Write Your Own: Mystery (14 page)

  travel to different places;

  interview suspects;

  search for clues;

  investigate the scene of the mystery;

  go undercover – the better to observe people!

To keep the reader in suspense, you will need to use cliffhangers so make sure you drop in exciting events as the story unfolds. Try ending a chapter or section on a cliffhanger. Each section or chapter will have the following shape:

 

Your whole story will have this sort of shape:

Writing tip!

While you are writing, you may find that sometimes your writing just flows, while on other occasions you get stuck. Don't worry, this happens to every writer. If you get stuck, you could try:

 looking at your plan to see what is meant to happen next;

 daydreaming the next section or making a new list of ideas for possible scenes;

 writing the final line of your story and working back from there;

 introducing a new setting;

 making something unexpected happen.

Suspense scenes will be vital to building up the excitement in your mystery. Your main character will be looking for clues and this will take them into scary situations. For example:

Jake grabbed the rope belonging to the twins' treehouse den. Gripping tightly, he hauled himself up the old oak, crept carefully along a large branch and stopped opposite the window. Pausing, he balanced himself and then leapt. But he missed! Grasping the window ledge, Jake clung on. It took all his effort to pull himself up, but in the end he managed to scramble through the open window and into the room.