A crime of some sort, usually a murder. A sleuth or detective. A criminal. Clues that the writer will drop along the way for the sleuth to find. The other elements of a short story include: location (or setting); time period; dialogue; character development. These are also present in the mystery short story.
To think of your crime, you may find it beneficial to ask yourself “What if. . . ?” questions. For example, “What if. . . there an unexplained murder in the house?” “What if. . . someone went missing unexpectedly?” You can often find ideas for your mystery story in news headlines or daily activities. If you’re writing a historical mystery, you might find yourself intrigued by unsolved mysteries of the past. Once you start to generate “What if. . . ?” questions, you may find it difficult to stop!
Recognize that the size of the place will influence the development of your story. For example, in a large city or busy public place, you will have lots of opportunities to introduce witnesses. However, in a “locked-room mystery” (one where all the characters seem to be present in the same room throughout the occurrence of the crime), you will likely have no external witnesses, but may be able to draw upon your characters opinions and biases of each other. Focus on the elements of your setting that are essential to the story. For example, is weather essential? If it is, write about it in great detail. If it is not, only mention it briefly or leave it out altogether.
A short story won’t have a lot of time to spend describing historical detail. If your setting requires a lot of explanation, consider using a longer form. Be prepared to do all the necessary research to make your setting compelling and realistic to the reader.
You can use these details to establish setting, offer clues, and make characters more realistic. Because you’re writing a short story, make sure each detail functions in at least 2 of these ways.
Some characters should be potential suspects for having committed the crime (and at least one should actually be guilty of the crime), some should be supporting characters that serve to make the storyline interesting (a love interest or meddling mother-in-law, perhaps), and one (or more) should be focused on solving the mystery. Well-written characters will have motives for acting in ways that further the plot.
Keep track of all the traits of your sleuth. Know his or her personality, physical characteristics, tendencies, habits, best and worst qualities, and signature style (among other things). Even if you don’t reveal all of her characteristics to the reader, it is important to be consistent throughout your short story. Consider developing your sleuth around yourself or around someone you know. This can help you decide on certain features and traits that will result in a thorough description of your sleuth. Think about including weaknesses and foibles. [6] X Research source While you may want your sleuth to have superhero-like mental capacity or razor sharp intuition, there might be some things that they struggle with as well. [7] X Research source This will make your character more relatable to your readers. Ensure that your sleuth is unique. If you have trouble determining this, think about what makes you unique and add some of that character into the character of your sleuth.
Remember that your reader is not getting paid to read your story, so your reader must also have an emotional investment to continue to read. A good sleuth will have an investment that gives him motivation to go above and beyond the standard nature of the job. He should have a deeply personal connection to solving the crime.
Describe your villain well, but not too well. You don’t want your reader to guess right from the beginning of the story who is the culprit. Your reader may become suspicious if you spend a disproportionate amount of time describing one character. You may want to make your villain someone that has been slightly suspicious all along. On the other hand, you may want to make the revelation of the culprit or criminal a complete shock. “Framing” someone throughout the story is a surefire way to keep your readers hooked to your mystery short stories. Instead of a villain, consider including a sidekick. Maybe your sleuth has a friend or partner that will help her sort the clues and point out things that she misses. [10] X Research source No one says the sleuth has to do it all alone! What if the sidekick and villain end up being one in the same?
Don’t underestimate the power of the “backdrop” for the crime. An intricate understanding of the setting in which the crime takes place is an important tool that will help when it comes to developing your narrative. In a short story, the “opportunity” may well have happened before the story begins. In this case, the triggering event will be the detective’s first decision to get involved.
Present a clue early on in the book that your sleuth (and your reader) won’t recognize as a clue. [12] X Research source This will make your reader go back and think “AH! That’s what that meant!” Lay out false clues. [13] X Research source Lead your reader (or your sleuth) in the wrong direction to create an extra exciting story. Build tension through clues. Has your sleuth gone a long time without finding a clue? Does he have seemingly conflicting clues? The more puzzled you can make your reader, the more intriguing they will find your story.
While surprising, your conclusion should also feel inevitable when looking back over the arc of the whole story. Using a “deus ex machina” ending that seems to come from nowhere is less likely to be interesting to the modern reader. Many mystery writers decide on the ending first, before writing the rest of the short story. [15] X Research source Knowing your ending will allow you to better plot the story, which builds towards the revelation at the finish.
Who does your reader expect committed the crime? Why is it unexpected that the actual criminal committed the crime?
You can also read collections of short stories by your favorite mystery writers. Short story collections by Jonathan Kellerman, Edgar Allan Poe, Lawrence Block, and more. Collections of well-crafted mystery short stories are published every year by the Best American Mystery Stories.
If you’re not sure whether a class will help you with your particular interest, ask the instructor prior to signing up. You’ll probably be able to see a course’s reading list (or syllabus) before you sign up. This can be a good way to help you decide whether or not the class will be good for you.
You can also find writing groups listed on bulletin boards, online listservs or Craigslist. Meetup. com also lists writing groups. A writing group can help you meet other people who may have more experience publishing their work. You can learn from their experience. Online writers’ groups are increasingly popular. Look on social media sites such as Facebook or Tumblr.
There’s also the Nancy Drew Conference, the Left Coast Crime Conference, CrimeFest 2016, and more. An online search for mystery writers conferences may help you locate a conference in your area. Conferences are also great ways to meet agents who can help you market your work, or discussions about the merits of self-publication.
