Story types · Tip 59 of 82 · 5 min read
Write Your Own Mystery Story
A crime, some suspects, a few clues and a clever detective: here's the recipe.
Who stole the cookies? Where did the hamster go? Mystery stories are like puzzles, and readers love trying to solve them before the detective does!
The mystery recipe
- A mystery: something has gone missing or something strange has happened.
- A detective: the character who solves it (it doesn't have to be a real detective!).
- Suspects: two or three characters who could have done it.
- Clues: little pieces of evidence that point to the answer.
- Red herrings: fake clues that point the wrong way!
- The reveal: the detective explains who did it and how they worked it out.
Plan backwards
Here's a secret: mystery writers often decide the answer first. Once you know who did it and how, you can decide which clues to leave along the way.
Mystery: Grandma's birthday cake has vanished. Suspects: Uncle Ray (loves cake), cousin Bea (was in the kitchen), Rufus the dog. Clues: chocolate crumbs on the stairs, a tiny pink ribbon, muddy paw prints. Red herring: Uncle Ray has chocolate on his shirt (but it's from his ice cream). Answer: Bea hid the cake upstairs to add a surprise decoration!
Play fair
Show your readers all the important clues before the reveal. It's no fun if the answer depends on something the reader never knew about.