Get a Clue: We All Need a Little Mystery in Our Novels

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

I'm still recovering from "conference brain" after five days away. In honor of SleuthFest (which was awesome), here's a dip into the archives on why every writer should add a little mystery and wonder to their novel. Enjoy!

A good friend of mine writes mysteries, and when she first started reading my fantasies (the novels, not the other kind) she remarked that she’d never be able to make up an entire world like I did. I found it impressive that she could write in the real world and not have the luxury of making stuff up when she needed it.

Two totally different writers approaching their stories from two totally different perspectives, but what we both agreed on, was that all stories need a sense of mystery and wonder. Without mystery, stories just aren’t any fun.

I think as writers, we can get so caught up the plot and characters, showing all the cool things we created, and making sure the technical stuff is working, that we forget readers want more than just "good writing." They want a story they can get lost in. A puzzle to solve. They want to figure out the truth and be surprised.

Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com