1. Taking the Mystery Out of Writing a Mystery
Steps to Writing a Mystery Story

2. Story Skeleton Fill out the story skeleton sheet Setting
Character List
Conflict
Rising Action
Climax
Resolution

3. Mystery Story Skeleton
How to Plan Your Mystery Story

4. Choose the Setting for Your Story
Where will the story take place?
Will it be in the city where you live or somewhere else?
Writing about someplace you can picture is easier.
Use the five senses to help describe the setting.
When will the story take place?
Will your story take place in the present, past, or future?
Will your story take place all in one day or over a longer time?

5. Cast of Characters Make a list of the people in your story.
The main character is most important.
Minor characters may help the main character, or they may prevent the main character from solving the mystery.

6. Conflict
WHODUNNIT? What is the mystery? What is the problem that your main character will have to solve?
Is someone or something missing?
Did someone steal something?
Was there a murder?

7. Rising Action
Rising action is the steps between learning there is a mystery and finding the solution.
List these events in order, but stop right before the mystery is solved.
Develop suspense with clues.
Red herrings are clues that lead the reader to suspect the wrong person.
One clue must be the key to solving the crime.

8. Climax This is the moment when the mystery is solved.
The climax is the solution to the mystery.
This is the moment you have been waiting for!

9. Resolution This is the end of the story – the last paragraph or two.
The resolution ties up the loose ends.
Tell the reader any details the reader needs to know to understand how the mystery was solved.
It should be obvious that this is the end of the story. (Do not say “The End.”)

10. Write Your First Sentence
Grab the reader’s attention and make them want to read the rest of the story.
Begin with action, and with something interesting happening at the beginning.
Starting with a conversation or someone talking is another way to make your story come to life right away.