The Principles of Elementary Mystery Writing
by Carol A. Withrow
Each day of life holds some shards of mystery. Mysteries in life range
from the mundane such as missing items, to actions of misdeed created by
criminals, to the unknown realms themselves. Residing deep within basic human
nature is the curiosity and intrinsic motivation to solve these puzzles.
Fourth grade mysteries often revolve around an absent or misplaced item,
or a strange noise or occurrence, rather than the murderous plots generated in
the adult world. Therefore, the genre of mystery is often viewed with highinterest by young authors as they strive to make direct connections to the
complications of real-life.
The principles of crafting a mystery can be easily identified by most
students when contemplating the classic “Scooby Doo” episodes. Briefly related,
an unexplained problem arises which requires a character, usually the narrator,
to divulge the logical thinking processes of a detective in order to unravel the
conundrum.
As detailed by Jeffery Feinman in The Mysterious World of Agatha Christie
(p.131, Award Books, 1975), “It is in the personality and the analytic faculties of
the detective that all knots are untied, all puzzles solved. It is he, or just as
often, she who carries the ball of colored yarn through the maze, trailing a string
for the reader to follow. The detective stands for the reader himself, poking his
nose into hidden corners, finding out what the reader wants to know.”
It is the duty of the author of mystery to develop a problem which initially
appears to have multiple possibilities or outcomes. The author then portrays a
number of characters equipped with motives and suspicious actions, while
weaving the reader through a trail of clues to the final outcome. Although the
piece will continually develop through revision, it is best to carefully plan the
puzzle from the start.
When the solution of the mystery involves human miscommunication or
crime (not an act of nature), a definite pattern tends to emerge as illustrated by
“Scooby Doo”. Throughout the whodunit, one character appears the obvious
culprit for a number of suspicious reasons (yet remains innocent in the end),
while the helpful and obliging character during the investigation proves to be the
guilty party. This basic premise of plot twist or “complication” in mysteries
results in a formula that promotes success and pleasure in writing in students of
all ages.
When crafting a mystery, please keep in mind the following:
 Develop the idea of your ending before beginning your lead.
 Decide what clues your detective will discover and how they will relate to
your characters. Conference with others as you write and revise.
 Organize resources for your mystery-writing club to utilize. Post the
mystery web created as a class, and other reminders of the purpose of
mystery that help students to better develop their own ideas.
o A “Clue Bank” allows for students to share ideas for clues.
Students may draw from the clue bank when in need. Some clues
may include: strange noises or light, footprints or tracks left in a
muddy area, a fragment of an overheard conversation, a piece of a
note or letter, part of a news article, something dropped by a
suspect, unusual equipment, wet paint, a trace of something left
behind (hair, a piece of fabric, jewelry, a tag, torn paper), the use
of codes, etc.
o A “Suspicious Behavior Bank” may also be beneficial and could
include: shifty eyes, lack of eye contact, stammering speech,
sweaty palms or brows, hurried or unorganized departures,
avoidance, sneaky entrances, exaggerated clothing, unusual or
disguised handwriting or speech, aggression or a sense of
defensiveness, incriminating comments, knowing specific details
related to the crime or missing item, etc.
 Keep your purpose in mind. As you develop your plot and characters
and logically organize your selected clues, paint vivid pictures for the
reader as they travel through the maze of your puzzle. And
remember most importantly, crafting mysteries is fun!!!     