How to Write a Mystery in 10 (easy?) Steps

I promised my blog readers that I’d only post about 19th century lore but…recurring questions at book events about how I craft a mystery have spurred me to deviate from my plan. So, to please anyone who wants to know how I craft my stories, the next 10 weeks-one step each week-will tell you.

And, the time is right. I’m just beginning the third book in my Singular Village Mystery series, and I plan to match the week’s process with a post on how I do it, reporting in real time.

For example, the first week I’ll post about how I start with the murder, the next week how I build a story world around it, the third week I’ll be creating characters, and so on. Feel free to comment on any of the posts. I’d especially like to hear from other writers about how their strategy varies from mine. And readers’ suggestions are most welcome. Your idea might make it into the story.

Today, though, I’ll give you an overall view of my books. Just as I must position my characters in a specific place and time, the reader, too, needs to know where she is.

To start, I only write mysteries in a series because that’s what I like to read. If you’re a budding writer, here’s your takeaway: write what you read. You’ll spend hours, weeks, maybe years crafting a story. That’s difficult enough, but to do it with content you don’t absolutely love? Well, that’s just needless suffering.

The Singular Village Mysteries are my second mystery series (more about the earlier series in a future post). The stories are set in the 1830s village of Zoar, Ohio where my ancestors found sanctuary after escaping from religious persecution in their native Germany. To survive, they became communal and for a time, practiced celibacy (presumably!) to free the women from childbearing to work alongside the men. In addition to cooking, cleaning, washing and more, of course.

In this series we are privy to the two main characters’ viewpoints: Adelaide, a young midwife, and her husband, Benjamin, the local cabinet maker. Secondary characters include Adelaide’s sister, Nellie, traumatized by years in the girls’ dormitory under the cruel charge of the matron, Gerda, and various friends, supporters, and enemies among the villagers.

Because my distant grandfather, Joseph, was the leader of the town, he necessarily plays a role in stories that consistently offer up a new corpse. And a new murder!

Fortunately for me, historic records reveal that, although he led the villagers to prosperity, he also was a domineering man who kept control over the money, the lands, and the people. Here’s an historic tidbit about him: Although everyone had contributed to the town’s success, pooling their resources and working communally, Joseph didn’t sign the property (more than 10,000 acres) over to the town until he was on his deathbed. A fortuitous foil for Adelaide.

Okay, now you know where you are. Come back next week for the murder!