@obrian-of-the-surface-world

Thank you so much for that advice! I’ll look into those things, it helps a lot! I’m really excited to keep working on it! 🙂

Here’s just a little something I wrote which shows some misdirection:

Rathburn did not know what he was in for. We had found strategic positions and lay in wait for him. There was not a lot of cover, so we had to find safe positions behind the austerely furnished room. Getting access had taken months of planning. Rathburn often worked late nights…[Read more]

I am very glad to have helped. Your insights have helped me many times, so I am pleased to return the favor.

Another thing I would mention is to layer misdirection or false trails within the story. Sometimes these are called “red herrings” in the writer’s guides.
Have several characters have reasonable motives for wanting to off the victims. …[Read more]

@obrian-of-the-surface-world

Does this help?

A whole lot! Thank you so much, Brian! That’s exactly the kind of overview I needed!

I already know who the murderer is and I have a faint idea of their motivation, but this will really help me work it out! Thank you so much!

Hi Rose,

I have been wanted to respond all day, but it has been so busy at work.

I agree with Joelle. You have to reverse-plot a mystery.  Determine what will happen and be revealed at the end and then work backwards.

You need to determine the main motivation for your villain.  What would drive them to commit a homicide.

There are the usual r…[Read more]

Sure thing, Rose!! (Hehe, ’tis pretty accurate. :P)

@joelle-stone

Thanks Joelle! I’ll absolutely go check it out! I have a lot of research to do XD

Also, I love your quote XD

Mm, good question, Rose! The only advice I can offer is to check out Abbie Emmons and Kingdom Pen and Story Embers and all their advice on mysteries. If you’re trying to plot, try reverse plotting (yes yes, I know you’ve heard me rant about it before XD) or going for a three-act story structure – or check out the SE resource library!! You never…[Read more]

@erynne

HI Erynne,

Oh, definitely! Yes!  If you are just starting out, in the preliminary drafts, you have to put “Mr. (or Mrs.) Ick” in a box, or lock it in a closet and dump clothes over him/her to muffle the sounds of his/her protest at being kept from being allowed to criticize your writing.  Critiques come later, and only when they have b…[Read more]

Anddd I forgot to tag you again *facepalm*

@obrian-of-the-surface-world

Wow, I’m pretty sure you helped me more than I helped you…oops XD

That is a pretty good one!

You’ve got internal thoughts of the MC. You’ve set up a degree of loss, feelings of failure, disappointment, contrition, and an odd juxtaposition of her mother and sister as spectators in her prospective torture and death.  You’ve introduced tensio…

[Read more]