From the Master - Sir Alfred Hitchcock

Monday: Mystery, Murder, and Manuscripts

In last Monday's post, Boo! I Scared You. (Surprise verses Suspense), I referenced a famous quote from the master of suspense, Sir Alfred Hitchcock.  The quote drew a lot of comments so I went hunting for more advice from the master.  What I found were some quotes that are just too good not to share. 

On movies:

"The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder"

An actor, discussing his character, asked Hitchcock, "What is my motivation?"
Hitchcock replied, "Your salary."

An actress asked Hitchcock which was her better profile, left or right. 
His reply: "My dear, you're sitting on your best profile."

His camera crew informed him that Tallulah Bankhead's habit of not wearing underpants was creating  problems during the filming of Lifeboat.
Hitchcock:  "I don't know if this is a matter for the costume department or the hairdresser."

A woman complained that the famous shower scene so frightened her daughter that the girl would no longer shower.
His reply: "Then Madam I suggest you have her dry cleaned."

"Disney has the best casting. If he doesn't like an actor he just tears him up."

On TV:

"Seeing a murder on television can help work off one's antagonisms. And if you haven't any antagonisms, the commercials will give you some."

"Television has brought murder back into the home - where it belongs"

And the rest of these could easily apply to writing as well as film:

His mission in life: "to simply scare the hell out of people."

"Always make the audience suffer as much as possible."

Why people loved his thrillers: "They like to put their toe in the cold water of fear."

"Some of our most exquisite murders have been domestic, performed with tenderness in simple, homey places like the kitchen table."

"There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it."

And my favorite...

"Drama is life with the dull bits left out"

Oh, one more - on the subject of books...

"This paperback is very interesting, but I find it will never replace a hardcover book -- it makes a very poor doorstop."

What else is there to say?

Which one is your favorite?

Groaner of the Day:  (We hardly need one after all that so here's a shorty.)  I know a guy who's addicted to brake fluid. He claims he can stop any time.

Boo! I Scared You. (Surprise verses Suspense)

Monday: Mystery, Murder, and Manuscripts

My grandkids, and my sons before them, always delight in sneaking up behind me or popping out in front of me and shouting BOO. (Someday I’m going to explain to them the concept of little old ladies and heart attacks.) This action is usually followed but that age old question: Did I scare you?

When they were little, I always said yes. That was the point of the game, after all. But lately, I’ve taken to saying no. “You startled me,” I explain. “There’s a difference.”

Simply stated, startled is a reaction to an event, scared (fear) is an emotion born of anticipation.  In writing, we look at this as the difference between surprise and suspense.

There is an oft quoted explanation given by the master of suspense, Sir Alfred Hitchcock, that says if two people are sitting at a table having a conversation and a bomb goes off, that’s surprise; but if they’re sitting there having that conversation and the audience/reader knows there’s a bomb under the table set to detonate in a few minutes, that’s suspense.

One makes us jump; the other makes us squirm.

But they are not mutually exclusive. Mysteries tend to be more about surprise. An intellectual puzzle with the reader learning the clues along with the characters. But add in an element of danger, something we know will happened if our hero can’t solve the crime – now our emotions are engaged as well. The same is true in reverse. After our hero has taken that long walk through a dark alley (where we know the villain lies in wait)—drawing our nerves taut with anticipation—there has to be that unexpected event or action that breaks the tension and allows our hero to prevail. The surprise.

So while your story may be a mystery or it may be a suspense/thriller, the telling of the story still needs at least a little of each.

And if I hear a strange noise in the basement, and nervously tiptoe down the stairs, wondering what it could be, and just as I reach the bottom someone jumps out and yells BOO!… Okay, kids, you got me. Now let’s talk about cardiac arrest.

How about you? Do you like/write a little suspense in your mysteries? A little surprise in your suspense?

Groaner of the Day:  A software engineer tests new programs by seeing if it's simple enough for his computer-challenged brother to use.

This is known as the "Brother-can-use paradigm".

(Betcha had to say it out loud.)