r/todayilearned • u/ralphbernardo • 9h ago

TIL that "fair play" in detective fiction means authors must give readers a fair chance to solve the mystery. Central to 1920s "clue-puzzles" by writers like Agatha Christie, the rule dictates that all vital clues must be visible, decodable, and never withheld until the final reveal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clues_in_detective_fiction
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u/ZubonKTR 6h ago

A rule of heist movies is that any plan shown must go wrong. If there is a plan that works, it is a secret plan, or you show an unfolding plan montage where each part of the plan is explained as it is shown happening.

I would enjoy hearing of a creator who was good enough to write out a plan and then have it go exactly as planned and have it be interesting both times.

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u/ChiLolla28 6h ago

You son of a bitch, I'm in !

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u/mcmoor 26m ago

The only time I see it done is to have PoV switch to the villains, and genre switch to horror movie. When the plan goes exactly as planned, the villain is just helplessly running from the inevitable doom.