I’ll be giving my little class next week: a behind-the-scenes look at a mystery story. I’ll also be selling copies of Carolina Crimes: Rock, Roll, & Ruin. Here’s what I have so far:
- Plan the crime & solution first: even if you’re a panser, you need some sort of planning for a mystery. You must know how the crime is committed and is Jeffrey showering? I don’t want it. I gotta go to bathroom but I don’t wanna go and flush the toilet if that would make the hot water go bananas how it will be solved before you start writing. If you map out your crime, you can drop in those clues and red herrings at just the right moment to keep your readers engaged.
- Research & pick your setting: a good mystery story has a good, atmospheric setting, so you need to do your homework and pick a good one. A good setting adds atmosphere to your story and may give you a good marketing hook (think of Breaking Bad and Albuquerque). You should be familiar enough with your setting to write convincingly about it, adding that intriguing background to your story.
- Gather a cast of characters: mystery stories are all about intrigue, and you must have a solid cast of characters to provide that. Know your characters inside and out, and not just the sleuth either. You should understand how your culprit thinks and feels, as well as knowing the suspects and background characters. If you’re having trouble connecting with a character, try using one of the many online character profile charts.
- Imagine your sleuth: your readers must care about your sleuth from the get-go, so whether they are the local neighborhood nosey parker or a chief inspector, you need to know their motive. What is stopping your sleuth from simply walking away from this crime? Will an innocent be convicted, or are they in it for a job promotion or cash reward? Whatever that motive may be, it must be plain to your readers if you want to hold their interest.
- Invent a perp: as with your sleuth, if you want a convincing culprit who holds the readers’ interest, you need a convincing motive. What does the culprit stand to gain or lose from this crime? That motive must be logical and believable or your readers will abandon you for a more interesting read.
- Means, motive, and opportunity: your culprit must not be the only possible suspect. Most of your cast of characters should have one of these three–means (did they have access to a weapon or to the weapon in question?), motive (what did they stand to benefit from the crime?), and opportunity (were they anywhere near the crime scene at the right time?). A morally gray victim, with conflicted relationships to the suspects and a messy past, gives you more room for intrigue.
- A good right hook: every mystery begins with a good “hook” or opening sentence(s). One trick many authors use is to complete the story or book first, then go back to craft the perfect opening line. You need to do three things with that line: jolt the reader into paying attention, lead them to ask more questions, and introduce at least some of your stakes.
- Keep up the tension: as the author, it’s your job to draw the reader’s attention to just the right thing at just the right time. The best way to do that is to know your plot inside and out, sprinkling in those clues just when they are needed. Each clue should ramp up the tension, providing little “mini-crises” on the way to the story’s climax. A good author follows the Fichtean Curve, which looks a little like a jagged mountain peak. Begin immediately with rising action, followed by a series of obstacles until you reach the climax, where a pivotal clue is uncovered or the sleuth suddenly realizes the importance of a forgotten clue. Once you’ve hit the climax, you need to wind down and make sure all of the clues and red herrings are accounted for before you type “The End.”
- Red herrings? You’d think readers would be tired of these. After all, they’re clues that lead nowhere and distractions from the true nature of the crime. However, the reason they’re a tried-and-true trope of mystery stories is because they work well to increase the intrigue and tension of the tale. Think about the character who appears totally suspicious (but didn’t do it), or an object that seems much more significant than it actually is, or even a misleading clue planted by the culprit. Whatever red herrings you toss into the mix, however, make certain that your ending doesn’t come out of left field. Don’t suddenly introduce an evil twin. Your reader must feel they can trust you to spin a good yarn, which means they’ll stick with you for the next book instead of tossing your story into the trash and reaching for something more logical.
I’m going to toss in a little behind-the-scenes information about how I personally write my stories, but this will be the gist of my talk. Hopefully, it will go over well with the Senior Crowd.
