Well … there are mystery stories, and then there are good mystery stories. I’ll focus on what I consider the good ones, the Who Done Its.
They consist of ,,,
Who? (Victim(s) and Criminal(s))
With what? (Method)
Why? (Motive)
How? (How was it done?)
If the writer is playing fair with this format, then there will be …
Motives (The reasons)
Red Herrings (Other suspects)
Clues (proper ones)
The story will have been presented in such a way that everything was planted so that the alert and thinking reader or audience might figure it out.
Of course, the one final element would be …
The Sleuth (The person who figures it all out)
There are different styles of mystery stories. Like the one where we don’t know the answers until the end of the story. A la, Sherlock Holmes or Murder She Wrote.
Or the type where we know who did it, but we’re watching to see how the sleuth figures it out and the culprit gets caught. A la, Columbo. Or some police dramas.
In the end, a large percentage of the elements are the same. How they’re put together determines success or failure, fiction or …”Just the facts, ma’am.”
Want to learn more about how to write a good mystery story?
Get on the waiting list for my next WRITE THE CRIME webinar.
That’s all for now.
Best,
Alex
About Alex Simmons Says
Alex Simmons is an award-winning freelance writer, comic book creator, playwright, teaching artist, and educational consultant. He’s written for Disney Books, Penguin Press, Simon and Schuster, Marvel, DC, and Archie Comics. Simmons is the creator of the acclaimed adventure comic book series, Blackjack. As a teaching artist, Simmons has created and taught creative arts workshops for students and educators in the US, Europe, West Indies, and Africa.
Simmons has served on panels and delivered lectures on children’s entertainment mediums, as well as empowering young people through the arts. Simmons founded the annual family event, Kids Comic Con, as well as three comic arts exhibits, which have traveled abroad. He is currently developing a comics and creative arts program for children all over the world.
During the past 35 years, Simmons has participated as a member of arts and education boards for several New York State nonprofit organizations, as well as one in Nigeria.
As a teaching artist Simmons has worked with youth through the Bronx Community College, the Christopher Barron Live Life Foundation, Apollo Theater In-School Arts Program, Henkel McCoy, Upward Bound, New York Council on the Arts, Children’s Art Carnival, Wings Academy, and NYU Creative Arts Team, to name a few.
He has been a panelist at many literacy and arts events, and he has been a guest speaker at numerous colleges and educational institutions here and abroad.
SimmonsHereAndNow 