What is the Mystery Genre ?

Although all stories have the basic elements of character, setting, plot and theme, each story genre has a different focus. The mystery story deals, in particular, with a puzzle, a challenge. The story begins with the problem that the sleuth will need to solve. There are rules that every good mystery follows:

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1. There must be a crime and the reader must want to see its solution, his interest must be aroused and then he must long to see the mystery solved.
   
   
2. The criminal must appear reasonably early in the story. The villain must be evident for a good portion of the story.
   
   
3. The author must be honest and all clues must be made available to the reader. The reader must know everything the main character knows.
   
   
4. The detective must exert effort to catch the criminal and the criminal must exert effortto fool the detective and escape from him. Coincidence is taboo.

(From: Trent, Lawrence, editor. Mystery Writer’s Handbook. Writers Digest Books, 1976.)

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Writing a Two-Minute Mystery.

The mysteries are usually short and to the point. The story is written concisely and does not drag on and on. When reading it aloud, it should last about two minutes. If it is too short, revise your story by adding in more details or additional paragraphs. If it is too long, edit accordingly. As mentioned before, there is usually only one word or phrase that gives the answer. Use direct speech and direct action. Divide your story into parts:

1] the beginning, where characters and situations are introduced,

2] the middle, where complications arise or where the main story is told,

3] the end where the sleuth states that he/she has solved the crime. You must also ask your audience a question such as "who committed the murder? Why?" or "How did Detective X know the lady was lying?"

Ensure as well that:

• your mystery is not too easy for people to solve;
• the motive should be understandable to the reader.
• the crime should not generally be accidental.
• generally, a death under investigation should not be suicide.
• the story should not contain supernatural occurrences or other happenings which cannot be explained rationally.
• if you intend to use the villain again in subsequent stories, you must leave him/her alive at the end of the mystery.
• you use proper rules of writing to help organize it. The use of quotation marks, punctuation, spelling and paragraphing are crucial being an effective writer.