As a reader, you are a silent partner with the detective: experiencing the thrill of identifying the culprit with, or before, the detective. Maybe even better, you have it figured out, then, you are wrong! But as you think back over the story it was all there. Satisfaction and a quick search for another of this author’s work to read as soon as possible.
As a writer, you create a puzzle and take your reader on a ride. All your planning and preparation gives your reader a gripping page-turner that surprises and challenges. A great mystery engages both the reader’s mind and emotions.
Now, you’ve finished your draft and are ready to begin editing your mystery. You know every detail of your crime and characters. You have had your trusted beta-readers give you feedback on their connection to characters, possible plot-holes and the working theories they discovered while they read. The next step? The first stage of editing – the developmental or story edit. Here you look for ways to use plot, character and setting edits to make your story even stronger.
History of the Mystery Genre
First, let’s quickly review some background for this genre. Then, we’ll explore how to step back and see your mystery during editing by using story elements.
Simply, mysteries begin with the commitment of a crime and follow the investigation until it is solved. That is what is so satisfying for the reader, the puzzle ends and they have enjoyed the ride.
Stories of crime and investigation have been around since Ancient Greece. Sophocles’ play, Oedipus Rex begins with the people coming to King Oedipus pleading for help as the country seems under siege from plagues and loss of crops. The audience quickly learns that this is the result of a crime. Someone has murdered the former king and the punishment will continue to plague Thebes until the murderer is punished. As we know, Oedipus takes the role of detective, and the irony is that he is the murderer. The play is a cruel and cutting examination of fate, prophecy and human hubris.
Fast forward to 1841 when the detective story began with Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Murders in Rue Morgue”. These historical examples have been followed by many great writers and characters. Whether you are writing a Cozy, Police Procedural, Caper, Detective, or other subgenre of mystery, you have a wonderful array of excellent stories to read for research and inspiration.
How to Write a Mystery
Through reading mysteries, the basic structure becomes clear: Crime, Investigation, Red Herrings and Twist, an All Is Lost moment, and then the Breakthrough and Conclusion. Following this structure is a sure-fire way to write a good mystery.
These key incidents link with the five key scenes that make a great story. In Fictionary, these are the Story Arc Scenes.
The readers are hooked with the Inciting Incident, the commitment of the crime. This scene brings the reader into the story and sets the stakes for the protagonist. Even if the detective isn’t in this scene, the reader is aware of the danger and risk if the crime isn’t solved.
The investigation connects to Plot Point 1. The investigator, whether amateur sleuth or hard-boiled detective, in drawn into the investigation.
At the Middle scene, the investigator encounters a twist or follows a red herring that takes the investigation off the rails and leads to the protagonist becoming even more proactive in the investigation.
These twist and turns lead to Plot Point 2, the darkest hour. It looks like the crime will never be solved or the investigator loses something in the process of solving the crime. This may be the death of a partner, struggles in their personal relationships or loss of a job or position.
All of this loss still leads to the breakthrough and Climax. The crime is solved, the true culprit is apprehended.
While there are variations in all these scenes, the basic structure and tropes are there so the reader leaves thrilled and satisfied.
5 Mystery Writing Tips
Grab attention with hooks
Mystery readers want to be grabbed from the start. Read your first scene to ensure that the hook is strong. With Fictionary, you can ensure you keep them connected by examining the Scene Entry Hook element looking for variety and strength of the start of every scene. As you look there, be sure each scene is anchored in POV, location and time.
Kristina Stanley’s article on Make the Scenes in Your Novel Flow and Capture Readers includes clear details of how to use these elements to keep your reader turning pages.
Creating Strong, Compelling Characters
Whatever the subgenre, the reader’s connection to your protagonist will keep them turning pages. You can develop this emotional investment through making them relatable. In How to Edit a Cozy Mystery, Ryan Rivers notes that you can make your “protagonist more relatable by developing their backstory/emotional wound.”
Use the backstory element to review how you have included this backstory for your protagonist. While your detective may not always seem likable, your reader will follow them with a sense of understanding and sympathy once they understand the struggles they face internally as well as externally. Sherlock Holmes wasn’t always traditionally likable, but we follow him for his strengths and weaknesses.
A quick check of your Cast of Characters for distinct names that are easily remembered ensures your reader can keep track of the suspects. Then, you can look at the scenes per character element to check that all your suspects have a similar number of scenes.
All your main characters and suspects deserve a clear backstory and motive, especially your culprit. Making a relatable villain is powerful. Giving backstory and development to these characters offers the reader a sense of understanding them and offers fuller satisfaction from the climax.
When we understand the trigger and motivation for the crime, the surprising but logical discovery of the culprit enhances the experience for your reader.
Use Atmosphere to Build your Mystery
Weather and location can create a mysterious and threatening atmosphere. Use the setting elements to add tension naturally to your scenes. Your choice of location can make your story, characters and crime unique. A mystery set in an isolated cabin in the mountains will be different than one set in a hotel in a big city.
Use the setting elements in Fictionary to track locations and weather for each of your scenes. The object element gives you a quick reference to look back at any smoking guns or key objects identified in the search for the culprit.
Track the Clues
A great mystery novel is a puzzle with clues dropped at key moments to hook the reader. Use revelations and reader knowledge gained elements to follow your clues and red herrings. The best mysteries are those you can’t solve right away. Great red herrings help your reader feel that this is a difficult crime to solve.
Remember, you know the crime and characters intimately. If you are doing your own story or developmental edit, using these elements can help you see how the reader experiences the mystery.
POV knowledge gained element can clarify what is known by the characters and the reader as the story progresses. These elements can help you step back from all that you already know and make sure you are slowly, effectively revealing the clues.
Readers are aware of the key characters in your story. Obviously, your investigator will be in the most scenes. By looking at how many scenes include the culprit and the best other suspects, you can make sure that each of these characters are viable alternatives.
Finish with a Bang
Mystery readers anticipate the climax. Tie up loose ends and finish the puzzle. The ending doesn’t have to be happy, but your reader is expecting a logical conclusion to experience the satisfaction of reading a great mystery.
While doing this edit, you can also look at the Story Arc Insight to check on the pace of your story. Every scene doesn’t need to be action, but every scene should be leading to your climax.
Use Character Elements/Insight to see how many scenes include the detective, culprit, and best second option.
Writing a mystery story is a challenge. Finishing your first draft is an accomplishment. Using story elements in your developmental edit can make this first edit focused and help you step back and easily see how edits can make your mystery amaze and engage your readers. Creating fans for your next book.
20 Mystery Story Ideas
Here are 20 mystery story ideas to inspire your creativity and help you create your own mystery.
- A renowned detective discovers a series of murders linked to ancient Egyptian artifacts, revealing a cursed legacy.
- A reclusive writer becomes embroiled in a real-life murder mystery that mirrors the plot of their latest novel.
- In a parallel dimension, a detective navigates a surreal landscape to solve a crime that transcends the boundaries of reality.
- In a remote forest, a ranger investigates strange crop circles and encounters extraterrestrial visitors with a cryptic message for humanity.
- Children stumble upon a hidden cave filled with clues to a long-forgotten pirate treasure and a centuries-old mystery.
- In a post-apocalyptic world, survivors must unravel the truth behind a string of disappearances in their isolated community.
- A young psychic aids police in solving a series of disappearances, uncovering a network of underground psychics.
- A locked-room murder baffles investigators, but a brilliant child prodigy holds the key to unraveling the mystery.
- A young sleuth and their trusty dog unravel the secrets of a spooky mansion rumored to be haunted by a ghostly hound.
- A meteorologist tracking extreme weather patterns discovers they are caused by an alien device hidden deep within Earth’s atmosphere.
- On a space station, a malfunction reveals a murder, leading to suspicion and intrigue among the crew.
- In a near-future city, a detective navigates a world of augmented reality to solve a string of high-tech heists.
- An AI assistant becomes sentient and assists its human creator in solving a murder mystery in a future metropolis.
- On a remote island, a marine biologist encounters mysterious sea creatures with otherworldly origins, triggering a race to uncover their secrets.
- In a futuristic city, robotic pets hold the key to solving a series of high-tech heists.
- In a virtual reality simulation, participants must solve a murder mystery set in a fantasy realm with magical creatures.
- In a society where memories can be bought and sold, a detective hunts down a black-market dealer of stolen memories.
- In a society where emotions are regulated, a detective investigates a string of crimes targeting those who defy emotional control.
- On a terra-formed Mars colony, settlers must solve a murder in the midst of a growing rebellion against Earth’s control.
- A serial killer leaves cryptic clues inspired by famous literary works, challenging detectives to solve the literary-themed murders.
How to Write a Good Mystery Conclusion
The best way to learn how to write a book in any genre is by reading other books in the same genre. By understanding what you love about other mysteries, you can learn how to write your own.
And if you need any inspiration or help, then joining a writing community is a great option. It is free to join the Fictionary community, and you can meet like-minded writers and swap tips and help. Join today.