One of the things that brought me to this place... this catacomb, is the thought of a story. Emulation of one's style is a very pure form of fandom that so few really bring reverence to for some reason. This is especially strange, considering there are continuations of stories that are said to be far more satisfying than the concluding book or even the movie adaptation/sequels. Yet, there has always been the stipulation that fans will never write as well as the creator (in this case, that's very true for Twin Peaks, no, you're not special) but many fans have something to bring to the table. Twin Peaks is a very unique story in so many ways, but it is especially unique for a fandom that wishes to dive into its mystique in order to create their own.
This concept is so popular, it can hardly be considered fanfiction anymore. Twin Peaks has elevated to the point where it's basically a subgenre of mystery. J.J. Abrams, as terrible a writer as he is, was able to create the smoke and mirrors in a tantalizing way that people loved to look at and try to figure out. He simply lacked the talent and writing skills to put anything interesting behind it. David Fincher was far more successful at the concept of Lynchian mysteries and did a very good job in both the set up and execution of his stories. Stanley Kubrick can be seen as a parallel to Lynch himself and the two viewed one another as something of creative equals, which is flattering on both sides of the spectrum. The concept can be done and executed very well, even if you are just a storyteller, novelist or even something of a long-winded poet. This can be done and you are robbing the world of your voice if you decide never to attempt it. Just breathe, and allow yourself to believe that you can.
The Agent
This is the investigator. They are the audience and they are the curious type for one reason or another. They do not need to actually be an agent or a police officer who was put on the case. They do need to have the motivation to look into what happened, though. They need to face the perils of discovery while also dodging the obstacles that stand in front of them. If they are a stranger of no merit, they will be seen as an outsider and sometimes they will be unwelcome. If they have no authority, the authority will more than likely try to prevent their involvement. If they are not from the place, then many will consider it none of their business.
This story needs to make it their business and we need to believe that they have the will and the way to do it. Does this mean that they need to crack some skulls in the process? Very possibly, yes, and it might help if they had a gun, but that's neither here nor there at this stage. What is revealed to them is what is revealed to us and the story needs to be restricted in its point of view to them and only them. We know their thoughts and we know what they are looking at from their eyes. We should not know what people are thinking because they can't read minds and we don't know if someone is actually watching them until they make the discovery. Changing any concept with this point of view needs to either have a good explanation or it had better not happen!
The Place
This is not a place that is just thrown into the mix of the main character. Twin Peaks is the name of the show for a reason and that is because it is the place that is full of secrets. In the show, Laura Palmer's death reveals so many of those secrets. Where would you begin? Why is it there and who are the ones who populate this place? They cannot just be there because that's the first person you thought of, they need to be there to fulfill a purpose, both for your character and for the event that occurred.
While this concept is not difficult, it will take the longest to bring into perspective for several reasons. Your place needs to have been there since FAR before your story began and everything that is going to take place needs to have built up on some level within it. There needs to be a reason why it occurred and it needs to have the proper effects on the people within it. If there is a mystery around the event, why is it a mystery and why do the people not want you to solve it?
It is good to create the place's landmarks. Even if it's a tiny town, they usually have a locally well-known gas station or even a small strip mall where the people congregate to some degree. For a mystery, these one-horse towns are very popular and offer a much more intimate cast of characters. It's especially popular because a death in this sort of town is far more devastating than a shootout in Detroit or Las Angeles. The smaller the town, the easier it is to navigate and flesh out.
The People
These are not just the characters that fell from the sky, nor did they appear as soon as your character darkened their doorstep. These are people with motives and plenty of self preservation that exceeds the need to feed themselves. They aren't angry all the time or nice all the time, as much as it may seem like it to some people. They have secrets that have not yet been revealed and it is up to you to come up with what is revealed and at what time. What connection did they have with the event? How were they involved and would they hide their involvement? Why?
Some of them will take it upon themselves to investigate as well. This can either hinder your character or your character can use them to help, but that doesn't always work out in their favor. What did these people do to make the event happen and how much do they truly know? These are all things you must consider and more, just remember that the air of mystery needs to be thick while also not over-bearing or suffocating. Your character also needs to breathe.
The Event
This is the catalyst. This event happened, whether you depicted the event in some way or only depicted the aftermath, this needs to be what begins to bring things into the open. Everyone is a suspect and everyone knows something, whether they realize it or not. It is up to your character to get to the bottom of this, whether they be a relative, friend, authority figure or a stranger who came at the right/wrong time. Somehow, it falls upon them to reach a conclusion that is both satisfying in a story sense and in a character sense on some level.
The event does not need to be a murder, nor does it need to be overtly terrible, but it does need to be mysterious and/or strange in some way. There can be a dead body, yes, but why are his guts missing and why did they surgically replace them with a birdhouse? There needs to be deeper meaning, of course, and you need to know what happened with a full explanation from the start. You need to reveal as little to the audience as possible while also making it interesting. Did I say this would be easy? No, never once have I mentioned this being a menial or minimal effort task. Writing a good story is hard enough but adding in the layers this requires should be a labor of love or you're going to start straining your brain muscles. How you describe the initial event can either make or break your story with one single word or even a single letter.
The Mystery
How easily this event is uncovered depends on how long your story is going to be. Mystery stories tend to take longer, due to the setup, buildup and payoff of the concept that is an actual mystery. What makes this sort of mystery unique is that one solid rule is that it MUST NOT follow the Murder, She Wrote formula of single-day investigations or shallow "ahah!" plot points. This should not be one where you find the murder weapon, a fingerprint and the killer flees as he is caught by the meddling fools and their dog. That trope is tired and shagged out at this point.
"Lynchian" mysteries, as they are referred to, tend to have some small supernatural element to them at the very least. How small or large this element is will be up to you but always remember that these spices along with the mystery and the characters need to work with each other. Too much of an opposition or too much of a smooth ride will either frazzle or bore your audience to death and we're already working with one potential body.
The Lodge
The others, the other place, the world up-side-down, whatever you call this, it needs to either be thought to the last detail or it does not need to be there at all. This is going into the nether layer of the story that adds a brand new spin to the concept of a mystery. This is the event personified in a place and if you can't imagine that, then it's best if you do not make the attempt. This place exists in your world, whether you depict it or not and it needs to know that beforehand. The things or people that populate this place need to have far deeper meaning than just "Oh, it's the place where the director is sitting and the writer is judging his own characters while pulling the puppet strings".
The Lodge is a place where your character reverts to their simplest form, like a toddler in wonder or a brain's cerebral cortex as a raw nerve. Do not slap false symbolism here, you will bore everyone. This place needs to reveal something to your character that they cannot find otherwise. A good reason to have this place is if the mystery goes that deep and far beyond the investigator's comprehension. The subtleties you take with this, like the event itself, will make and/or break your story as a whole.
If one of the rooms is a black and white flick show of a hippo underwater who looks at your character saying, "There is another", then I might think you're on the... right track? Seriously, just steer clear if you don't get it.
The Reveal
Do you reveal it? That's the first question you need to ask yourself. Lynch never intended to reveal the killer until the series actually ended. Was your event meant to have the veil pulled off of it, or was there supposed to be another veil draped over it at the last second to reveal a new mystery behind it? If you need to keep your mystery going, give your audience something. This can be the first accomplice, the first catalyst to the event, or the event completely revealed, only to show that there is a crater in the ground and the rabbit hole goes ever deeper.
Whatever the case may be, make sure your story is still in tact before you venture onward with it. Your audience is there with you, but if you betray them or lie to them, or even unveil the event to be a rubber duck with fangs, then there are no guarantees they'll be staying on board. Story is a fickle thing, and this is even moreso.
As you've probably realized, all of these concepts are malleable to an extent. The "Agent" can have far more involvement in the story and not reveal what all they know to the audience right away, merely hinting at it. The people can be nothing more than clueless onlookers who had their memory wiped and that can be a concept all on its own with its own pitfalls and revelations. Everything here is up for grabs, so long as you know how to handle the concept and don't do the idiotic choice of simply giving your character amnesia from the word "go". While this concept can work, it is obviously better to find ways around it. If you're confident and you know your way around words, then the question remains of why you are still reading this and not writing? One big rule is, the longer you spend not writing is the longer you spend not writing is the longer you spend not writing is the longer you spend not writing is the longer you spend not writing is....
