How to Write a Mystery
…secrets to writing
a really good story
•Yes, you have to take notes.
•Yes, they should be two-column
notes with a summary at the end.
(This should be a paragraph that
captures what you have learned.)
What is a mystery?
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Does it have to include a murder?
Does it have to include a detective?
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Any story?
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Any genre?
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List two examples of mysteries in your notes.
You can use items from class, tv, or film.
“A Man’s Best Friends”
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Which of the following elements
were included?
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Details of Setting: Time, place, ambiance
Crafty characterization:
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author, narrator details;
character’s own words;
character’s actions;
what others say about the character
Continued on the next slide…
More literary elements
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Clear point of view
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Similes
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Her face was a steel wall.
Personification (or other word play)
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The babe looked like a saucer…
Metaphors
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1st person= I could see the dame…
My heart took some hurdles
Allusions
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My name is Colt Magnum…
Adding real depth—Bonus Round
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Symbols:
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What kind of death would we expect from
a snake?
Who kills the snake?
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Oxymoron: figure of speech that
combines contradictory terms.
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Dark light
Living dead
Noisy silence
Any examples in “A Man’s Best Friends”?
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Imagery
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Visual
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Auditory
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Her venomous voice poured silkily into
the room…
Tactile
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Her legs strode into my shabby old
office…
She slammed the door.
Taste or Smell
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I saw through my cigar smoke…
Irony
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Oh this is too much. They can even
afford to waste alcohol.
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What else is unexpected?
Try starting at the end…
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What is the mystery that will be
solved?
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Something that is lost is somehow found.
No one knows what is behind some
mysterious act…until the mystery is
solved.
A crime has been committed and the
culprit needs to be found.
Examples of Conflict
You might even be able to use a story without
a detective or crime as your mystery-
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Generational rifts, as parents and children clash
Problems with health issues
Cultural misunderstandings, as children of
immigrants struggle to keep or reject the values of
the parents’ culture.
Disagreements over food
Problems with physical safety
More…
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Strife over shelter
Issues with approval and esteem
Misunderstandings in a friendship
Fights between lovers
Battles between people and nature, such as a
protagonist being caught in a storm, earthquake,
etc.
Antagonism sparked by philosophical or spiritual
crises of conscience
(Rozakis 107)
Conflict—
Internal versus External
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External
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Protagonist versus antagonist
Internal
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Protagonist battles self/decisions
Narratives often contain both external and internal
conflicts as characters struggle with outside
forces or people and with their own desires…
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Mark at least two examples of each
Another way of looking at conflict…
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Character versus character
Character versus society
Character versus self
Character versus nature
Character versus technology
Essential Elements
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Setting- Decide on time and place
Characters with motivation— They want
something and something, someone gets in the
way.
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Plot- a problem that needs to be solved, an event
that cannot be explained, a secret.
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Exposition-A clever way to expose the story.
Foreshadowing— Use to draw in your reader
(clues). What is a red herring?
More Elements…
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Inciting Incident—Event that introduces the
central conflict
Rising Action—Build suspense
Climax—The conflict is somehow solved
Resolution/Denouement—The loose ends
need to be tied up for the reader
Use your plot map to plan your story!
Planning/research is essential to a good mystery!
This type of story is PLOT DRIVEN.
Planning for your mystery…
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You can use the “Story Cards” to
generate ideas or you can come up
with an idea by brainstorming on your
own.
You can research the setting or write
about something you know.
Use the plot map to help plan out the
story.
What Genre Can Be a
Mystery?
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Adventure
Sci-Fi
Gothic
Western
Fantasy
Horror
Romance
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Drama
Historical
Humor
Suspense
Where Can a Mystery Take
Place?
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In a Car
The Desert
Old House
The Mountains
Cyberspace
On the Phone
Amusement Park
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Library
Small Town
The Beach
On a Train
Restaurant
On a Boat
K.I.S.S.
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Know the length you are shooting for
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Novel
Novella
Short Story
You cannot have lots of characters or
twists and turns in a SHORT story and
really SHOW the action!
Requirements
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1000-1200 words
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Type in Microsoft Word
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Do a word count
Times New Roman or Courier
Double-space
Start half-way down the first page
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Due Dates:
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Rough draft due January 18th (MLK –No School)
Computer Lab (Mon-Weds)
Showing versus Telling
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Telling:
#1 The student found out about the fight
through a text message.
 #2 The woman was upset when her date
failed to show.
 #3 The man remembered to eat his
breakfast.
Take one of these examples and write
2-3 sentences that show the action. Try
to include dialogue.
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Your story must include:
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This phrase somewhere in the first
paragraph: “nestled at the foot of Pikes
Peak.”
These words: inquisitive, benevolent,
xenophobic, mesmerize, plethora,
vacuous
You must underline words AND
phrase!!
Works Cited
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Rozakis, Laura E. The Complete
Idiot’s Guide to Creative Writing, Alpha
Books, New York: 2004
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxymoron