What Grover Taught Me
about Writing Mysteries
By Heather Weidner
I am Gen X, first-generation Sesame Street and first-generation MTV. One of my favorite children’s books of all time was the classic, The Monster at the End of This Book. I still have my copy. Mystery, fantasy, suspense, monsters. This book had it all.
As I look back on some of my childhood favorites, I realize I’ve been reading mysteries for a long time. Here’s what this Little Golden Book and the blue fuzzy monster from Sesame Street taught me about writing mysteries.
- You
need to build suspense in your stories to keep your readers engaged.
- Your
readers need to like or empathize with your protagonist.
- Everyone
is afraid of something, and writers need to tap into fears to build
tension.
- Write
strong (and fun) dialog. Make it sound like real speech, slang and all.
- Use
pacing correctly. Slow down the action to build suspense, and speed it up
to amp up the excitement.
- Your
protagonist needs a challenge or a problem to solve.
- Your
character should not be perfect. Little (or big) flaws make your character
relatable and interesting.
- Make
sure your character is not flat. He or she needs to be a real person (or
monster) with all the things that life throws in the way. Your protagonist
has to stumble and make mistakes.
- When
you think your character has had enough and is close to breaking, pile it
on. Add more tension.
- Don’t
load up your work with a lot of narrative and back story. Readers want to
stay in the action.
- And most importantly, never forget that reading is fun.
Do you have a favorite children’s book that taught you some
life lessons?
Heather
Weidner writes cozy crime fiction for readers who want justice with a sprinkle
of fun and a southern accent.
Through
the years, Heather Weidner has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor,
college professor, software tester, and IT manager. She writes the Pearly Girls
Mysteries, the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, The Jules Keene Glamping
Mysteries, and The Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries.
Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a crazy Mini Aussie Shepherd.
