All about creating mysteries in a novel

Mysteries are crucial building blocks in any novel, even beyond mysteries, suspense, and thrillers. A good mystery will keep the reader turning the page to find out what happens, provide a jolt of electricity with a good reveal, and deepen what’s at stake.

But how do you create a good one? How do you get the reader’s spine tingling?

I’ve written quite a few posts on mysteries over the years, and I thought I’d put together a roundup that collects the advice in one place.

Priming the reader

Too often writers think of creating mysteries in terms of withholding information. And it’s true that missing information is at the heart of a mystery.

But when everything in a novel is mysterious, you might end up confusing the reader and they’ll stop caring entirely. It’s crucial to provide enough information so the reader can grasp the contours of the mystery, like a jigsaw puzzle with a few key pieces missing.

Here are some posts about creating the groundwork for a good mystery:

• How to craft a great mystery in a novel
• Build mysteries around whether characters will succeed or fail
• Are you creating a mystery or just being vague?

Executing the mystery

A good mystery needs room to breathe. After all, a character’s desire plus delays and obstacles form the backbone of a good mystery. If the mystery is answered immediately, we never have any room to build juicy anticipation.

Here’s some advice on delivering a sharp mystery:

• Don’t step on your surprises
• Don’t dribble out morsels of information within a scene
• The importance of reversals

Heightening the stakes

Readers are primed to want what the protagonist wants, so the more a mystery matters, the more titillated they’ll feel.

Here’s some advice on intensifying what’s at stake:

• The more a character puts in a bucket, the more there is to spill
• How to raise the stakes in a novel
• How to crystalize the stakes

Genre questions

When novels are primarily built around a central mystery, they may fall into the mystery/suspense/thriller genres, or even subgenres like “cozies.”

Here are some posts delineating the differences and some recommendations for great mysteries:

• The difference between mysteries, suspense and thrillers
• Cozy Mystery. What’s that?
• What’s Your Favorite Mystery/Suspense/Thriller Novel of All Time? (You Tell Me responses)

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Art: Detail of Las Meninas by Diego Velasquez