This week: Whether or not it was just the Weather Edited by: Carol St.Ann  
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| Hello. I joined WDC in September of 2006. My name is Carol St.Ann, and I write occasionally for this newsletter. This year, 2026, I plan to focus on different strategies and ways to craft the mystery. |
Have you ever written a story with a myriad of possible suspicious characters that appears to be a conspiracy, but the reader will never know for sure what actually happened, who was involved, how they were involved, or whether there actually was a crime at all?
Why not? These things happen in real life all the time; don't they?
Let's get to it.
Consider the Titanic. What do we actually know about what truly happened there? It seems to me the only thing we will ever know for sure, is that we will never know the whole truth. All we have to go on is a multitude of different stories, ideas, suppositions, innuendo, conspiracies, truths, and lies.
What about Pearl Harbor? What about Marilyn Monroe. What about President Kennedy's assassination and his brother's as well? What about Martin Luther King? What about John Lennon, Michael Jackson, The Black Dalia, and Dorothy Kilgallan? What about the Challenger and 9/11? --just to name a few. We don't know what actually happened or who or how many were involved in any of these events. We don't know the whys or the wherefores at all. The only things we have are gossip and speculation.
These are all very large events, and the reason we all know of them, even now, is they've been immortalized by our unending curiosity.
I'm currently in the midst of a series of events within my community where some -- let's just say -- weirdly unusual things have happened. No one seems to be in control or behind them, and yet it gets weirder and weirder by the day
It's gotten so convoluted by conversation and miscommunication, we're all no longer sure what actually happened and what didn't happen at all.
Now my village is small potatoes, considering the aforementioned world events, but it's just as fully loaded with all the same ingredients: the person who would gain the most due to the event; the person who would lose the most for the same reason; the person who appears to be involved, but there's no actual proof; the person who seems to know everything, and yet seems to know nothing at the same time. The innocent bystander(s) who were hurt or even helped because of what happened.
Well, I guess you can see where I'm going with this.
There's no doubt in my mind that these questions and more are the backbone of an amazing mystery that would be impossible to put down, impossible to forget, and impossible to stop talking, debating, and bickering about for the rest of forever. If I could write that novel, I assure you, there would be no limit to my happiness.
How about you? What do you think? Are you ready to give it a try? It's not likely to be an easy task. Any takers?
See you next month.
Carol St.Ann
Remember to nominate great Mysteries
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If you’ve got a mystery in your head:
Try out your mystery chops here:
A few good reads!
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| If by chance you have written a mystery that resembles the type I wrote about in this newsletter, please, please send me the link. I would love to read it and discuss it with you. |
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Mystery: January 21, 2026 Issue [#13561]
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