Constructing a Mystery
In this section, we will learn the fundamentals of writing backwards, and no, I do not mean sitting strangely in your chair. You have to start at the end to know how to write one of these babies.
In writing mysteries, there are a few elements that are easy to identify. We will work toward learning those items in this part of the process. Plotting the mystery can be difficult if you don’t know the elements and use them to your advantage. No one wants a story that ends on page five.
Great Scott, don’t let your whodunnit become a drag because your character wimped out on the reader. We cannot have our mystery solved by another. We will examine why herein, and also try to analyze ways to thwart our villain until his head aches.
We will examine items that separate the blurring lines between a mystery and suspense and also, for your edification and total hilarity, we will decide what sub-genre we fall into. You may be surprised to know that “noir” is not a word for going no place. I personally prefer a lighter more humorous mystery, but some people do not. I will give a little thought on this and see what you think as to if the cozy is alive and well.
Other articles of interest will be:
Do you have to have clues to have a mystery?
What is a red herring and does it smell like any other?
If my sleuth is not a professional will people hate him or her?
My fictional town wants to know if it can be a character too, or how my setting plays a vital role.
In mystery writing, sentence structure can make or break your story. We will overlook some examples of good sentence structure in the mystery novel to ratchet up the tension and to eliminate deadly monotony.
Do you have your thinking caps on? Let’s do this.
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