Mastering The Mystery Genre: A Crash Course
- Chona
- Jul 8
- 3 min read
The mystery genre is arguably one of the most difficult genres to write. It requires great precision, lots of planning, and a ton of creativity. Otherwise, the piece will end up sounding meh. If you want to develop your writing prowess in mystery writing, here’s a crash course you can’t definitely miss.
Photo by cottonbro studio
Edgar Allan Poe introduced the mystery genre with his creation of the first known fictional detective, Auguste C. Dupin, in the 19th century. Dupin appeared in short stories, such as “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841), “The Mystery of Marie Roget” (1842), and “The Purloined Letter” (1845), making Poe the Father of Mystery. Poe’s significant contributions to the genre includes making the characters study the criminal’s mind.
Anna Katherine Green is the first female writer in the genre, publishing The Leavenworth Case in 1878. The elements she used in her novel were studied by other mystery writers later in the 1920s.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, writer of the classic Sherlock Holmes stories, caused another major shift in the genre. By making Sherlock Holmes a highly intelligent and formidable character, Doyle turned crime-solving into a science. Holmes’s brand of deduction is still being studied to this day.
The 1920s was the height of the genre’s popularity known as the Golden Age of Mystery Fiction. Agatha Christie, deemed "the best crime writer," was one of the most famous mystery writers in this period and created over 80 novels.
In America, the Golden Age of Mystery lasted from the 1930s to the 1940s, with Ellery Queen in the spotlight. This name was used as a pen name by cousins Manfred R. Lee and Frederic Dannay. The two created thirty-three novels and introduced a popular author in the American mystery tradition, Drury Lane, in 1932.
The popular mystery genre has since gone beyond print and has bled into television, film, and even games. Today, the genre is a lot more open to innovation.
Here are some of the basic elements to writing mystery fiction.
Plot
Unlike fantasy stories, which may rely heavily on world-building and backstory, plot is the backbone in mystery fiction. Your plot must flow smoothly without any loopholes and with sufficient action.
Detective and Culprit
No mystery is complete without its main characters. In mystery stories, your protagonist is of course the detective. Conversely, the antagonist is your culprit. Here’s a tip: only reveal the culprit’s identity at the end of the novel. However, this also requires proper timing and pacing. Introducing your culprit as a character too late in the novel may make readers reject them as a suspect.
Crime
The crime and the process of solving it are what hooks your readers and keeps them reading. With mystery, the crime must be believable and violent. Making the crime believable will help your readers empathize with your characters, and making it violent will amp up intrigue. Mysteries often feature murders, but some stories feature other taboo violence such as rape, molestation, and animal cruelty.
Detection and Deduction
Your detective must be intelligent enough to carry out a believable investigation. Luck, coincidence, divine intervention, and intuition are simply not enough to solve a crime. Your readers are also intelligent enough to detect any loopholes and detached plot twists. Therefore, research is key in the mystery genre to make not only your crime, but also your method believable.
Motive
Just as your crime and method are plausible, your culprit and their motive must be just as believable. Before deciding who to pin the crime on, make sure that they have enough power, physically and emotionally, to commit such a violent act.
Allow every character to shine, making sure that each has a contribution to the overall development of the plot. Who knows, even a dog in your story may have something to do in solving the mystery. Remember, your readers are also solving the crime as they read.
For the most part, they’re also reading between the lines, analyzing each scene, psychoanalyzing every character and interaction, and making up with theories that may fit the puzzle. And that’s the point.
Your mystery will be a success if you keep your audience engaged throughout the story. Just make sure to sustain their interest up until the end, and give them a satisfying denouement they can’t forget.
Do you have a mystery story to share but unsure how to polish it? Send your manuscript to themanuscripteditor.com for a complimentary 800-word sample. Let us help you bring your piece to life!
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