authors to create suspenseful and gripping mystery and crime stories.
“I try to include many techniques in my writing so that the reader is not distracted,” noted Emirati author Adel Al-Sumaiti, whose Revenge of the Legend is a suspenseful thriller. He said that he put himself in the shoes of each character including the criminal while writing. He added that some of his female readers told him that his books shook them and gave them sleepless nights while some fell in love with the detective to which Halket replied that readers often have a book husband or wife.
As for the need to have a backstory or not, Al-Sumaiti said that it was “up to the writer to convey his motive or idea; sometimes a back story or action is necessary.” Shedding light on the victim is important as is the need for flashbacks, he agreed with his fellow panellists. “I try as much as I can to focus on values useful for the generation, the way Agatha Christie fought racism in her crime novels,” he said. The Emirati writer said he was working on a crime novel about a criminal who cannot see or speak.
Egyptian novelist Noha Daoud who has authored nine novels including Crime in the Hotel said she enjoyed writing about crime to explore the dark side of humans. She added that the heroes in her novels were all women but now she was able to have more men in her novels. She called the reader her partner in writing and wanted their views on her books.
Regarding red herrings or false leads, she said it is important to shed light and honour the victim. “We are trying to explore news areas and the motivation for criminals to commit a crime,” stated the best-selling author. According to her, she wrote crime fiction in the traditional way. “I start with a crime. Sometimes, I do flashbacks,” said Daoud, who dreamt about writing a novel for the Western audience about Egyptian crime. “I want my novels to be ambassadors for my country,” she added.
Ivy Pochoda, author of These Women and Sing her Down, noted that crime is a good way to explore a community. Pochoda, who grew up reading Elizabeth Peters and Anne Perry, said crime fiction was in her blood but not an intentional choice. “One of the most interesting things about crime fiction as a genre is that it is very flexible and people are willing to take chances. It has also become the playground of people willing to explore gender roles and gender stereotypes. Women in crime fiction have great roles.” In reply to a question if men and women react differently to crime, she said there is a danger in pigeonholing women.
Regarding the whodunnit factor, Pochoda said the “readers’ attention should be focussed on the ripples caused by a pebble rather than the linear methodology of who dropped the pebble.”
Pochoda’s new novel, These Women, which is more about the women affected by the violence of a serial killer than the killer himself, said she was not keen on fetishising serial killers and termed them boring people, which helped them evade capture. “Even in a novel that doesn’t have a happy ending or doesn’t offer possibility for redemption, if we can find humanity in characters, that is enough.”
Pochoda felt there was room for every kind of message if it serves the purpose of a book. She was currently working on a horror story based on a Greek play.
