Mystery

Crickets chirp in the darkness. The toad sitting calmly three inches away from your foot croaks as you lift your leg away from it. An owl hoots in the shadows, as if telling the night that you are up to no good. Suddenly stumbling through the dark forest, you happen upon a wooden shed with one shimmering light coming from the attic. Curiosity beckons you forward as you walk up the creaking steps of the front porch. As you open the door, nothing is visible in the thick air. You follow the light upstairs and into a room full of cobwebs. The light emanated from an old rustic lamp, its shade ripped on one side and its light revealing a stretched pale hand underneath the deep green bed sitting next to it. The rest of the mystery is history. 

Mystery. Suspense. On the edge of your seat. That's what keeps the genre of mystery alive and amazing. It's filled with plot twists, suspense and excitement. But what really makes a mystery so good? There are certain criteria that are important to a mystery:
​

• Characters - The idea is to create a character that readers will connect with. Why place a character in a dilemma or jeopardy if the readers don't care about him or her. That's why it's beneficial to have one main character trying to solve the mystery. 
• Setting - Setting is important in any story. However, mystery stories have a scene where the incident happened. It's important to paint the proper picture for the readers so they can follow the path you've laid out for them. Settings are the best tools to set up the mysterious mood. 
• Plot - The worst mistake to make is having a mystery with no understanding of the beginning, middle and ending. Even though the reader isn't supposed to know everything, having a clear path to follow the story is important. You're already hiding the mystery - don't hide the plot, too. 
• Problem - Every mystery has a problem: the murdered girl, the missing jewels, the thief, the wrongly accused butler - you get the idea. Who committed the crime? What was the crime? These problems are what make the mystery possible!
• Solution - Although a mystery can be unsolved, I believe the best unsolved stories still have characters who take away something from their experiences. A better attitude about life. A new best friend. An obstacle that the main character overcame. However, most mysteries have a solution that was hinted through various clues given as the plot unfolded. 

These elements are the essentials for writing a mystery, but there are a few key tips to keep the suspense strong in your story:
​

1. Set Up a Hook in the First Paragraph. The readers must be engaged the moment the mystery story begins. Start the first paragraph with something suspenseful.
2. Plot Twist! What makes a mystery so effective is its illusive nature. Keep the readers guessing by throwing in a plausible plot twist or potential culprit that turns the tables on them!
3. Milk the suspense.  Keep the audience guessing about who the bad guy is. Give clues to your audience, but don't give it away. Draw out the time between the anticipated danger and the arrival of the threat.
4. Suspense and violence are different. Although they can happen together, just because suspense is staying on the edge of your seat, the best suspense for mystery is in the unknown and in waiting. Use those to the story's advantage.
5. The readers aren't the only ones waiting. That's right! Waiting not only benefits the audience's interest, but it helps them stay until the end. If you reveal the solution to the story as late as possible, it helps the readers stay captivated by your story.
   
6. Dial down the violence. Yes, violence can be a good asset for many stories, but too much in a mystery can get mundane. Leave them anticipating violence, but don't give it to them - at least not up front and every time. Otherwise, they will emotionally withdraw from your story and you'll lose your suspense.
7. Reveal a or the solution to your problem. They should leave the story thinking, 'Ahh! I get it now! He's the culprit! The girlfriend's gun stuck at the top of the fireplace was the clue!' Even though not all crimes are solved and not all problems have a solution, it's important to not leave the audience feeling like what they read was just a waste of their time. Give them something to take away, or you'll lose them in your future stories.

The best advice to follow is given in your own favorite mystery stories. What did the authors do in the story that you enjoyed? How did they portray characters, settings, suspense? Mysteries like Sherlock Holmes and Goosebumps didn't have everything out in the open. They built the plot up through the main character's eyes. They gave eerie scenes. They kept the mystery until the end. ​​They created suspense. Are you ready to create your own suspense?