Like many writers, sometimes crime writers want to break the conventions of their genre and create something unique. It's a push to consider, but don't overdo it. Heed other sources' suggestions and weigh in with your own, then come up with a solution that brings out all the aspects you like about mystery stories and create stories in your own style.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Creating a Plot Outline
Step 1. Consider development from the back
Most crime stories begin with a crime, and this method is very helpful for writers. Describe an interesting or mysterious criminal event, such as jewelry missing from a locked safe, a fortune teller found dead in a canoe, or the secretary of a minister caught carrying a bomb into the capitol. Think of the answers to the following questions, and use them to outline the plot:
- What might have caused this crime?
- What are the motivations that cause people to commit crimes, or trap others?
- What kind of person acts on that motivation?
- Start with the question Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Who committed the crime and to whom? What's the crime? When does it occur (morning, evening, afternoon, midnight)? Where did it happen? Why did they do it? How do they do it?
Step 2. Choose a background
The setting should be described in sufficient detail so that the reader can imagine its location, in the living room or battlefield. Mystery short stories can be set in one room, one house, one city, or the whole world. To be sure, make sure you provide a clear and detailed description.
- Know that the size of the place will affect the development of the story. For example, in a big city or a crowded public place, you have many opportunities to introduce witnesses. However, in a “closed room mystery” where all the characters are in the same room throughout the crime scene, there may not be any external witnesses, but you can bring up the characters' opinions and biases against one another.
- Focus on screen elements that are essential to the story. For example, does weather matter? If yes, write down in detail. Otherwise, say little or nothing. The dark and gloomy setting will make the situation more intense and fit the story centered on organized crime. The setting of crime in a quiet ordinary city will add to its own tension.
Step 3. Decide who the protagonist is
Create interesting characters. In mystery stories, make sure each character is realistic and easy to identify. Make sure the name is distinctive, each has its own characteristics, with a unique way of acting or speaking.
- Some characters have to be potentially suspicious in order to commit crimes (and at least one is genuinely guilty), some are supporting characters whose role is to make the storyline more interesting (perhaps a preferred opposite sex or a meddling mother-in-law), and one (or more) characters focused on solving mysteries.
- A character with good character development will have a motive to act in a way that moves the plot. Hot detectives or genius investigators are fine, but try to come up with alternatives or variations.
- Create a personal crime for the main character to enhance the emotional aspect. For example, crimes related to a character's mysterious past, a close friend or family member in danger, or the fate of a city, country, or world.
Step 4. Consider who the antagonist or villain is
Who is the “villain” in your mystery short story? To add spice to the story, you can feature some potential villains with suspicious characters. This leaves the reader guessing who the real antagonist is.
- Describe the villain well, but not very clearly. Don't let the reader guess the villain from the start. The reader may have guessed if you describe more of one character.
- You could design this villain to be a bit suspicious from the start. On the other hand, make the revelations surprising. A surefire way to keep the reader's attention is to "set" someone in a certain position.
- In addition to the villain, consider including a companion. Maybe your fictitious detective has a friend or partner to help him sort out clues and pinpoint what he's missing. There is no rule that detectives have to work alone. What if the companion and the villain were the same person?
- Think basic characters. Man or woman? What's the detective's name? How old are they? What do they look like (hair color, eye color and skin tone)? Where did they come from? Where do they live when the story begins? What got them involved in the story? Are they victims? Are they the cause of the problem?
Step 5. Think about the crime scene
This is a very important part, so take the time to develop the full crime scene. Try to describe every detail so that the reader can imagine the place. What's the condition like? Is the atmosphere different during the day and at night?
- Present an opportunity for mystery. Think of situations that allow crime to occur that you can create in your story. Was the power cut across the city because of the storm? Was the door or safe accidentally left unlocked? Draw a clear picture of the situation around the crime, which will be the focus of the mystery.
- Don't underestimate the influence of the “background” on the crime. The details of the situations that underlie the crime are very important for developing the narrative.
- For example: Something was stolen from the classroom, something was lost from the bag, something strange was found on the soccer field, someone stole an experimental animal in class, someone sent you a strange note, someone broke into the science materials cupboard, someone wrote something on the bathroom wall, someone left mud trails inside the building.
Step 6. Consider clues and detective work
What clues do you have? How is it related to the suspect? How will the instructions be processed?
- You must include evidence processing, such as fingerprint analysis, toxicology, handwriting, bloodstain patterns, etc.
- The detective must be good. Develop how the detective or protagonist solves cases taking into account their personalities and qualities. Make sure the solution to the problem is not easy or too obvious.
Step 7. Collaborate with a writing group
Create an interesting crime story and setting as a group, and make sure you can recreate another crime scene yourself.
Part 2 of 2: Writing Stories
Step 1. Determine the genre
Crime, or the discovery of evil, is almost always told in the first chapter, but this cliché is effective. This method determines the theme of the story, whether it is supernatural, sadistic, emotional, suspenseful, or interesting. If the theme is whodunnit, the unusual nature of evil or clues throughout the story will come to life in the reader's head.
If you want to write about what happened before the crime occurred, please look back at the second chapter with a title like “one week before”
Step 2. Choose a perspective
Most mystery writers choose a point of view that hides as much information as possible without confusing the reader. This can be achieved from the protagonist's first-person perspective, or the third-person perspective that is closest to the protagonist's actions. Think carefully before switching points of view because while it can be done, it often just adds unnecessary complexity.
Step 3. Do research if needed
Most crime stories are written for lay readers, not intelligence agents or criminals. Readers don't need perfect realism, but the main plot elements need to be believable. You can find a lot of information on the internet or in libraries, but very specialized subjects may have to be provided by people working in those fields or consulted in specialized online forums.
Step 4. Don't expand
If there's a scene that's not related to a crime or investigation, ask yourself what that scene does. Romance, additional plots, and long and casual conversations do have their roles, but don't let them overshadow the plot and main characters. This is very important to note, especially in short stories that have no place for irrelevant elements.
Step 5. Be careful using surprises in the plot
If you like surprises, go for it, but that's enough to get there. A second surprise in the same story can leave a reader feeling betrayed, especially if it's nearly impossible to predict. Even the most improbable plots have to have clues so they don't appear out of the blue.
This is critical to the biggest reveal in whodunnit, and the wrong choice can spoil the reader's impression. The criminal must be a suspect or exhibit behavior that is sufficiently suspicious for a savvy reader to guess
Step 6. End dramatically
Have you ever read the climactic scene of a book, then turned the page and found 10 pages of conversations with supporting characters? Whatever the purpose of your story, the main focus of a crime novel is investigation. When the criminal is caught or has bad luck, write the final paragraph and over.
Tips
- Take sufficient time to write. You can plan everything ahead, or write quickly and edit later. Both require a lot of time and willpower to make major changes.
- Ask others to help edit the story and provide input. Once polished, show your story to strangers. Their advice is harsher, but more honest than a friend's.
