YOU CAN WRITE A MYSTERY: LESSON TWO

LESSON TWO: THE CRIME

The first mystery I tried to write was an agonizing experience.

I had a great crime to solve.

Lots of great suspects.

Lots of great intrigue. 

A great heroine with lots of moxie.

While I wrote I struggled along with her to solve the case. The problem was that I had no idea of who committed the crime, how they did it or why. I was writing the story from a reader's point of view. This meant that as the story progressed, it kept changing.

About a third of the way in and I’d get stuck, because I really didn’t know where I was headed. After several “weak fixes” I’d struggle on and then come up with the perfect solution. The problem was that the “new fantastic idea” had a ripple effect like a tsunami in reverse. I’d have to go back to page one and rewrite. Losing characters. Adding new characters.

YOU CAN WRITE A MYSTERY: LESSON ONE

GETTING STARTED

A lot of people think writing a mystery is harder than writing  a romance, an adventure or any other kind of story. This is a false assumption. In fact, I think romances are the hardest to write, unless they're wrapped in a mystery or set on Planet X in the distant future. 

The trick to writing mysteries is in how you approach your story as a writer. Over the next few weeks, I'm going to turn this blog into a mini-mystery writing workshop. It will progress step-by-step. Do the lessons and in the end you will have the tools you'll need to write a great mystery. Depending on the time you devote to your story and its length, you might even have a finished first draft.

Let's get started.

LESSON 1: What kind of Mystery are you writing?

Have you ever heard the phrase, think before you speak? Writing is a lot like that. You need to think before you write. Or . . . you'll SPEND a lot of TIME rewriting.

There are questions you need to ask yourself before you start writing your mystery. It's always good to think about them for a day or two before you jump in.

1. What kind of DETECTIVE do you want for your HERO?

Cop? Private eye? Bounty hunter? Snoopy kid?  Or. . .  ?

2. What kind of SPECIAL SKILLS will your detective have?

Photographic memory? Can jump buildings in a single bound? 

Or. . .  ?

3. What TYPE of CRIME has taken place?

Murder? Theft? Blackmail? Or. . .  ?

4. Where is the STORY going to be SET?

City? Small town? In 1685? On Venus? Or. . .  ?

5. Who is the TARGET AUDIENCE that you hope will read and enjoy your mystery?

Kids? Adults? Girls? Or. . . ?

TIME TO PUT ON YOUR THINKING CAP.

START THINKING.

CONSIDER ALL YOUR OPTIONS.

When you think you have the best answers to these questions,

jot down your ideas and

COME BACK FOR LESSON TWO

5/7/2014