Guide to Writing

How to write... Mystery/ Thriller

Where you'll find it: Mystery

The Wattpad Definition: Mystery stories feature a protagonist who investigates a crime, problem, puzzle, or some sort of unknown. The protagonist, whether an actual detective or an amateur, often struggles to achieve his or her goals and endures various psychological and physical obstacles, but gradually deduces the solution through facts, logic, and working backwards. These stories encourage the reader to actively engage in solving the mystery for themselves and require the reader to pay careful attention to clues, suspects, and evidence presented in order to intellectually satisfy.

Thriller stories also focus on uncovering mysteries, but they move at a faster pace and are driven by action, tension, excitement, and violence. Thriller stories are often quite sensational, and involve larger-scale criminal offenses with higher stakes, such as conspiracy or espionage. Thrillers also include dangerous situations which the protagonist endures while trying to solve the greater problem.

In plain English: A story where the main character works things out, and you do with them.

Famous Examples: The Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz; the Naturals series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes; Sherlock Holmes series by Arthur Conan Doyle

Famous Film/ TV Examples: CSI, The Mentalist; Inception

The best stories take readers on a journey along with the protagonist, and mystery/ thriller is a genre all about that. As a writer, you're given the task of not only staying one step ahead of the characters trying to solve the mystery, but also the reader. Because of this, a good mystery or thriller can be one of the hardest type of stories to write. Here are some tips and tricks to writing a mystery or thriller story:

Do anticipate your audience - Never underestimate the intelligence of your readers. Like your protagonist, they'll be trying to work out the story and where it will lead. Unlike the protagonist, however, they might have read several stories, and therefore get an idea of where the plot is going. When you write your story, view it not only the way your antagonist would, but also your readers, and then work to stay ahead of them.

The best mystery story is one the readers can't predict and don't see coming. If you know they'll think one thing, do the total opposite! Misdirect your readers, lead them down the wrong path, or give them so many possible scenarios that they can't possibly be sure. Your readers need to be kept on their toes as much as the main characters.

Don't just wing it - You can't anticipate your audience and misdirect them if your story isn't plotted out. There are some genres you can get away with not plotting out beforehand, but this is not the case with mystery/ thriller stories. It's important to be able to leave hints and tips throughout the story, small clues that let you solve the case or give hints at the motivations of the characters. You certainly can't do this if you as the writer don't actually know what those motives are.

The most frustrating thing for readers is also when the antagonist has no clear motive for their actions. Mysteries are all about asking why, so know from the beginning what the motive is for your antagonist's actions. This will again help you layer hints of that throughout the story.

Do make every detail count - A good detective solves a mystery by picking up on the small details to paint the larger picture. One of the most important skills of this genre is the ability to foreshadow certain events. If, for example, you mention that the victim in a murder mystery had red nail polish on, make that detail come back later in a significant way by revealing the murderer to have a bottle of that exact same shade on their dresser. Every small thing you reveal to readers counts, and helps to build up to the final resolution.

Be careful when giving details, though. If you give away too much, readers will work it out faster than intended, which is where misdirection comes in.

Do be ambiguous - Readers in a mystery or thriller story should rarely be relaxed - these stories are driven by tension and uncertainty from start to finish. Cliffhangers, twists and shock moments are all writing devices that you have at your disposal, and this genre is definitely a place to use them. A great cliffhanger can lead to long discussions and debates - the movie Inception ends on a cliffhanger that to this day fans still question the ending of, with numerous theories online. The best stories are those which resonate with us long after the story is over, so make it memorable!

Don't be illogical - Intelligence agents and detectives aren't perfect straight away. It takes training for someone to be a spy, detective, hacker or whatever role your characters play in the story. Having a character that really sounds like they know what they're talking about makes them all the more believable, and characters can and should make mistakes along the way.

An example of a great author that does this in the genre is Anthony Horowitz, who is known to actually visit the country or place he is writing about, or talk to the experts to make everything his characters do sound all the more realistic. Of course there are few of us that can afford to do this, but take the time to work out the logistics of everything your characters do. Even if your mystery takes place in a fantasy world, this genre is very based in reality.

Misconception #1: It's just murder mysteries

The first thing that comes to mind when people bring up mystery/ thriller stories is murder mysteries. This is likely due to the popularity of TV shows such as CSI, but of course there can be a variety of problems that the character has to solve. Stories involving heists, missing people or objects or espionage are also part of this genre, so don't be afraid to write something else.

Misconception #2: Your hero has to be the perfect detective

Sherlock Holmes is perhaps the most famous detective of all time, but bear in mind that this is a character with years of experience under his belt and a huge IQ. A teenaged character will definitely not have this level of experience, especially if new to solving cases. Just like any teen, they can and should make errors along the way. As readers, we don't expect your detective to be perfect immediately, but to learn and gain more experience throughout. You're not obligated to introduce a lead that never makes errors and knows what they're doing.

Misconception #3: Mystery/ thriller doesn't have a large range

For some reason, it's rare that writers combine mystery/thriller plots with other genres such as fantasy or sci-fi, and there tends to be a misconception that the genre has a limited amount of plots. The popularity of films such as Inception does prove that the audience for these stories exists, so don't be afraid to try something new and take the genre in an entirely new or unexpected direction. In the end, readers might come to love you for it.

Chosen by you: Top 10 mystery/ thriller clichés

As we do every month, we took a look at your top ten clichés of the mystery thriller genre. So with number one being the most common, here they are!

10. Corrupt government or intelligence agency thrillers

9. Missing children

8. Murder mysteries

7. Someone is wrongfully framed

6. Main characters that are already perfect detectives

5. Spy schools

4. "Bad boy"/ James Bond- type spies

3. Leads with dark pasts (usually relating to the main case)

2. Friends with necessary skills (e.g. a hacker best friend)

1. Undercover main characters

Honourable mentions: Sarcastic/ kick-ass leads; psychopathic murderers; decades-old mysteries; introverted leads; assassin turned good; detective parents; the best friend ends up being the culprit

We hope this helps you all, and good luck to those of you writing mystery/ thriller stories! If we missed anything, feel free to comment your advice!