Mystery Novels
Mystery novels are used to portray a sense of suspense and anticipation
and are usually done through detective stories. Not all mystery novels
have to have a mystery to be solved even if the story is on crime. Other
mysteries are about ghostly villains that are unknown. These kinds of
mystery novels base the story on a villain that no one has ever found or
seen and the information on the villain is passed through word of mouth
from one person to another.
When writing mystery novels one should know the type of story to write,
whether it will be hard-core detective or amateur type. If the story is
about private citizens or a private eye, whatever one picks will be the
drive of the whole novel and will engage the reader. The setting of the
novel should show where the story will take place and the detectives
movements, if minimal, highlight the hometown; if the detectives are
moving from one city to another, then the cities should be described to
provide the mood for the setting. It is best to research on the story if
the time in which the mystery novels occur is 100 years into the future
or in to the past.
Characters in mystery novels should be well thought of and readers
should be able to familiarize themselves with personality of the
characters, even if it is a monster. Common characters used in such
mystery novels include detectives, victims, killers, persons who
discover the body, witnesses, suspects and scapegoats. What took place
for the murder to occur and who the victims are have become the two most
important factors in the story. The crime in the story should present
something for the reader; the death of the victim should be meaningful
in a way to make the reader identify with it.
Not all individuals have the ability to write mystery novels but many
writers have tried. It is not a simple task to do as it requires a lot
of imagination. At the same time, if one has the ability to write and is
willing to try writing mystery novels, then there are various steps to
be followed. A want to-be writer should read as many mystery stories as
possible on the genre of interest. A lot of attention should be focused
on everyday events, conversations, theme of the story and what the
writer is trying to portray to the reader.
Planning the plot of the story is of great importance; choose the best
out of all the ones planned. Writing the first draft and even giving it
to someone for any corrections will give one ideas about the story. This
is a good way to know whether the story is on the right path. Ask the
reader for their opinion about the whole story, and be sure to solicit
opinions from ten different persons or more. If one is not confident
about starting with the writing of mystery novels, the starting with
writing an article for magazines can provide an option for one to
practice their writing craft before they attempt to tackle the more
challenging goal of writing mystery novels.
