What are some tips on writing a good murder story or book?

Answer 1

Suspense is the feeling you get when the reader knows what is coming, but the character doesn't!

Here are some ways to add suspense to your story:

• What's at stake? For the reader to know what's coming, you need to state the "stakes" up front. Tell the reader what is going to happen unless the hero can save the day. Explain what catastrophe must be averted so that the readers can bite their nails worrying about it throughout the story.
• Use an omniscient point of view - in order for the readers to understand, you need to show what's going on with both the protagonist and the antagonist.
  
• Make time matter - a running deadline always ramps up suspense!
• Make the stakes matter - you don't have to have your hero defend the universe, but whatever is at stake must mean something important to the hero. Make failure something that would really hurt, either physically or emotionally.
• Push the limits - your hero should be facing nearly insurmountable odds! The readers should be wondering "how in the world is he going to get through that?" Make the hero use all his wits, strength, and intelligence to solve the problem.
• Keep up the conflict - the main problem shouldn't be the only one! The antagonist is going to keep throwing wrenches into the works - if the antagonist is a person, then he's going to plot ways to overcome the hero; if the antagonist is something like a natural disaster, then there are going to be additional minor obstacles along the way.
• Complicate things! The more pressure you can pile on that poor hero, the more suspense you will have. Pile on more problems until the hero is barely hanging on!
• Throw a curve - never go for the predictable! Think about how a situation would usually play out, then change things around and make yours do something unusual. The readers will be relaxing, thinking they know what's coming next, and then you throw them a curve and shock them!
  

Answer 2

Create complex and believable characters, build suspense through pacing and plot twists, and pay attention to detail in setting and description to create an immersive experience for the reader. Focus on the motivations and psychology of both the victim and the murderer to add depth to the story.

Answer 3

At the center of the detective story is the enigma - that is a puzzle that needs to be figured out. Now-a-days they are all about murder but that doesn't have to be the case. Sherlock Holmes certainly prevented more murders than he solved. After the enigma any plot device is 'grist for the mill'.

Answer 4

*WikiAnswers cannot give you ideas - writers must come up with their own ideas in order to be writers - click the Related Questions to learn how to find good ideas*Mystery stories are all about the mystery, so you need to have a good one to begin with. Click on the related questions to find out how authors come up with good ideas!

Here are some specific things that you can use to help write a good mystery:

• Know the ending - with a mystery, you must know how the story will end before you write it!
• Have a believable character - your main mystery-solving character needs to be very realistic and believable - think about Sherlock Holmes and Detective Monk - you need to describe your character so that the reader has a vivid mental image of how they look, how they speak, what their goals are, and how they act.
• Make the reader care - any mystery basically has the plot "The character has a problem and must solve it," and you need to make this problem interesting enough so that the reader will care "whodunit."
• Keep up with your clues! Make a list of all the clues that you are going to have, and keep track of which clue gets found when, by whom, and how it ties into the solution. You may even have false clues that misdirect the reader!
• "Red Herrings" - these are the false clues - be careful not to have too many, or the reader will just get tired and give up.
• Keep your reader in suspense - the main character is solving a crime; there should be danger and fear in your story! If you write suspenseful scenes, the reader will want to keep reading.
• Make the setting vivid - mystery stories often rely on the setting more than other stories, so make it real to the reader. Describe it so well that they can see it in their minds.
• Jump right in - mysteries need to begin either right before the crime happens, or right after it is discovered - don't add a lot or information about the characters or setting; just jump right in to the mystery!

Well obviously think of some sort of situation, whether it is a kidnapping, robbery, or any other type of case that you could solve. then go on from there, who tries to solve the crime? who are the suspects? what clues does the person trying to solve the case find, and how does he finally crack the case? hope this helps.
First of all, you must understand that a mystery story is a mystery story, so you need to come up with a good mystery.

Also, you cannot always make the hero win, as in always letting the case close. Like Sherlock Holmes, your detective cannot always solve the mystery.

(See related questions on more author's ideas.)

Answer 5

You have to think up your own ideas for your books. But, seeing as you already know what you want your book to be based around (crime), then why don't you answer these questions? It should help you to know what you want out of your story, (unless you don't already know):

1. Who is doing these "crimes"?
2. Why are they?
3. What's going to happen to them?
4. Do they police find them?
5. What happens if the police find them?
6. Is there anyone else in the story?

Ect. Ect. You get where I'm going with the questions, just make it up as you go along, just as long as its good. make sure to do your research on the police and stuff like that though if you don't know a lot about them.

Answer 6

To write better mysteries you need to make sure that you have a plot line that keeps the reader guessing. Don't choose the obvious story but to make it more interesting, have a twist at the end.

Answer 7

A detective story is just a mystery where the main character is a detective of some kind! Click on the related question to learn more about writing a mystery.

Here are some things to keep in mind when writing your detective:

• Make the character vivid - you need to know your detective well enough to describe him or her to the reader and make a clear mental image. They need to know how the detective looks, how he acts, how he thinks, how he speaks, and what his hopes are.
• Make the character believable - people aren't perfect. Give your character some believable problems and realistic conflicts in his or her life.
• Make the situation believable - your detective should have a valid reason for being where the mystery is. Keep the police in mind - your detective should try not to break the law, but if he does, he should get into trouble for it.
• Let your character grow - readers don't care much for a character who never matures or grows from story to story. Robert B. Parker's Spenser is an excellent detective character who gradually becomes more mature as the series progresses.
  

The essence of a good detective story is a good detective. If you create a vivid, memorable character like Nero Wolfe, Spencer, Miss Marple, or the original detective, Sherlock Holmes, then your main problem is solved. Here are some ways to learn how to write mystery stories: * Read. If you read enough mysteries, you will see how they are written, and you will also see what doesn't work in a mystery, because those will be the stories you don't like. * Observe. Writers are the original Nosy Nellies - we eavesdrop, spy (legally, not actually stealing information), and generally pay attention to everything that goes on around us. Miss Marple would have been a good writer because she was such a busybody. * Outline. Mystery stories almost always do best if you plot them out ahead of time. Outline all the clues, the characters, the red herrings, and the solution before you start, then you can be sure that you have everything tied up in the end.

Answer 8

Any idea that is interesting enough to you will be a good idea. You cannot write a story or novel based on ideas that someone else invents - you won't be interested enough in the subject to be able to research and write anything that will actually sell. Plus, anonymous people on the internet have no idea how old you are, what your interests are, or how well you can write!

In order to write, you need a personal connection to the subject. Write about whatever you enjoy, or whatever you find interesting, and you will end up with your novel or story.

WikiAnswers is happy to help you learn how to write better. We will not do your writing for you by giving you ideas and paragraphs to copy.

Here are some more suggestions from WikiAnswers contributors:

• Write about what you know. A good idea for a first novel is to write your own personal story. Everyone has at least one novel in them waiting to be written.

• Observe the world around you. Anything interesting can be an idea for a story or novel.

• Research. The more you know, the more ideas you will have.

• Read stories and books that other authors have written in your chosen genre. This way, you can see how other people do things.

A story can be either plot driven, character driven, or both. Most are stories are both but one or the other usually takes precedence. Charles Dickens' novels are primarily character driven Ian Flemings' are plot driven (although all the plots are the same.) If you need a place to start - trying thinking up interesting characters who can be developed and evolved against an interesting plot, or think up a good crisis that characters can be illuminated through.

Answer 9

Here are some tips on writing murder mysteries:

• Make a detailed outline -- when you write mysteries, you must keep track of all of the clues and what's going on with every character.
• Plan at least two crimes -- one to start the book off and another (or more) to keep the suspense going
• Plan ways to keep the reader from guessing the ending too quickly -- false clues, suspicious characters, and misleading information are the staples of a good mystery

Here are some more links to help you with your writing.

Answer 10

You start with the ending.

Make sure you know "Who Dunnit" first, then you have to work "backwards" to put in clues (real and false) that the reader will pick up along the way. You have to be very meticulous and have a good outline for detective novels, because you have to make it look like someone else is the culprit while having all the clues in place to show up the real guilty party.