Q&A for How to Write Murder Mysteries

Include the date, who was involved, who was the victim, the time it happened, all your evidence found, and witnesses of the crime.

Reveal the murder at the end, because you would stretch the plot and people aren't that patient.

Perhaps rather than having random clues and then trying to link them to the correct suspect, base the clues around the suspect. For example, rather than finding an ax at the scene and then trying to link it to a character with a knife collection, either change the clue to a knife or the suspect to a lumberjack. That is, unless the clue was a red herring to throw the reader off.

Part of the enjoyment of reading murder mysteries is trying to figure it out before the mystery is revealed. If your plot is too simple and leaves the reader dissatisfied, you'd really need some unique elements to find a publisher.

Coming up with a title can be difficult. You have to use your imagination. For a murder mystery, you might consider using the name of the main character, the name of the victim, or maybe some kind of vague reference to the murder weapon or motive. Most of all, you want to come up with a title after you've finished writing the story. Starting with a title tends you lock you into a certain way things have to be, which stifles your creativity.

For many published authors, writing a book could take years, but some can finish several books a year. It depends on the length of the book, how much time they dedicate to writing it, etc. There isn't really a single answer to this question.

If poetry is all you have experience writing, it may be challenging to switch to a different type of writing, but it's not 'too' difficult. You just need to read and learn from novels, and practice writing prose.

Yes, I believe it is a bit late for the mystery to occur. If the book is only planned to be about 250 pages, 70 pages in could be a bit late. Coming from a fellow writer, you could still pull it off but may not be as good as if the mystery was occurring earlier in the story, i.e. 20-30 pages in. For the timeline, it would be ideal if you planned the story before you started writing it, putting in things like who will be murdered, who the suspect(s) are, why they were murdered, etc.

It depends on the story itself, and how long you want to make the story. It also depends on how much time you can dedicate each day to your writing/ how frequently you want to contribute to the story. It could take anywhere from several months to several years depending on these factors.

The easiest way would be to look up actual murder cases and base your story around that.

If you get writer's block, take a break. Go for a walk, watch TV, read one of your favorite books for inspiration, etc. Just clear your mind for awhile. You will come back to your work refreshed and hopefully with some new ideas.

That is entirely up to you. If you want your book to have a prologue, then add one!

Women are motivated by the same things that motivate men in many cases, so don't overthink it. Some possible motives might be jealousy, greed (money), or trying to protect themselves or someone else (from blackmail, from physical harm, etc.). Maybe whatever happened could even turn out to have been an accident or self-defense?

That is fine, as it gives the plot a twist, but don't forget to add hidden clues pointing to your actual murderer. If you don't, your readers might feel cheated.

Of course! A lot of people would find that interesting. Make sure to have your murders all link to the same murderer/murderers!

I'd recommend reading a book titled 'One of Us is Lying' for more information on that!

If that's the way it goes, you must prevent the killer from being obvious, like having the killer out of their sight or merely having the victim die in front of the protagonist, otherwise the suspense fades.

No, of course not. It's your book, you get to decide when it is set. However, if you are writing as a group, then maybe your co authors might not like the idea. If this is the case, negotiate with them. If they still do not like the idea, maybe write the book on your own.

Avoid including unnecessary and long paragraphs about useless information that is not even related to the story. It can be tempting to stretch up the story a bit so that it doesn't look more like a short story; but you end up overcompensating, and that's exactly what you don't need. Cut out unnecessary paragraphs about the backstory, especially if it is in the thick of the action. You will tend to lose readers if you do so. You can always detail it later. If you're introducing crucial characters too late, introduce them earlier on, because readers are impatient.

It’s a summary, so you would not reveal the murderer(s). Instead, write about how the detective solved the case. For example, you could say the following: Towards the end, ___ realized that he was being mislead/found clues pointing to the correct/unexpected suspect which was then arrested.... or something similar.

First person narration makes it a bit harder to find how all the other characters might be feeling. Remember, we can’t understand motive if we don’t get how they felt about it. But, if you're going to switch to a different persons point of view, that would make it a bit easier. Otherwise, it would probably better to write in a third person view.

Try including a plot twist that no one expects, but still have it make logical sense. Give some backstory on one of the characters that sheds a whole different light on the case. Do something surprising, or something gritty.

Use a baby naming website, they usually have lists of names. You usually are able to find the origin, meaning, and sometimes even the name's history.