  Mystery
This week: X marks the spot! Edited by: Arakun the Twisted Raccoon  
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Quote for the week: A box without hinges, key, or lid, yet golden treasure inside is hid
~J. R.R Tolkien |
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Who can resist the allure of hidden treasure? If you are tired of writing murder mysteries, maybe it is time to send your characters on a treasure hunt. Stories of hidden treasure are exciting for readers of any age, but work well for children or young adults. When you think of treasure, you may imagine a pirate's chest filled with golden doubloons, but a treasure does not have to be money. It can be anything hidden or lost that is of value to the characters. It might be an object, a person, a place,or even a lost story or poem.
Every treasure hunt story needs a map. If your map is old, you may want to create an ancient looking document as an illustration for your story. Instead of a big X marking the site where the treasure is located, you might want to make your map more mysterious. The hunters may need to figure out the symbolism of the map before they can follow it. For example, locations on the map might be a code for locations somewhere else. Modern treasure hunters might use a map created with GIS software or maybe just a set of GPS way points. The mystery might even be deciphering the connection between the waypoints.
Half the fun of stories like "The DaVinci Code" and movies like "National Treasure" and the Indiana Jones series is trying to guess the clues before the characters do. Make sure and provide fun and challenging clues for your readers. The clues should not be too easy to guess, but they should not be so obscure that the average reader doesn't have a chance.
Treasure hunters come from all walks of life, but may be adventurers, historians, archaeologists, paleontologists, or other scientists. Some may be in it just for the money or fame, while others may be searching for knowledge or items of personal significance.
If your treasure is of cultural or religious significance, your hunters will be subject to laws and regulations which will differ from country to country. They also will need to deal with ethical considerations. For example, do treasure hunters have a right to disturb burial grounds of ancient societies, even if it is not against the law? Tony Hillerman often used this situation in his "Leaphorn and Chee" series about the southwestern US.
Something to try: Write a mystery story with a treasure hunt as a major plot point.
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Mystery: January 29, 2014 Issue [#6125]
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