September 4, 2024
One of the thrilling genres that appeals to readers year after year is murder mystery. But writing murder mystery stories can be tricky without a solid plan to create an engaging plot with enough twists and turns to keep your readers guessing. If you have ever considered writing murder mystery books, following our seven writing steps will help you craft a winning manuscript that your readers will love.
Every amazing story begins with interesting characters that draw the reader into the story and a murder mystery is no different. The challenge with creating characters in your story is developing characters that have believable motivations to act out your story’s plot, so coming up with fully realized characters is important from the start.
Readers will want to understand who they are, why they act the way they do and why their participation in the mystery portion of your story works. Answering some basic questions can help you formulate the content to create interesting, compelling characters for your murder mystery book.
Murder mysteries don’t have to include an official detective. However, the main characters in this genre have a special skill set that makes them uniquely qualified to solve the mystery at hand. A heartbreaking backstory, a mysterious history of their own or an unusual life experience can set up your main character as the one to solve the mystery or pursue the plot’s twists and turns.
The next step in murder mystery writing involves developing a storyline with readers on the edge of their seats, excited to turn the page to discover what happens next. Slow-moving, trite and obvious plots inhibit momentum, so developing a plot that draws readers into the story quickly is important.
Begin by setting up the crime and detailing the who, when, where, how and why. Then, work backward to fill in the details leading up to the murder(s) in your story. Consider using a chart to keep track of
Once you have decided on the basic elements of your mystery, plot out an outline. This structure will help you slot in when characters are introduced, when key scenes appear and where you will sprinkle suspects and their clues evenly throughout the story.
A big reason readers love mysteries is the way the plot is anything but expected. The key to writing an enthralling mystery is to include a twist that readers never see coming. First, present a situation that builds suspicion for each potential suspect. Readers should not know which characters are innocent or guilty early on.
Next, be sure to weave in small details that hint at the true killer. Subtle clues about their identity are critical but do not make them so obvious that readers can see the plot twist ahead of time. And finally, don’t be afraid to throw readers a curveball. Pitch a shocking new development so readers who think they have figured it out will still be surprised.
The first few pages of your book give you the best opportunity to draw in your reader to the story. Often called the hook, the start of a story is where writers give just enough detail and background to the plot to excite readers and make them want to keep reading. Especially important in murder mysteries, the beginning of a book can build tension, hint at mysterious circumstances or even reveal a cryptic hint about the murderer or a victim.
The most important aspect of writing this part of your story is making sure that readers are “hooked” right away. One of the ways writers hook readers on a mystery is by beginning with an incident. This gives you a chance to introduce important characters, allow the reader to learn about the setting or special circumstances as well as ramp up the tension or excitement in the first chapter.
Writing a page-turner means the reader is excited and curious about what happens next. Creating a story with high reader engagement happens when authors do two things. First, drop subtle hints about the plot twist that is coming. Looking back, readers should be able to see how the twist comes about, even if they don’t realize it at the time.
These subtle hints will help build suspense and encourage readers to keep on reading. Secondly, and just as importantly, make the plot twist believable but not obvious. Murder mystery writers have to create a plot twist that is plausible even if it is surprising. By building a well-defined character, authors can make a plot twist believable because the character’s actions and motivations will fall in line with what readers know about them or will learn about them in the story.
One of the hallmarks of well-written fiction is the writer’s ability to show details rather than tell them to the reader. This show don’t tell style of writing allows readers to discover the personality, quirks and motivations of a character through their actions.
Authors can do this by sprinkling mini-scenes throughout the story that demonstrate specific characteristics so the reader will pick up on who the character truly is. As powerful as a straightforward description of a character can be, including scenes that allow a character to show the reader who they are or how they came to be the person they are is a valuable way to create memorable and authentic characters.
One challenge of murder mystery writing is making sure that readers don’t figure out whodunnit too soon. To make sure the murderer and their motivation stay a mystery longer, include both red herrings and legitimate clues to direct and misdirect your readers to the answer throughout your story.
Pulling together a compelling murder mystery story can be fun to write, especially when you create interesting characters and a storyline that will keep readers on the edge of their seats with every new development. So when you have penned the perfect murder mystery, partner with Publishing Xpress to turn your manuscript into a great-looking book that readers will love.
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