Mystery Revealed: Nine Secrets to Writing a Successful Whodunit

I recently finished the manuscript of a mystery, Murder in the Middle of Nowhere.  In later posts I'll go into more detail on the plot but I am happy with the way it turned out, which is more than I can say of many of my previous writing attempts.

The reality is that when I sat down to write I wasn't intending to write a whodunit but rather just a simple character study of someone I found interesting.  I'm not snobby or anything but had sort of looked at this genre with disdain as overly rote and formulaic.  But as I progressed, my character study increasingly took on the characteristics of a mystery and, in the end, I couldn't resist the urge to go all out.  I wish I could also say that I resisted the urge to break all the rules of the genre; I didn't.  Since I wasn't writing a traditional mystery I felt liberated from the rules.  For example, I included page after page of backstory and didn't get to the crime until about page 500 or so.

With first draft in hand, I waltzed proudly into my writing group to show off my handiwork.  "Is this genre fiction?" one member asked.

"Well, not exactly," I replied.  "But sort of, yes."

"Then what is it?"

"Ok, fine, I adimit it.  It's a mystery, a detective novel, a whodunit."

"Where's the crime?"

I looked away in embarrassment.  "If you turn to page 499, you'll find the first description of the murder."

Ok, I'm exaggerating a little.  But with a few astute comments, my colleagues quickly reminded me that readers expect certain rules to be followed with genre fiction.  And unless you're committed to fine literature unencumbered by any and all rules, you probably should too. 

So here are the 9 rules that I ultimately followed with my mystery and would suggest that you follow too unless you're much braver than I:

Crime:  Readers of crime fiction expect there to be a crime and expect it to be introduced quickly.  And, yes, the crime is typically a murder, though the rule bends a little here: other crimes, if they are sufficiently shocking, will work.  I have seen various suggestions regarding placement of the crime: in the first 1,000 words, in the first 3,000.  Ultimately, I didn't worry about the word count but just concentrated on foreshadowing in the first paragraph and fully introducing the crime within the first 3 chapters.  Personally, I like foreshadowing prior to the introduction of the crime itself as it serves to create tension.

Plot:  Plot is paramount and you should get into it quick.  I had a good plot in mind with some exciting hooks but took too long to get there with all my 'artistic' backstory.  I'm not an author who enjoys extensive outlining and plot development before starting work, but with mysteries you should really have the basic plot developments already on paper (or in your head) including how the story will end and the twists and turns it will take to get there.

Ending:  As I mentioned just above in plot, you as the author have a great advantage over the reader:  you know how the story will end.  Or at least you should.  I have spoken with many aspiring authors who don't keep this in mind.  And the result is a messy book.  By knowing the ending you can effectively place all the twists, turns and mystifying clues that will make your book interesting.

Narrator:  without an interesting narrator, whether he/she be a layman or a professional, your book will be boring.  Whatever their background, they need a strong reason to be investigating the crime or else it won't seem believable.  That is why many authors choose policemen as their narrator.  Personally, I enjoy whodunits narrated by a non-professional.  But that takes extra planning to give them a plausible reason to investigate.  The type of narrator you choose can play a role in determining whether your story falls into some sub-genre of the mystery novel: amateur, professional, police procedural, legal thriller, etc.

Victim(s):  You need at least one victim.  And with victims there is a tightrope to walk. You need the victim to be at least somewhat interesting (or the crime committed against them) but as they are dying in the first several chapters, if not already dead, you don't need much more than that.  What is more important is fully developing the living characters in your book.

Setting:  often, advice given to aspiring mystery writers leaves out setting.  Personally, I think setting is paramount.  A good setting can add wonders to the story, creating atmosphere and believability.  What is key is to make the plot and the characters an integral part of the setting.  It should all work as a whole.  Don't put a detective that looks and acts like some asshole on the NYPD into a plot set in Kansas.  Simple, yes, but in practice it can be hard to fit everything convincingly together.

Clues:  You want to confuse your reader but you don't want to fool them.  Does that make sense?  What I'm saying is that your goal as an author isn't to pull one over on your readers.  That's no fun.  But you do need to intrigue them and confuse them: if they figure out who did it before reaching the end it won't be fun either.  So place some clues, some true and some false, but don't cheat.  Don't have an alien swoop in at the last second and claim responsibility.  

Bad Guy: you want a bad guy that seems capable of committing the crime.  If not, the reader won't believe it.  Other elements to consider when developing your bad guy are: likeability (giving him/her some redeeming qualities can draw readers further into your story); motive: the perpetrator should have a good reason for committing the crime; and relationship to narrator.

Big Theme:  What do I mean by this?  First, forgive me for including it because, unlike the other points above, this one isn't really a rule.  What I mean is that, at least for me personally, I like to try to fit in some bigger, overarching theme, that explains the crime or plays a role in its solution.  This will, in the end, make your story bigger, more meaningful.  For example, you could address the issue of racism when solving a crime.  Or mental illness.  Or money, power or corruption.  Deceit, treachery, family relations, religion.  The list is endless.  And, no, it is not essential.  Agatha Christie rarely had an overarching theme.  But to my mind it's what sets many good novels apart from the great ones.