Tag: writing a mystery

Murder or Accidental Death?

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            Everyone loves a good thriller. Something nefarious happens in the first chapter, then the chase begins to find the perpetrator.

            In most cases, a body is discovered, in a bedroom, barroom, lying in the street or even hanging in the garage. Was it murder or an accident?

            Your protagonist sets off to solve the case.

            In cozy mysteries, the protagonist isn’t a detective, but rather an ordinary person with an inclination for intrigue. She could be a dentist, doctor, baker, contractor, just about any profession. The main requirement is the ability to doggedly pursue the chase.

            Your task is to write a story in which a body is found and then the case must be solved.

            Have fun with this one.

Unexpected Action

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            Your character lives in a rut: the same thing practically every day, at about the same time, with the same circle of friends. Then something changes, which is unexpected and not in character.

            The others in the story have no idea what’s going on. They don’t know what triggered the change.

            There’s a mystery that needs to be solved.

            Your task is to write a story in which your character does something so far out of character that no one understands what’s happening.

            Hae fun with this one.

Without a Trace

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            Imagine making a phone call one afternoon to a best-friend cousin. Since you were small, you’ve shared everything: food, stories, adventures, dreams. One day, you call him: the next, he calls you. And it’s been this way for over thirty years.

            But this day, even though you’ve called at four-thirty, the designated time when both of you are generally free, he doesn’t answer. You are frustrated, but decide to leave a voice message. Except that his box is full.

            That’s never, ever happened before.

            You can’t just hop in your car and drive to his apartment because you live in California and he lives in West Virginia.

            You don’t have numbers for any of his friends: in fact, you’ve never met them since you’ve never had the time to fly there.

            Your cousin seems to have disappeared, something completely unheard of.

            Your task is to write a story in which a character disappears. Begin by establishing the character’s normal day. What she does, where she goes, who her friends are.

            Readers need this so that the fact of the disappearance is shocking.

            Have fun with this one.

An Old Friend

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            You’ve got your protagonist planned out. You know your setting and the premise of your story. Perhaps you’ve written a good portion, with tension and a perfect adversary.

            Then you bogged down, not knowing where to go next.

            One way is to insert an old acquaintance from the character’s past.

            This person needs to be a bit quirky or argumentative or a bully. She could have stolen the protagonist’s love interest or bested her in a competition.

            Perhaps he’s the ex-boyfriend or husband, moving back home.

            Write the story of what happens as soon as your character is aware of this person’s reappearance.

            Use narrative and dialogue. Include emotional reactions: think sweaty palms, heart palpitations, trouble breathing.

            Ramp up the tension. Perhaps there’s a nasty interaction, or your character overhears him saying nasty things about her.

            Have fun with this one.

The Phone Call

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            We’ve all been surprised when someone that we haven’t seen in a while calls. At first there’s a bit of shock. You shake your head in wonder, asking yourself if this is an imposter or the real person?

            Once the identity has been verified, you might be annoyed, thrilled or scared, depending on how the relationship ended.

            Stories of former friends finding each other and discovering they’re still in love, warm the heart.

            Your task is to write a story in which someone from the past calls your character. Establish, in your mind, what the relationship was like. For example, if they weren’t best friends, the reaction might be quite different than if they were. Or if there’d been tension between them, then does that tension still exist?

            Have fun with this one.

Fictionalized Story

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            Taking something familiar and turning it into a fiction story can make for some interesting writing. Imagine placing Aunt Myrna in a bit of historical fiction or in a cozy mystery. She might be uptight or laidback. She might have a brilliant co-partner or a funny sidekick.

            If Myrna lived in the country, have her visit the city where she’ll discover something disgusting or heinous. If she’d never stepped foot outside of her place of birth, sending her on a journey might make for a fun story.

            Make your character believable with wants and goals. There must be setbacks along the way, perhaps unusual sightings, or a runaway bull.

            Give her a someone with whom to share the adventure.

            Write some scary parts, some funny parts, some description, some dialogue.

            Have fun with this one.

Scene Prompt

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            Begin your story like this:

            Paula stepped closer to the tiny store, driven by a once-familiar smell.

            You can change the name, the tense and the setting, but the heart of the story has to be the smell.

            First, decide the cause of the odor. Pizza? Baking bread? Flowers? Rotting food? A dirty body? The smell can be pleasant or not, but must remain the focus.

            To make things interesting, have more than one character so that the discovery of the smell can be discussed, as well as whether or not to pursue its source. Tension through dialogue would add interest.

            The characters will share their reactions to the smell. What for one might be tantalizing, for the other might just be nothing special.

            Have fun with this one.

Startling Sounds

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            Picture yourself sitting before the television, engrossed in your favorite show. A loud boom shakes your house, rattling the windows and causing your heart to seem to skip a beat. You consider investigating, but when no sirens sound, no knock comes to your door, you shrug it off.

            Now imagine that the sound, that boom, caused things to fall off shelves, your floor to rock and roll, and sets off car alarms up and down your street. What do you do now?

            Your task is to write a story in which a sound or sounds plays a major role. First identify the source of the sound, then the effects of the cause dependent upon how close your protagonist it to the source.

            Take into consideration the reactions of your character. Some people startle easily and once shaken, take a long time to recover. Others are curious, might investigate, then do some online research to see if any reports have come in. Still others will do nothing, not wanting to get involved.

            Choose a reaction that will interest readers the most. Tension is critical, so include dialogue as a mode to illustrate what and why your character acts.

            Have fun with this one.

Without a Trace

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Mystery stories often revolve around a disappearance. A woman, last seen getting into her car in a parking garage is never seen again. The family dog, an AKC Champion, is stolen from a fenced backyard. The lawyer representing a case against a government official doesn’t appear in court.

The rest of the story revolves around the search. Who is leading the search, whether police, detective or ordinary citizens. Where they look, what cluse they find, the roadblocks they hit and who all they suspect.

There are highs and lows. A clue is found that leads to a near miss, followed by periods of time in which wheels are spun. Suspects are cleared and more are added to the list. False leads given by the public. Misinformation published in the news that only confounds the search.

Your task is to write a story in which someone or something goes missing. You can make it a police procedural or a cozy mystery. Your protagonist can be a no-nonsense detective or an average citizen who refuses to stop investigating.

Include narrative and dialogue. Setting is important, remembering to describe each new location. Sensory details add to the mystery, so don’t forget to toss them in.

Have fun with this one.