How to Write a Mystery …secrets to writing a really good story Yes, you have to take notes. Yes, they should be two-column notes with a summary at the.

How to Write a Mystery

…secrets to writing a really good story

•Yes, you have to take notes.

•Yes, they should be two-column notes with a summary at the end.

(This should be a paragraph that captures what you have learned.)

What is a mystery?

Does it have to include a murder? Does it have to include a detective?

Any story? Any genre?

List two examples of mysteries in your notes. You can use items from class, tv, or film.

“A Man’s Best Friends” Which of the following elements were

included? Details of Setting: Time, place, ambiance Crafty characterization:

author, narrator details; character’s own words; character’s actions; what others say about the character

Continued on the next slide…

Clear point of view 1st person= I could see the dame…

Similes The babe looked like a saucer…

Metaphors Her face was a steel wall.

Personification (or other word play) My heart took some hurdles

Allusions My name is Colt Magnum…

More literary elements

Adding real depth—Bonus Round Symbols:

What kind of death would we expect from a snake?

Who kills the snake? Oxymoron: figure of speech that

combines contradictory terms. Dark light Living dead Noisy silence Any examples in “A Man’s Best Friends”?

Imagery Visual

Her legs strode into my shabby old office… Auditory

Her venomous voice poured silkily into the room…

Tactile She slammed the door.

Taste or Smell I saw through my cigar smoke…

Irony

Oh this is too much. They can even afford to waste alcohol.

What else is unexpected?

Try starting at the end…

What is the mystery that will be solved? Something that is lost is somehow found. No one knows what is behind some

mysterious act…until the mystery is solved.

A crime has been committed and the culprit needs to be found.

Examples of Conflict

You might even be able to use a story without a detective or crime as your mystery--

Generational rifts, as parents and children clash Problems with health issues Cultural misunderstandings, as children of

immigrants struggle to keep or reject the values of the parents’ culture.

Disagreements over food Problems with physical safety

More…

Strife over shelter Issues with approval and esteem Misunderstandings in a friendship Fights between lovers Battles between people and nature, such as a

protagonist being caught in a storm, earthquake, etc.

Antagonism sparked by philosophical or spiritual crises of conscience

(Rozakis 107)

Conflict—Internal versus External

External Protagonist versus antagonist

Internal Protagonist battles self/decisions

Narratives often contain both external and internal conflicts as characters struggle with outside forces or people and with their own desires…

Mark at least two examples of each

Another way of looking at conflict…

Character versus character Character versus society Character versus self Character versus nature Character versus technology

Essential Elements

Setting- Decide on time and place Characters with motivation— They want

something and something, someone gets in the way.

Plot- a problem that needs to be solved, an event that cannot be explained, a secret.

Exposition-A clever way to expose the story. Foreshadowing— Use to draw in your reader

(clues). What is a red herring?

More Elements…

Inciting Incident—Event that introduces the central conflict

Rising Action—Build suspense Climax—The conflict is somehow solved Resolution/Denouement—The loose ends

need to be tied up for the reader

Use your plot map to plan your story! Planning/research is essential to a good mystery! This type of story is PLOT DRIVEN.

Planning for your mystery…

You can use the “Story Cards” to generate ideas or you can come up with an idea by brainstorming on your own.

You can research the setting or write about something you know.

Use the plot map to help plan out the story.

What Genre Can Be a Mystery?

Adventure Sci-Fi Gothic Western Fantasy Horror Romance

Drama Historical Humor Suspense

Where Can a Mystery Take Place?

In a Car The Desert Old House The Mountains Cyberspace On the Phone Amusement Park

Library Small Town The Beach On a Train Restaurant On a Boat

K.I.S.S.

Know the length you are shooting for Novel Novella Short Story

You cannot have lots of characters or twists and turns in a SHORT story and really SHOW the action!

Requirements

1000-1200 words Type in Microsoft Word

Do a word count Times New Roman or Courier Double-space Start half-way down the first page

Due Dates: Rough draft due January 18th (MLK –No School) Computer Lab (Mon-Weds)

Showing versus Telling

Telling: #1 The student found out about the fight

through a text message. #2 The woman was upset when her date

failed to show. #3 The man remembered to eat his

breakfast.Take one of these examples and write 2-3 sentences that show the action. Try to

include dialogue.

Your story must include:

This phrase somewhere in the first paragraph: “nestled at the foot of Pikes Peak.”

These words: inquisitive, benevolent, xenophobic, mesmerize, plethora, vacuous

You must underline words AND phrase!!

Works Cited

Rozakis, Laura E. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creative Writing, Alpha Books, New York: 2004

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxymoron