Reverse engineering a mystery -- in the end is the beginning

 Some writers are plotters, some are seat-of-the-pantsers. But if we're going to write whodunnits, one thing we must know from the beginning is -- who done it. So, at last fall's DFW Writers Conference, I marked the Reverse-Outline Your Way to an Unputdownable Mystery class by Jessica S. Olson as a must-attend.

Determined to expand her writing chops, Olson told us she had typed "how to write a mystery" into Google, only to find its answers completely unhelpful. She realized she'd have to solve the mystery of mystery writing on her own.

Like a good sleuth, she performed interrogations -- this time, of herself.

Q. What were the things she loved about mysteries?

A. Sleuths! And a puzzle to be solved. And of course, a good villain, aka, perpetrator. And ticking time bombs. And clues. And the opposite of clues -- red herrings. And of course, how to put them all together. All leading to The Big Reveal, which had to be big enough to justify the rest.

So, Olson started with the crime. Not with the weather, not even the world building. In effect, start with The Big Reveal -- but for now keep that a secret from everyone but yourself at this point, dear writer. Know the ending before writing the beginning. This means knowing:

• What happened?
• Who was the victim?
• The perpetrator?
• Why did the crime happen?
• Where, how and what clues were left behind?
• And of course -- who's the main character (sleuth)?

In most mysteries written for adult and even teen audiences, the happening will be a murder. But it can also be a theft, a disappearance/kidnapping, an act of espionage, assault, extortion, and more. 

The volume How to Write A Mystery: A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America, also has discussions of possible nonviolent "crimes" or puzzles that can propel mysteries for younger readers. However, Olson notes that the happening, whatever it is, must involve something compelling enough to be worth investigation, and for teens and older readers, must involve enough components to build a novel-length plot.

The victim(s) must also be compelling in their own right. If a mystery contains multiple victims, they need to be connected but also may point to multiple suspects.

Image: Pixabay

The writer will probably also have an idea of the main character's identity -- amateur or professional -- how they became entangled in the crime and why it's meaningful to them. Even if the sleuth is a professional, it's not enough that they've been hired to do a job (if a private investigator) or assigned to a case (if law enforcement personnel). And if the main character is an amateur sleuth, the mystery must be something that can only be solved by that person.

Then there's the perpetrator. Who are they and why did they do the crime? This person needs to be as fully developed as the main character, avoiding cliches as much as possible. Preferably, the perpetrator will be stronger, smarter, and better than the main character, who will have to strain every resource of brain -- and possibly brawn -- they possess to outwit the criminal.

Knowing what happened, who did it, and to whom, are essential to what Olson termed "the backwards treasure hunt" that that entails compiling lists of:

• Clues
• Red herrings (misdirections) and dead ends
• People the main character can suspect
• People the readers can suspect (these last two don't necessarily overlap)

Clues must be in places the main character can access -- although not necessarily easy of access; and plausible but not necessarily obvious. They should be found in a variety of locations and include details of where and how the crime was discovered and the testimony of witnesses (who also may not be easy of access).

With these details in mind, the writer can form a rough idea -- not yet set in stone -- of what the actual plot will entail. And deal with the fun parts of building the world of the story and the characters of both sleuth and villain. Not to mention laying out that Big Reveal that will make all the work worthwhile.

I'm not going to tell you everything Olson covered in her class. For that, see her
site (www.jessicasolson.com) for questions, insider information, and the location of her next conference. But I will leave with her final admonition: "Read as many mysteries as you can. Find out what worked in those you love, or if less than loved, what went wrong." 

In other words, we must be our own sleuths.

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Next up: Do you know you may have an author's page you never set up? I didn't -- until I got hit over the head with it!