Write Your Own: Mystery (5 page)

 uses ‘red herrings' to mislead you from the real villain;

 ties up the loose threads at the end.

 Now start collecting some possible triggers to fire up the plot. Cut out extracts from newspapers that could provide plots and stick them into your journal.

 Make a list of ‘Supposing …' ideas in your writing journal.

WRITERS AT WORK

All writers have five ‘servants' to help them when they sit down to write a mystery: who? where? when? what? and how?

1. Who?

Think about your characters, especially the sleuth, the villain and the other suspects. Draw up a ‘gallery' for your main characters so that they become ‘real' people to you! Be on the lookout for the sort of thing that makes people look suspicious and make a note of these details.

For example:

  a hat pulled down to hide a person's face;

  a coat that almost hides the person wearing it;

  a person who is always looking over their shoulder;

  someone who ducks behind a wall….

2. Where?

Next, think about where to set the story. The setting for the mystery problem' should suggest mystery and secrecy, for example: a dark alley, an empty house, a lonely harbour, a damp cave or a deserted clifftop.

Often the main mystery involves a specific part of the setting such as a hidden door, escape tunnel or secret lever, that is vital to creating the mystery. For this reason, many writers draw maps of the mystery setting so that when they write, they can describe the place in detail.

 

Writing tip!

Think carefully about the main setting for the mystery problem. Try to persuade your family to actually visit a place that could act as your mystery setting. Take your journal and draw a sketch or map, making notes of specific details.

3. When?

Most stories are written in the past tense. This makes it sound as if the story has already happened. For example:
Layla watched the deserted house every night and waited for the green van to return.

At the end of the story you may use a ‘flashback' in which the sleuth takes the reader right back in time to explain what happened.