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Printed from https://writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/10853-How-not-to-write-a-mystery-story.html
Mystery: June 30, 2021 Issue [#10853]




 This week: How not to write a mystery story
  Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon Author IconMail Icon
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Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

Quote for the week:

Mystery spread its cloak across the sky
We lost our way
Shadows fell from trees
They knew why.
~ From "House of Four Doors" by the Moody Blues


Word from our sponsor

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Letter from the editor

I recently read one of the worst mystery novels I've ever read in my life. It was written by a well known traditionally published author, and I expected better. I have read much better mystery stories on this site written by members of WDC. I wish I had looked at the negative reviews the story received on Amazon before I subjected myself to it. I won't reveal the author's name or the title of the book, but here are the reasons it has earned the distinction of the worst mystery I have ever read.

The plot was poorly constructed and full of plot holes. All stories benefit from a well planned plot, but it is absolutely essential to a mystery. Mystery readers love to try and figure out the conclusion to a mystery. The writer needs to give them all the information necessary to figure out the conclusion without making it too obvious. Plot twists need to be unexpected, but not unbelievable. This story was full of twists, but even those that were expected were entirely unbelievable, because it was impossible to believe that characters with any intelligence at all would have acted the way these characters did. That leads to the second problem, the characters.

The actions of the two main characters in the story made absolutely no sense at all. Occasionally, even intelligent characters will do things that seem to make no sense, but there has to be a good reason. A reader might suspend disbelief for a few minor unbelievable actions, but the most important actions in this story required not just suspension of disbelief, but total abandonment of it. The author of this story didn't even offer much of an explanation for most of the unbelievable actions the villain and his victim. The characters were also so unlikable that I didn't care what happened to them. The supposedly good characters that the reader was supposed to cheer for weren't much more likable than the villain.

The story was told in bits and pieces, from the perspectives of three different narrators. The timeline also switched back and forth from the past and the present. This format needs to be handled very carefully to be effective. It was often confusing and I had to keep looking back and rereading sections to follow the chain of events. If a story isn't told in linear fashion, make sure the timeline is clear.

I have a hard time believing that the story I'm talking about was edited at all. A good content editor would have pointed out the plot holes and inconsistencies, but sometimes well known authors don't receive the careful editing that a new author might. I will definitely pay more attention to the one and two star reviews on Amazon from now on!

Something to try: Think abut the worst mystery story you have ever read, and try to figure out what might improve it.



Editor's Picks

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Reflection of the Night Open in new Window. (13+)
Very Short Story About Tolerance Written for W/C Contest 2003
#637654 by ♥Ho Ho HOOves♥ Author IconMail Icon


Soap Opera Open in new Window. (13+)
Beryl is a Soapie Addict. Does her addiction to other stuff have an effect on her reality?
#2241060 by Sumojo Author IconMail Icon


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Railway to nowhere? Open in new Window. (ASR)
Old books spark a search with unexpected results [Holiday Short Story Contest, 3/'20]
#2217420 by Merry_Mikey Author IconMail Icon


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The Impossible Emerald Open in new Window. (18+)
Xavier's only god is money until a paranormal event reorients his life.
#2208899 by Mrs. Nixie Clause Author IconMail Icon


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Watching Always Open in new Window. (13+)
Some say I'm crazy, just a little touched -
#2234521 by iKïyå§ama Author IconMail Icon

 
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Ask & Answer

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