Write Your Own: Mystery (4 page)

 a match box;

 a strand of hair from a barbed wire fence;

 a strange photograph;

 a button found on the pavement;

 a news clipping about a burglary.

Always be on the hunt for ideas that will trigger your story into action. One way to do this is to read newspapers or watch the news on television and make a note of any unusual stories. Another way is to daydream up some lists of ideas, for example:

Supposing …

  you hear an odd noise coming from an empty house;

  coming home from school you see two men carrying a rolled up carpet out of a deserted house;

  you get a letter warning you not to make friends with the new girl at school;

  the new teacher is overheard talking about kidnapping;

  a conjuror performs a disappearing trick and does not reappear.

 

Time to Write!

 Start your writing journal with a list of your favourite mystery books. Make notes on how the author:

 creates suspense and uses cliffhangers;

 keeps up a fast pace;

 drops in clues;