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Elements of Mystery

© Sue Reichard

The setting in a mystery is important, but does not need to be in and of itself mysterious. (Too many haunted houses in children's books and stories!) Mysteries can happen anywhere, at the pool, at Grandma's house or even in school. The environment does not have to be dark and foreboding. Consider the readers when you select a setting. Will you be excluding certain groups of readers with your story? (such as girls, or those who may be culturally excluded). Be aware of this possibility.

The two most important characters in a mystery are the hero and the villain. In mysteries the protagonist needs to have an edge over the villain. It must be the main character who solves the story problem. Also be aware not to make your villain a more interesting and unique character than the hero. Doing this may take away from the reader's sympathy towards the hero. Also when you create your villain avoid particular nationalities or religious heritages. Do not give the villain any physical or emotional abnormailities. You do not want to alienate any young reader.

The length of your story will dictate your choice of crimes. In a book your options are limitless. In a short story the crime must occur in the opening lines or paragraphs. The villain must also be someone already known to the hero. The villain should also be around the same age as the main character.

The title of your mystery is very important. Use this as your hook. The title should alert readers and motivate them to want to read the story. There are some well-known clue words that are standard in titles; such as, the case of, the mystery of and treasure of, etc.

Your plot will help you determine the age group for which your mystery will be appropriate reading.

There are picture book mysteries which follow the same format as a regular picture book. The plot and characters need to be simple.

For the seven-to-ten year old mystery there are more options for crimes and settings. Study stories and books already written for this age group.

The nine-to-twelve and ten-to-fourteen age group has even less restrictions on the writing. The crimes can be more serious and the villain more complex and evil. The plots may concern the important social issues of our day. This age group is far more sophisticated than years ago. Do not underestimate the reader. You will have to work hard and write smart to keep them guessing to the end.