The Newsletter Stand

Mystery 12-24-08

Hey There: I'm Robin, and I'll be your guest editor for this week's Mystery Newsletter.

Life is a Mystery ... Unfold it…” – unknown author

Unfolding your mystery is easier than you think. The cool thing about the mystery genre is how the plot(at least part of it) is partially mapped out. There will be a crime and you main character(s) will journey on a quest to find who committed the crime. .

Nevertheless, you’ll still have details to pin down before you begin writing your mystery. For example, what type of crime and who will investigate it. The answers to both questions help determine the kind of story you write. Furthermore, pinpointing these two aspects influences the tone, style, nature, and delivery of your story.

First, decide on the nature of the crime. Any crime will do. Who ate the last Whitman's Sampler in Mom's chocolate box? Or, Who murdered the boss’s secretary? If you stumped for ideas, glance over your local newspaper, watch a television whodunits, or the evening news. These sources might spark creativity for your muse.

Next, determine who will investigate the crime. If you choose a light crime --the stolen piece of chocolate, then young kids might be the ones who probe for a solution. If your crime is more violent in nature, than a P.I., police officer or government law enforcement agent will very likely be your main character.

Once you've established a crime, write down how you want your story to end. That’s right, jot down who will discover the answer and how. Unlike non-fiction writing, where the reader wants the headlines first, a mystery saves the best for last. Knowing your ending helps you delvelop in several ways:

Clues – If you already know your ending, generating a list of clues to use during your story before you ever begin writing it will be a synch. If your investigator is looking for the one who ate the chocolate, some possible clues would be the candy wrappers found. Where did he find them? When did he find them? What about a chocolate looking stain on a shirt. You may decide not to use all your clues, but getting them down will help you organize them in such a way as to increase your suspense.

Obstacles - Who, and / or what will stand in the way of the discovery? Obstacles may provide an opportunity for sub plotting; but they also give you, the writer, a chance to craft some suspense into your mystery.

Red Herrings – Red herrings are elements a writer can insert in his story to distract the readers into believing the culprit is really someone other than who it really is. Readers love to try to figure out whodunit. And giving them false leads increases their urgency in reading your story. Be careful though, readers can easily spot a “set-up”. When crafting yours, make sure they are believable.

When all is said and done, as long as you’ve determined the crime, established the main character(s), created a few obstacles, dropped in a few red herrings, and make sure the main character(s) exit with a solution, you’re on your way to unfolding the mystery…and to engaging your readers.

For most of us, that’s our ultimate goal –to engage the reader.


Until next time,

Robin

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