Writing a Memorable Mystery

Since mystery writing is often formulaic in structure, how can we beat AI and present a more unique experience for our readers? My latest workshop and webinar—here’s a bare bone outline about writing and marketing a memorable mystery. To get the full workshop, join one of my workshops offered through festivals or organizations like Mystery Writers of America or Sisters in Crime.

Basic outline

Popular Guides:

Jessica Brody’s Save the Cat! Writes a Novel 

Hallie’s Ephron’s Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel Revised and Expanded Edition: The Complete Guide to Mystery, Suspense, and Crime

Carolyn Wheat’s How to Write Killer Fiction (out of print)

Mystery Writers of America’s How to Write a Mystery handbook

What if you explored outside of these guides?

WRITING

• Do research on places and people that are not yet documented that well.
• Make our characters as human as possible.
• Dig deeper and take more time.

1. 1. Be more thoughtful with names.
   2. Read more foreign mysteries.
   3. Work to get more human emotion in your mysteries. (It may have to be nuanced.)

• Fear
• Pride
• Anger
• Insecurity
• Obedience
• Shame/guilt
• Amazement
• Delight
• Relief
• Infatuation
• Intelligence
• Creativity
• Courage
• Passion
• Comfort/discomfort
• Laziness
• Depression
• Grief
• Compartmentalism
• Chauvinist/Discrimination
• Confusion
• Empathy
• Impatience
• Admiration
• Desperation
• Hunger

4. Pay more attention to dialogue

MARKETING MYSTERIES

1. Create experiences
2. In-person
3. Online