Know your audience.
This age group is beginning to find their place in the world outside family.
Peer and peer pressure is ever present. Many books for these readers have no
parents in the narrative or parents are an insignificant part of the plot and
characterization. Give the main character a best friend or someone who can help
figure out ideas and clues. Add some people who do not want the character to
figure out the mystery.
Begin with action or
suspense and introduce the mystery early. Plot is king with mysteries. The plot
is the most important ingredient because the reader is involved and views the
story as a game or puzzle to solve.
Know the story ending
BEFORE you begin writing. You need to know the answer to the mystery so you can
add the real and false clues.
Introduce the
character who is solving the mystery and the villain who is trying to keep the
character from solving the mystery early in the book. Other possible suspects
can be introduced early as well.
Next week, we’ll look
at more rules for writing mysteries.
Call for Submissions for Young
Writers:
American
Girl. Accepting nonfiction articles from
readers
Crafts
Cooking
Puzzles
Jokes
And more.
Submission guidelines at http://www.americangirl.com/corp/corporate.php?section=about&id=8
Call
for Submissions for Adult Writers:
The Fountain 100th Issue Essay Contest. The Fountain invites you
to join us in celebrating our 100th issue. Write an essay to yourself on your
100th birthday. What would you say to yourself at that age? What would your
100-year-old self tell you back? Would it be a conversation of praise and/or regret?
Perhaps praise for the achievements in your career, but regrets about a lost
family? Or warnings about the mistakes you made in your projected future or in
your past; pitfalls you happened to be dragged into, temptations you could not
resist; or celebrations for the good character you were able to display and
sustain over a life; a precious life wasted or a life lived as it was meant to
be.
Essay word count
must be between 1,500 and 2,500 words
Cash prizes:
1st Place – $1,500
2nd Place – $750
3rd Place – $300
Two Honorable Mentions – $200 each
2nd Place – $750
3rd Place – $300
Two Honorable Mentions – $200 each
DEADLINE:
November 30th.
I really would like to write a mystery for kids, so this is pretty interesting to me. Thanks for the post.
ReplyDeleteKids love mysteries and editors love mysteries so that's a win-win. That genre is popular at all times, especially if you embed humor throughout. Not continuously, but bits and pieces. Give it a try and have fun with it.
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