{"id":50,"date":"2022-08-15T20:02:11","date_gmt":"2022-08-15T20:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/?p=50"},"modified":"2022-08-15T20:14:28","modified_gmt":"2022-08-15T20:14:28","slug":"how-to-write-mystery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/how-to-write-mystery\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write a Mystery: It\u2019s All a Game"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

by Michael Santos<\/p>

michael.santos<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

In this article, we discuss how to write a mystery story, one of the most popular forms of crime fiction on the market. How do the mechanics of these books work to engage readers? How do we create a compelling puzzle that holds the reader\u2019s attention?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s go back to school.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Do you remember learning about analogies as a student? When I was in fifth grade, there was this competition called Wordly Wise, in which every student had to participate. They\u2019d give us a long sheet of paper with a list of analogies. One of the words would be left blank, and we\u2019d have to pick the right answer from a list of four choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each analogy would be written in this classic formatting\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a : b :: x : y<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The single colon means \u201cis to\u201d. The double colon means \u201cas\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

breeze : gale :: trickle : ______.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

a) lull b) plunder c) cascade d) sunshine<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The correct answer is C. Analogies create associations between pairings of words. A breeze is a smaller amount of wind compared to a gale, just as a trickle is a smaller amount of liquid compared to a cascade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what does that have to do with writing mystery stories?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The game is afoot.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Everything. A mystery novel is really a game between the reader and the writer, and the mechanics of the gameplay are built from an analogy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a mystery, the protagonist is typically the investigator character, while the main antagonist is usually the person at the center of the case\u2026the perpetrator who planned the crime, committed it, and now toils to keep the facts hidden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The investigator pursues the truth one clue at a time, in an effort to sift through the red herrings<\/strong> and catch the criminal. Pretty straightforward, right? You can probably recall several books that use the framework I just described.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the trick: just as the fictional story is a game between the investigator and the perpetrator, the reading experience is a game between the reader and the writer. In other words\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

reader : investigator :: writer : perpetrator<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mystery novels are proxy warfare.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What is the reader\u2019s role in the reading experience? They enter the novel knowing none of the information they need to solve the puzzle. They\u2019re typically shown a crime scene in an early chapter, perhaps at the very beginning. There they find the first clues that set them on the path to discovering the truth. But it\u2019s not until the end that they have enough information to solve the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, because mystery novels are most often set in the point of view of the investigator character, the reader typically receives that information at the same pace and from the same perspective as their fictional counterpart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is, the investigator is the reader\u2019s proxy<\/strong> in the story. Their experiences mirror each other, and the reader \u201clives\u201d through that character as they both work through the puzzle. The investigator and the reader both want the same answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The investigator is the reader\u2019s game piece.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But how about the writer\u2019s role? The mystery author plans the puzzle, executes the crime (typically before the beginning of the narrative or right at the beginning), and then keeps the answers hidden until close to the end, when it\u2019s time for the reader to make a guess\u2026and time for the showdown between the investigator and perpetrator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sound familiar? It should remind you of how we described the perpetrator\u2019s role in the fictional story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The perpetrator is the writer\u2019s proxy. It is through the villain that the writer spins the web of information, manages the reader\u2019s experience acquiring that information, and pays off the entire case with the revelation of the answers at the story\u2019s conclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The perpetrator and the writer have the solution that the investigator and the reader want, so the perpetrator is the writer\u2019s game piece.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rules of play.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The experience of a mystery novel relies on this game between reader and writer. As with any fun game, however, there are rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. The reader has until the end of the book to solve the puzzle. Solving the mystery is the experience that they\u2019re buying, but there is a time limit on that experience. What makes this genre so addicting and so ripe for successful series is that when the reader solves one book\u2019s puzzle, they\u2019ll want more.<\/li>
  2. The writer must exercise \u201cfair play\u201d<\/strong>, one of the most important terms in mystery writing. That is, the reader must have all the information they require to solve the puzzle before the big reveal at the end. An author can\u2019t present a random, convenient clue that changes the mystery at the last second, for the sake of adding another twist. I\u2019ve read a few books by authors who commit that sin, and there is nothing more frustrating than to reach a conclusion based on the evidence, only to have the rug pulled out from under you.<\/li>
  3. The puzzle must be challenging. This is especially true because avid mystery novel fans are VERY good at this game. The writer must play fair, but fair doesn\u2019t mean easy<\/strong>. The author should use misdirection, red herrings, and vibrant casts of potentially guilty characters to send their readers (and their investigators) chasing after multiple leads at any given time.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Summary.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    1. A mystery is a game between the reader and the writer, in which the reader has to solve the puzzle by collecting and analyzing information created, managed, and revealed by the writer.<\/li>
    2. The investigator is the reader\u2019s proxy in the story, and the perpetrator is the writer\u2019s proxy. The reader experiences the game through the investigator\u2019s eyes, and the writer experiences the game through the perpetrator\u2019s eyes.<\/li>
    3. The writer must play fair by ensuring that the reader has all the information they need to solve the puzzle before the answer is revealed.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      I recommend going back and reading the Sherlock Holmes stories. It\u2019s no coincidence that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had his hero say, \u201cThe game is afoot!\u201d He used these mechanics to perfection, and it\u2019s the reason his fiction remains the model for popular mysteries today, from books to TV crime dramas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Another recommendation I have is Hour Game<\/em>, by David Baldacci. This is my favorite serial killer mystery, because Baldacci manages the reader\u2019s experience with the puzzle so well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      To see a book that I feel doesn\u2019t play fair, read Michael Connelly\u2019s The Poet<\/em>. Don\u2019t get me wrong, Connelly is perhaps the greatest mystery author of his generation, and The Poet<\/em> is a brilliant novel in every other way. But when I reached the end, I felt that the last twist broke the fair play rule. See if you agree!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Understanding this relationship (reader : investigator :: writer : villain) is the key to writing a killer mystery.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      If you enjoyed this post and found it helpful, please share it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Visit michaelsantosauthor.com<\/a> for more on this topic.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      In this article, we discuss how to write a mystery story, one of the most popular forms of crime fiction on the market. How do the mechanics of these books work to engage readers? 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