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LIVE Q&A: Crafting Strong Mysteries

LIVE Q&A: Crafting Strong Mysteries

February 9, 2019 Conference 2019, Live 2019 39 Comments

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Tags: genre fictionmystery
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Lisa
Lisa
2 years ago

A lot of times new writers hear “don’t tease readers” or “don’t string readers along” by withholding parts of the story to create false tension. How would you describe the difference between withholding information and creating mystery or suspense in YA?

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Lisa
Lisa
2 years ago

Do you outline, and if so, how does outlining or pre-writing differ for mystery than other genres?

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kate
kate
2 years ago

What is your strategy for placing clues (timing of each, how they build and meaning changes, etc.) and how do you keep track of them all so you remember to pay them off?

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Lisa
Lisa
2 years ago

Who are your favorite mystery writers?

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Ryan
Ryan
2 years ago

How do you create sensible clues for the reader and your characters to focus their logic on?

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Ryan
Ryan
2 years ago

How do you include a mystery if you’re writing a fantasy or a sci-fi story?

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Lisa
Lisa
2 years ago

What tips do you have for YA writers who may want to include mystery elements in their writing, but wouldn’t classify their books as straight up mysteries?

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Hannah
Hannah
2 years ago

Do you have any tips on how to foreshadow a reveal?

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Alyssa
Alyssa
Author
2 years ago

Sometimes it’s easy to start with a hook and end with a reveal, but getting through the middle of a mystery can drag. What are strategies writers can use to keep things tense and interesting in the second act?

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Jodi
Jodi
2 years ago

I’ve heard people mention starting writing at the end of the book when writing mysteries. Would you suggest doing that, or do you think outlining is enough? Do you think it’s possible to write a mystery without outlining extensively?

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kate
kate
2 years ago

What are your favorite sources for more information on plotting mysteries?

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Roberta
Roberta
2 years ago

Does being a private Investigator help inform your writing?

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CarolynTara
CarolynTara
2 years ago

You mentioned a second murder, which is common in mysteries. Does a murder mystery *need* to have more than one murder in it?

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Lisa
Lisa
2 years ago

Can you define and speak more about what ‘blind alleys’ are in mystery?

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Jodi
Jodi
2 years ago

How important is it to try to keep the reader guessing? How do you find a balance between your hero understanding or not understanding clues and the reader figuring things out?

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Lisa
Lisa
2 years ago

Do you read your work aloud, and if so, how does that help your final product?

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Elza
Elza
2 years ago

How do you keep a misdirect from disappointing the reader?

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Ryan
Ryan
2 years ago

How much do you allow setting to influence your mystery?

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Erica
Erica
2 years ago

How did you celebrate landing an agent/your first book/publication, etc? Thanks!!

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Lisa
Lisa
2 years ago

Do you have any mystery movies you’d recommend?

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CarolynTara
CarolynTara
2 years ago

Have you considered writing about the corporate investigating you do? Because it sounds fascinating.

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Elza
Elza
2 years ago

When it comes to a mystery series, do you prefer a formula/structured storytelling style?

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Alyssa
Alyssa
Author
2 years ago

How do you balance and track when there are multiple mysteries (or sub-plot mysteries) in your story?

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Elza
Elza
2 years ago

What are your favorite mystery tropes?

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Alyssa
Alyssa
Author
2 years ago

What is the best way to test whether or not a mystery is working on the page? What should your CPs or beta readers flag for you?

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Ryan
Ryan
2 years ago

How much realism do you allow for a mystery? Can a mystery be written experimentally or in unconventional formats?

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Seabrooke Leckie
Seabrooke Leckie
2 years ago

Is it necessary to have the antagonist be on the page and part of the story from the start? Will it lose tension or create a less satisfying resolution if they’re in the background or out of view the whole story?

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Jennifer Bushroe
Jennifer Bushroe
2 years ago

If one POV character knows something another POV character does not, how do you set up the mystery of the reveal without the reader feeling cheated?

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Carey Blankenship
Carey Blankenship
2 years ago

Do you have any tips on how to craft successful queries and pitches without giving away the plot?

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Seabrooke Leckie
Seabrooke Leckie
2 years ago

What are some common mistakes writers make that result in weak mysteries?

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Lisa
Lisa
2 years ago

Can you talk a bit about the plot elements and expectations that differ between mystery and say Thriller or Suspense? Is it that there’s a murder?

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Ryan
Ryan
2 years ago

What are some tropes that you think are overdone? Are there character types that are worn out that could be reinvented or averted like the noir detective or the femme fatale?

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Alyssa
Alyssa
Author
2 years ago

The adult mystery genre is MASSIVE. What are storytelling practices used there that you would like to see in more YA/MG?

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Seabrooke Leckie
Seabrooke Leckie
2 years ago

When you decide to write a mystery, does your idea first take form around the crime, and you work forward, or the perpetrator, and you work backward?

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Seabrooke Leckie
Seabrooke Leckie
2 years ago

Can you explain when the beats of a mystery should fall in a story’s arc in order to pace reveals and keep the reader invested?

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Ryan
Ryan
2 years ago

How do you maintain interest and stakes for a protagonist without tiring out the reader or relying on the same ones? How do you change up the stakes in a logical manner?

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Rena Traxel
Rena Traxel
2 years ago

Miss Marple is awesome.

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Reply
kate
kate
2 years ago

Thank you, Maxine! This was really helpful and informative.

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Maxine
Maxine
2 years ago

Hi all! Thank you so much for your fabulous questions. As promised, here are some links about plotting mysteries that I have found helpful:

http://mysterywriters.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Ephron_-_Plotting_-_Website.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3xVnyTx1hKxgFR-pmJEaw0bVyfW_g_rfmmnqZZuYdvC-K4IWyzRlvovBw

https://www.katekrake.com/forwriters/how-to-write-a-mystery-novel-a-five-act-structure/?fbclid=IwAR1Z4d2VAvG4XJiBmYIWV54nRX_wZOUZZfqXx1PXktwyaUHHQK8rsRvkXMU

https://johnpmurphy.net/2014/03/16/the-two-body-plot/?fbclid=IwAR20FilKabFz28zb4n9hV_qmt_Fu9o0h97vxbPyUx8rIDIajEdrJHAEjg5U

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