  Mystery
This week: Edited by: darkin
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Welcome to the Mystery Newsletter. Why are mysteries so popular? Because mysteries make you think. You follow every clue, examine the crime scenes and remember what each suspect said, until you solve the crime. A good mystery can keep you interested until the end. A great mystery will keep you guessing until the last page...when it makes you slap your forehead in surprise!
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Location, Location, Location
Setting has become a very important part of the mystery novel. Readers like to feel as if they've visited a real place, even if it's a fictional place. Done right, your location can create mood, atmosphere and even help determined plot. If nothing else, exploring your novel's location will add color and richness to your story. Yet, without it, your book may lose an important dimension - the visual one.
Real or Memorex???
You might be wondering if it's better to use a real location or make one up. Some reader like taking mini-vacations to a new location while reading a novel. They want to visit a place they've always wanted to go, but can't. Reading can be that vacation...even if it's only in their minds.
If you use a real location, you must know it inside and out. Even if you live there, you will have to do research. Be sure you've visited everywhere you want highlighted in your book, so you can faithfully describe it to your readers. A word of warning though. If your setting is your own small hometown, people will assume the characters in your book are based on real people, even if they aren't. Be prepared for the questions, from both your readers and your friends
One thing I hear members ask all the time is if they should name real places in their novel. You can, but keep in mind that if something bad happens at a particular location, you may want to create a fictional place. Not everyone likes mysteries, and the local restaurateur may not be happy to see your sleuth discover a murder victim in his restaurant. Also, most people don't want to live on the same street as a murderer, so you should give your villain a phony street to live on as well
Creating a fictional location has many advantages. While you will still need to do research, you can plan how the town and its surrounding areas are laid out. You can make your setting anything you wish. You are in complete control of your novel's location
Researching your location.
If you've chosen to write about a real place you will need to research it. While reading about a place it nice, visiting it in person is preferred. Take notes, photographs, and video tape of the area you want in your novel. Get travel brochures from various businesses and historical sites. Travel guide books are great places to find information and the local historical society can help you give your location background.
Make your setting work.
Now that you have this wonderful information, how do you place it in your novel? Remember, a little goes a long way. Don't slow your story for a lengthy descriptive passage. Anchor your reader, don't overwhelm them with information. It's best to sprinkle the information within the story, as it applies to the action going on. Use it to enhance a tense situation or set a mood. Your sleuth arriving at the scene of the crime, with the rain falling and wind blowing, will create a more hectic mood. The attitudes, opinions, life style in a particular area can also help the overall impression in your story.
Use the five senses when describing your setting. Show us the muddy grounds from the constant winter rain. Let us see the white blossoms from the cherry trees drifting to the ground as the wind gently blows. Weather can be a great scene setter, but don't start every chapter with a weather report.
Readers need to be anchored in your setting, but they also want to use their imaginations. Whatever its other functions, setting should help transport the reader into the fictional world of your story.
Thank you for taking the time to read. Happy Writing!
darkin
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Here are some short stories I found while traveling the highways and byways of Writing.Com!
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What is your favorite location for a mystery novel? Do you prefer a real place, or a fictional one?
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Mystery: August 09, 2006 Issue [#1198]
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