How to Write a Mini-Mystery
Main Character
• The best way to create a main character is to
base it on yourself! Have the kids pick out a
few of their own physical characteristics and
personality traits that would work well for the
protagonist.
Things to consider…
• Describe your body size and shape, your hair and
eye color, and any other physical characteristic
that is unique to you. For example your main
character might be tall and slim, with short
brown hair, green eyes, lots of freckles, and
dimpled cheeks.
• Dress your character in your favorite clothes. For
example, you might have him wear baggy jeans
and a logo T-shirt, or have her wear khaki pants
and a tank top.
Continued…
• List your favorite subjects in school and what you're
especially good at. For example, your character could
be good in math, which helps her figure out a puzzle.
Or your character could be a great soccer player, which
makes him good at running away from bad guys.
• List the things you're not so good at and include them
in your character's makeup. For example, if you're not
good at science, maybe your character does chemistry
experiments that are always going wrong. If you're not
so good at paying attention in school, maybe your
character misses something important.
Setting
• The easiest way to create a setting is to use a
place you know well, such as home or school.
For example, you could describe your
bedroom, filled with sports equipment or
games, and find something mysterious hidden
among these items. Or you could set the story
at school and discover something missing
from the classroom.
Helpful hints
• Name something your character sees, such as her
messy desk, the science charts on the wall, or the
clock that never seems to move fast enough. In
that messy desk, your character might find a
clue?
• Name something your character hears, such as
the ticking of the clock, the clicking of the
teacher's pen, or the whispers of the kids sitting
behind you. Maybe the whispers are about
something mysterious in the classroom closet?
Continued…
• Name something your character smells, such as the
bologna sandwich in her desk or the perfume coming from
the teacher. Inside that sandwich there might be a strange
note?
• Name something your character feels, such as the breeze
coming from the open classroom window, or your hair
being pulled by the student behind you. Maybe there's
something outside the window that seems puzzling?
• Name something your character tastes, such as gum that's
lost its flavor, or chalk dust from all the scribblings on the
blackboard. That gum could come in handy when you need
to hide a note under your desk?
Puzzle to Solve
• Your character needs something mysterious to
happen so he can solve the puzzle. For
example, the note in the bologna sandwich
might be a clue about the missing lunchboxes
in the classroom closet. Or the whisperers
behind you might be talking about the strange
thing outside the window.
Puzzles to get you thinking…
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Something has been stolen from the classroom.
Something is missing from your desk.
Something strange is found on the playground.
Someone has disappeared from the school.
Someone is sending you strange notes.
Something is wrong with the teacher--she's
acting weird.
• Something is hidden in the classroom closet.
Build the Tension to keep the suspense
• Have the main character try to solve the
puzzle, get close, then fail a couple of times
before he finally finds the correct solution.
• Have the main character get into trouble and
have a hard time getting out of it.
• Have the main character's weakness interfere
with solving the puzzle, such as a fear of the
dark.
Continued…
• Have several more things become stolen or
lost.
• Have more mysterious notes arrive with more
clues.
• Have the adults not believe the main
character when he's trying to tell them about
the mystery, so he has to solve it himself or
with his friends.
Thrilling Cliffhangers
• At the end of a scene, have the main character
get into some trouble that won't be easy to
resolve
Examples…
• The main character is alone in a dangerous place.
• The main character has to face the bad guy.
• No one believes the main character and he's in
trouble.
• The main character is trapped somewhere.
• The main character is about to be hurt in some
way.
• The main character is going to lose something
important if he can't get out of jeopardy.
Resolution
• Wrap up the story with the solution to the
puzzle and have the main character be a hero
or change in a positive way.
Examples…
• The main character saves someone.
• The main character figures out the puzzle and
saves the day.
• The main character saves herself and is
changed by her courage.
Continued…
• The main character reveals something
surprising about the puzzle that no one
expected.
• The main character overcomes obstacles, such
as his fears, to solve the puzzle.
• The main character proves himself when he's
really in trouble.
Creative Exercises
• Brainstorm mystery topics, such as a theft,
disappearance, odd occurrence, falsehood,
fraud, mysterious stranger, and so on.
Creative Exercises
• Brainstorm "what ifs" for the main character
to encounter, such as "What if he was trapped
alone in a dark room
Creative Exercises
• Write intriguing opening lines, such as
"Outside the classroom window, Susan saw
something strange land in the baseball field