In a recent post, I wrote about my first writers conference. I attended three sessions which were extremely engaging, and I promised I’d share with you what I learned. So here goes…this is a short outline of what I was taught by Vic DiGenti in my first session of the day, “How to Write Killer Fiction – an Introduction to Mystery Writing.”

Elements of a Mystery

• Sleuth
  • Well-rounded character with human flaws
  • Give your sleuth a goal, a need, a desire
  • Characters are driven by revenge, reward, and relief
• Murder (crimes that need solving)
• Clues and characters
• Suspense, conflict, tension
• Resolution

Creating Your Sleuth

• Build a resume (name, age, birthday, physical description, etc)
• “put your characters on a couch” and ask questions
  • Who are you?
  • What do you fear?
  • What are your hopes/dreams?

Creating a Crime Scenario – the Victim

• Define the crime – who, how, and where
• Is the victim tied to the plot?
• How does the victim lead the sleuth to the villain?

Creating a Villain

• Must test your sleuth
• Equal to sleuth in intelligence/creativity
• Give the villain some humanity

Be a Troublemaker

• Make the protagonist’s mission more difficult
  • “throw rocks” at the protagonist
• Take away advantages

Building Suspense

• Remember the “bomb under the table”
• Let the audience in on what might happen
  • Suspense is created when the audience anticipates
• Turn up the sensory detail
• Bait and switch
  • Increase tension, cut away
• Use short, declarative sentences

Ask “suppose?” and “what if?” to complete the premise of your mystery.
Remember your audience.
Do your research, and be accurate!

Vic DiGenti’s Recommended Books:

Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel – Hallie Ephron
How to Write Killer Fiction – Carolyn Wheaton
Murder and Mayhem – D.P. Lyle, M.D.
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Private Investigating – Steven Kerry Brown
A Writer’s Guide to Private Investigators – Hal Blythe, Charlie Sweet & John Landreth
A Writer’s Guide to How Private Citizens Solve Crimes – Elaine Raco Chase & Anne Wingate
Don’t Murder Your Mystery – Chris Roerden
Writing Mysteries – Jan Burke
On Writing – Stephen King