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Fantasy Aspects, issue 2, November 1947
Page 26
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vast amount of hackwork he has perpetuated; that, however, has not prevented him from occupying a place among the best scientifiction writers of yesterday and today, for he has shown that he can turn out good stuff when he tries. This time he almost produced a classic, but missed the chance because of the glaring faults we have discussed. ------------------------------------- REPRINTED FROM FAN-TODS #16 Edited and published by Norm Stanley at 43A Broad Street Rockland, Maine for distribution through the FAPA ------------------------------------ CONTINUED from Page 8 CRITICS by BOB TUCKER From FAN-TODS #16 ------------------------------------- ies, let me add the following. Several weeks after my volume was published I purchased a comprehensive and critical volume on the technique of the mystery story, to find out what I was missing. What I discovered in that volume amazed me. The book included many sets of rules and regulations for the plotting and writing of mysteries, rules laid down by all sorts of well known names in the field, including Chesterton, Garnder, Van dine, and oucher. It didn't take me long to discover that I had ignorantly broken about 50% of those rules. Ignorantly, because I simply had not known such fantastic rules existed. My breaking them caused no ill-effects other than a reviewer here and there complaining that I was unconventional, which I suppose is a crime in itself. Rather than adopt a smug, "I got away with it" attitude, I submit that these rules by these so-called "masters" are so much poppy-cock, dashed off by that particular "master" who likes to think that the mystery story should be surrounded by rules. Following are the "rules" I unknowningly broke: judge for yourself. (1) No mystery may employ a Chinaman. (2) No mystery may embody a love interest. (3) No mystery may be told in the form of letters. (4) No mystery may allow an even-remotely sympathetic character to be the culprit. (5) All killings must be the work of one individual. (6) The mystery may not be less than 60,000 words in length. And other idiotic regulations which escape me at the moment. To me, these rules simply lack reason. Even the time-honored plot of the killer being exposed in the last chapter has gone overboard; a new mystery now on sale names the killer on the second page but you don't find out who was killed until the last page. Review #6: "The Chinese Coll"...is a bit on the hardboiled side but with a cleverly twisted plot that packs a terrific final wallop, and several others along the way. I especially liked this one and it's a first novel. Its author is a Director of the Fantasy Foundation ---- so being a fantasy fan myself, as well as a writer of Weird Tales, I found the notes about Mr. Tucker most intriguing, and shall be watching out for his next with interest." -- syndicated column by Dorothy Quick ----(Page 26)----
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vast amount of hackwork he has perpetuated; that, however, has not prevented him from occupying a place among the best scientifiction writers of yesterday and today, for he has shown that he can turn out good stuff when he tries. This time he almost produced a classic, but missed the chance because of the glaring faults we have discussed. ------------------------------------- REPRINTED FROM FAN-TODS #16 Edited and published by Norm Stanley at 43A Broad Street Rockland, Maine for distribution through the FAPA ------------------------------------ CONTINUED from Page 8 CRITICS by BOB TUCKER From FAN-TODS #16 ------------------------------------- ies, let me add the following. Several weeks after my volume was published I purchased a comprehensive and critical volume on the technique of the mystery story, to find out what I was missing. What I discovered in that volume amazed me. The book included many sets of rules and regulations for the plotting and writing of mysteries, rules laid down by all sorts of well known names in the field, including Chesterton, Garnder, Van dine, and oucher. It didn't take me long to discover that I had ignorantly broken about 50% of those rules. Ignorantly, because I simply had not known such fantastic rules existed. My breaking them caused no ill-effects other than a reviewer here and there complaining that I was unconventional, which I suppose is a crime in itself. Rather than adopt a smug, "I got away with it" attitude, I submit that these rules by these so-called "masters" are so much poppy-cock, dashed off by that particular "master" who likes to think that the mystery story should be surrounded by rules. Following are the "rules" I unknowningly broke: judge for yourself. (1) No mystery may employ a Chinaman. (2) No mystery may embody a love interest. (3) No mystery may be told in the form of letters. (4) No mystery may allow an even-remotely sympathetic character to be the culprit. (5) All killings must be the work of one individual. (6) The mystery may not be less than 60,000 words in length. And other idiotic regulations which escape me at the moment. To me, these rules simply lack reason. Even the time-honored plot of the killer being exposed in the last chapter has gone overboard; a new mystery now on sale names the killer on the second page but you don't find out who was killed until the last page. Review #6: "The Chinese Coll"...is a bit on the hardboiled side but with a cleverly twisted plot that packs a terrific final wallop, and several others along the way. I especially liked this one and it's a first novel. Its author is a Director of the Fantasy Foundation ---- so being a fantasy fan myself, as well as a writer of Weird Tales, I found the notes about Mr. Tucker most intriguing, and shall be watching out for his next with interest." -- syndicated column by Dorothy Quick ----(Page 26)----
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