How to write a mystery novel

If you are looking for tips on how to write a mystery novel I would guess that you are struggling with two key decisions: what sort of mystery to unravel, and what point of view to adopt.

Mystery novels are like crossword puzzles: there is a very well understood structure to them, but the degree of difficulty of solving them (and satisfaction for the reader) is often more important than the mystery itself. The more clues the better, the more complex the relationship between the elements, the better. There is always a very strong back story – often for the victim if the mystery revolves around personal misfortune.

Maintaining the correct timing and pace are probably more important in a mystery novel than in any other. There is generally a good deal of build up to each plot turn. Too many clues and twists served up too quickly, and the pleasure of unlocking is taken away from the reader. Too few too slowly, and the reader loses interest in the mystery novel.

The other key decision for you to make when considering how to write a mystery novel is the choice between first and third person viewpoints. It is a well aired debate within the mystery genre as to which suits it best of all. The majority of mystery novels are written in the third person – which is seen to better present clues and give more variety to the story. However first person stories can often be more compelling – as the reader has the thrill of being inside the main character’s mind. Ultimately, the choice will depend on what you feel most comfortable with. One way in which we help you is that NewNovelist software works with both points of view. In fact, you develop the characters and the worlds when you write a mystery novel and the plot turns, regardless of the point of view that you elect to use.

You can change this without losing the effort that you have put into the development of your key building blocks – who and where. NewNovelist writing software enables you to save your edits and make modifications to the story with ease so you can play about to your hearts content in order to decide which writing style is preferable.

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NewNovelist and Creative Writing
Creative writing and learning how to write a novel can be exceptionally hard. First, you have to learn the basics, then you have to practice. and practice. and practice. And you also have to research what makes a successful novel. The vast majority of novels adopt a basic formula, and we incorporate these within NewNovelist.

Whilst throughout these additional information pages we have provided tips and ‘how-to’ advice, the real gold dust is in our software program (available on CD or to download). It is based on tuition from the leading university Creative Writing course in England (University of East Anglia), and uses templates to provide you with the structure you might otherwise spend years researching. These templates can teach you the basics to writing all different types of novel: crime, mystery, detective, fantasy, childrens, thrillers, military and many many more.

In short, it provides you with a virtual tutor.

In addition to the template structure, there is context sensitive help available – advising you on timing, tone and beat – and scores of examples drawn from modern and classical literature. For beginners this will be a revelation. For more experienced writers it provides a welcome refresher.

Whatever your standard of writing, and whatever your motivation, if you want an all-in-one writing course, advice, tutor, editor and note taker you should buy NewNovelist today.