example:
  a hat pulled down to hide a personâs face;
  a coat that almost hides the person wearing it;
  a person who is always looking over their shoulder;
  someone who ducks behind a wallâ¦.
2. Where?
Next, think about where to set the story. The setting for the mystery problemâ should suggest mystery and secrecy, for example: a dark alley, an empty house, a lonely harbour, a damp cave or a deserted clifftop.
Often the main mystery involves a specific part of the setting such as a hidden door, escape tunnel or secret lever, that is vital to creating the mystery. For this reason, many writers draw maps of the mystery setting so that when they write, they can describe the place in detail.
Â
Writing tip!
Think carefully about the main setting for the mystery problem. Try to persuade your family to actually visit a place that could act as your mystery setting. Take your journal and draw a sketch or map, making notes of specific details.
3. When?
Most stories are written in the past tense. This makes it sound as if the story has already happened. For example:
Layla watched the deserted house every night and waited for the green van to return.
At the end of the story you may use a âflashbackâ in which the sleuth takes the reader right back in time to explain what happened.
4. What?
You need some ideas about the central mystery in your story. This is called the plot outline, such as: A robbery takes place at the local jewellery store but no windows were broken, no alarms went off, and even the safe remained closed â¦
Â
Writing tip!
Make a list of great mysteries that have really happened. For example, in the Bermuda Triangle mystery, a number of planes and ships disappeared and were never found again! Finding out about real mysteries may spark your imagination.
5. How?
Once you have decided on the mystery âproblemâ you will need to be clear about who did it, why they did it and how it happened?
Think up some clever clues that you will reveal to suggest âwhodunnitâ or what has happened. Of course, you will need to plant a few âred herringsâ to make your reader think someone else is the villain, before you reveal the villainâs true identity at the end!
Letâs think a bit more about some of these five âservantsâ.
Â
CREATING MYSTERY CHARACTERS
Your characters are one of the most important parts of the story. In mystery stories there are three main character types that you need to think about. You can have more than one sleuth, villain or suspect, of course, but try not to have too many or it will be difficult to make them all sound real.
Before writing, think about:
1. The characterâs names
The names you choose can often suggest something about the character. For instance, Dr Hate sounds like somebody not to be tangled with! You could also use the name tohide the characterâs real intentions and to fool the reader. So old Mrs Perkins might not be such a nice old lady â she could be the villain of the piece!
Your sleuth character might have a very ordinary name like Tom Stannard or Jo Hanway and your villain may have an unusual name like Bodger OâNeill, Smudge Baxter or Fingers McClary. But there are no hard-and-fast rules, so spend some time thinking up names and think about how that character might look and act!
2. Character type
Now decide what kind of person each character is. In your âgalleryâ you could label each character as a certain type: shy, lonely, aggressive, happy-go-lucky, brainy, spiteful, mean, a misery guts etc. It can be fun to select contrasting characters, so if one is bossy then make the other one timid!
THE SUPERSLEUTH
The sleuth or âdetectiveâ is the main character who will probably witness the mystery problem and then set off in search of the answer. As your main character, your sleuth will need to be someone likeable so that
  a hat pulled down to hide a personâs face;
  a coat that almost hides the person wearing it;
  a person who is always looking over their shoulder;
  someone who ducks behind a wallâ¦.
2. Where?
Next, think about where to set the story. The setting for the mystery problemâ should suggest mystery and secrecy, for example: a dark alley, an empty house, a lonely harbour, a damp cave or a deserted clifftop.
Often the main mystery involves a specific part of the setting such as a hidden door, escape tunnel or secret lever, that is vital to creating the mystery. For this reason, many writers draw maps of the mystery setting so that when they write, they can describe the place in detail.
Â
Writing tip!
Think carefully about the main setting for the mystery problem. Try to persuade your family to actually visit a place that could act as your mystery setting. Take your journal and draw a sketch or map, making notes of specific details.
3. When?
Most stories are written in the past tense. This makes it sound as if the story has already happened. For example:
Layla watched the deserted house every night and waited for the green van to return.
At the end of the story you may use a âflashbackâ in which the sleuth takes the reader right back in time to explain what happened.
4. What?
You need some ideas about the central mystery in your story. This is called the plot outline, such as: A robbery takes place at the local jewellery store but no windows were broken, no alarms went off, and even the safe remained closed â¦
Â
Writing tip!
Make a list of great mysteries that have really happened. For example, in the Bermuda Triangle mystery, a number of planes and ships disappeared and were never found again! Finding out about real mysteries may spark your imagination.
5. How?
Once you have decided on the mystery âproblemâ you will need to be clear about who did it, why they did it and how it happened?
Think up some clever clues that you will reveal to suggest âwhodunnitâ or what has happened. Of course, you will need to plant a few âred herringsâ to make your reader think someone else is the villain, before you reveal the villainâs true identity at the end!
Letâs think a bit more about some of these five âservantsâ.
Â
CREATING MYSTERY CHARACTERS
Your characters are one of the most important parts of the story. In mystery stories there are three main character types that you need to think about. You can have more than one sleuth, villain or suspect, of course, but try not to have too many or it will be difficult to make them all sound real.
Before writing, think about:
1. The characterâs names
The names you choose can often suggest something about the character. For instance, Dr Hate sounds like somebody not to be tangled with! You could also use the name tohide the characterâs real intentions and to fool the reader. So old Mrs Perkins might not be such a nice old lady â she could be the villain of the piece!
Your sleuth character might have a very ordinary name like Tom Stannard or Jo Hanway and your villain may have an unusual name like Bodger OâNeill, Smudge Baxter or Fingers McClary. But there are no hard-and-fast rules, so spend some time thinking up names and think about how that character might look and act!
2. Character type
Now decide what kind of person each character is. In your âgalleryâ you could label each character as a certain type: shy, lonely, aggressive, happy-go-lucky, brainy, spiteful, mean, a misery guts etc. It can be fun to select contrasting characters, so if one is bossy then make the other one timid!
THE SUPERSLEUTH
The sleuth or âdetectiveâ is the main character who will probably witness the mystery problem and then set off in search of the answer. As your main character, your sleuth will need to be someone likeable so that
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