The murder, and who did it? Who is the mystery
killer? I find myself asking these questions often
when I am watching Cold Case, a television
drama solving closed murder file cases on CBS.
Sometimes I am right, but most of the time I am
wrong. In this drama for television, the killer
could be anyone, and I find that it’s the least
likely person that you would suspect of committing
such a hideous crime.
I am addicted to the genre of mystery. I want
to know who did it at the end of the novel, guessing
that I am right on the head. I want to read a
good mystery novel, and in the mix of solving
the crime, I want to see added romance. There
is the detective solving the crime, and the suspect,
who is a damsel in distress; but the detective
ends up falling desperately and deeply in love
with the suspect. Is she the murderer? Is she
just a victim? The relationship between the two
will create a mixture of mystery and romance,
making for a great murder mystery/romance.
“Mystery: One whose identity is unknown and who
arouses curiosity,” states the American Heritage
Dictionary. The unknown is what you find
in most mystery novels. James Patterson comes
to mind when I think about mystery because he’s
a storyteller of mysteries and thrillers. In his
series about the The
Women’s Murder Club, there is so much
violence it’s unthinkable, but I find Mr. Patterson
a genius with his twists and turns.
 Another
mystery writer/thriller author is Perri O’ Shaughnessy,
who is actually two authors. Show
No Fear, their latest novel about a paralegal
turned attorney Nina, who defends both criminals
and the innocent... and some of their crimes are
horrific to say the least. I love the authors’
style of writing, and I am fascinated by their
books. They are very talented and creative writers,
as much as James Patterson.
In my own writing career, I find myself writing
mystery short stories, and loving the genre of
the unknown. I even wrote a novel, not published
yet, titled The Ultimate Sins, about
a black serial killer who is killing women he
thinks are tramps and whores like his mother.
I found the character of the serial killer very
intriguing, of course.
Enough about me, of course, (laughing). My ultimate
goal is to enlighten you about the different genres
of writing, with romance, vampire style, historical
style, and now mystery style, each with a plot
including romance added along the way. I don’t
think you can go wrong with reading a mystery
novel, enjoying the mechanics of all the clues
and traveling down a path of who did it?
So if you want to get away from other styles
of writing genres, and find something new and
exciting then sample the world of mystery—a
series of "the plot thickens, I can’t believe
he/she is the murderer? I thought it was her/him.
Why did he/she do it? I thought he loved her/him.
This can’t be happening."
There are a lot of elements to mystery writing.
Here are a few tips from the Scholastic.com
website:
- A story begins with a plan.
- The main character is the focus.
- To help out the main character you need minor
characters.
- The main character is the plot – she/he has
a conflict, and she/he has to solve it.
- Clues in the story are the key.
- Put some red herrings to twist up the plot.
- Don’t forget the suspense which builds the
story.
- The place/setting is very important in the
story.
- Begin a mystery novel with action.
- Know the ending before the story is created.
These elements of mystery writing will combine
to present a novel of mystery, intrigue and suspense.
Take a ride with James Patterson and Perri O’Shaughnessy,
or other mystery writers, and you will climb through
the story to the key to solving the mystery, learning
to be careful and accurate around all those red
herrings in the process. Not only will you enjoy
the anticipation, but the apprehension and expectancy
will get you every time…
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