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Tips for writing mysteries.



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Fri May 25, 2012 12:24 am
zohali93 says...



Does anyone know tips for writing Mysteries like the ones in case closed manga. I would like to try writing it but before I mess up.
Do the people think that they will be left to say, "We believe" and they will not be tried? (29:2)
  





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Fri May 25, 2012 4:46 pm
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Tenyo says...



I've never read Case Closed, but it sounds like a crime mystery so I'll do my best here.

Mysteries are probably one of the hardest genres to write because even though it uses the same skills of writing as everything else, your reader is going to be analysing your writing even more so you can't get away with casual mishaps or inconsistencies as you could in say, a childrens fantasy novel.

The three key things are:

Be Creative
It's harder with mystery because it's not just about creating a world, but about playing about with the intricate mechanisms of that world. If the superstars jealous drug-dealing ex-husband whose double barrel rifle they found at the murder scene did it, then your reader will know right away. You have to explore *every* possibility.

Use Your Brain Power
Writing a mystery means that in every chapter you need to be at least three steps ahead of your reader. If in chapter seven you explain that it was the son sick of living in a split parent family whose fingerprints were on the gun, then you need to have already provided a false alibi or lack of motive so that your reader doesn't figure out it was him way back in chapter two and get bored having already solved the mystery. Also, in the end you've got to tie everything up neatly so keep very close track of where everyone is and what evidences are provided.

Harness the Art of Manipulation
You need at least a basic instinct to how to play your audiance, so that the lax reader won't pick up on the finer details and the critical reader will be thrown off in the wrong direction. Using things for the wrong reason, drawing attention to the wrong details, making people seem obviously suspicious in their actions and always leaving hints of reasonable doubt. You manipulate your reader until that final moment when you reveal that the superstar was actually suicidal, and the son hid the gun she killed herself with and made it look like a murder in a last attempt to protect her dignity and reputation (and get back at his jealous drug-dealer father.)

I hope this helps somehow.
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Fri May 25, 2012 8:57 pm
zohali93 says...



Thanks. :)
Do the people think that they will be left to say, "We believe" and they will not be tried? (29:2)
  








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