  Mystery
This week: Mystery Sub-Genres Edited by: Jeff  
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"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known."
-- Carl Sagan
Random Mystery Trivia of the Week: Don Westlake had an accomplished career. having written over a hundred novels and nonfiction books under more than fifteen pseudonyms. He was named a Grandmaster by the Mystery Writers of America (their highest honor), and is a three-time Edgar Award winner. In fact, he's one of only two writers to win three Edgar Awards in three different writing categories (novel, short story, and screenplay).
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MYSTERY SUB-GENRES
Mystery is a broad genre, with many different facets and topics. While there are traditional mysteries about cops and private investigators and con men and kidnappers, there are also mysteries involving medical professionals, supernatural creatures, and historical figures. As such a diverse genre, it's only natural that mystery has several sub-genres. Some of these include:
Medical Mysteries. These types of mysteries most often revolve around some kind of medical issue. Robin Cook, for example, has written novels that center on stem cells, organ donation, fertility treatments, and medical malpractice.
Supernatural/Paranormal Mysteries. Stories that center on supernatural mysteries often involve unexplained phenomena that falls outside the realm of rational explanation. The X-Files, for example, has dealt with cases that were related to alien abductions, mystical power, and psychic abilities.
Historical Mysteries. Whether fiction or nonfiction, the past is filled with unanswered questions and questionable motivations. This sub-genre often focuses on a particular event or time period from the past and provides the reader with an explanation of what really happened.
Noir. Noir is a very specific type of mystery that involves elements like a femme fatale, flawed protagonists, themes of corruption, etc. Many of Mickey Spillane and Raymond Chandler's mysteries were turned into successful noir films in the 1930s and 1940s.
Legal Mysteries. One of the best known and most successful writers of this subgenre is John Grisham, whose stories often feature protagonists who are attorneys or other legal professionals that uncover corruption, conspiracy, and crimes that center around the legal process.
The idea of writing a "mystery" can often be intimidating because it's such a versatile and diverse genre. If you're stuck or aren't quite sure where to start with a mystery story, consider focusing on a particular sub-genre to give your story a more limited set of parameters. Sometimes, the restrictions that come with a more specific sub-genre can end up being the guidelines that help you create a focused and cohesive story. 
Until next time,
-- Jeff
QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What's your favorite mystery sub-genre?
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This week, I would encourage you to check out the following mystery items:
Rain splattered against the cold October ground. The small dripping sound of rain dropped onto leaves, dirt, and branches that filled the foggy forest. The colorful leaves on the ground soon became a muddy mess; dissolving the pretty yellow, purple, and red colors into dull shades. The cold, lonely forest was disserted from visitors. Animals had taken shelter from the rain and the small hiking paths were unvisited. The forest at this time looked rather frightening.
The mansion revealed nothing. Like a shell left behind by some sort of creature, it was physically full and yet somehow spiritually empty. The Saturday night hung on itself in the humid air. Devan’s hair was matted down in the downpour. Jillian, at his side, was hiding under a small umbrella, but still looked incredibly wet. Tony, behind them, was underneath his jacket, sharing it with Tara next to him. Still behind him was Matt, who ignored rain’s existence. To them, this empty shell was a shelter, and they rushed inside. The secret graduation party was rained out, and since they told their parents it was a night trip to Boston, they couldn’t go home.
Beware, those who are hollow in the heart. / Fear neither the mist nor the weeping willows in the dead of the night, / Just be weary of he who walks on the darkest eve of harvest spell; / For it is in the deepest hollows where he hides and dwells.
I knelt down and dug my fingers into the dark clay earth; it was cold and hard, keeping it from absorbing the blood from my hands. I pushed the coarse grains through my fingers, working them into the crevasses of my skin, they were cool and soothing. The mixture turned a deep color of red and black; this unity of me and nothing, this insipient attempt at cleansing. Perhaps it was a ritual. One I rehearsed automatically and without purpose, as if I was looking for something. Like the earth held the very secrets I was searching for.
Katy stood on the pavement before the mansion called Banner’s Rest, and wondered why she was doing this, for about the twentieth time that morning. The house looked as if it were in excellent repair – probably because of the government funding it had received since it became a national heritage museum five years ago. What would her life be like if she lived in this house, Katy Banner wondered. What if her family had managed to keep the old mansion, if she had inherited it? Somewhere, in a seriously warped universe existing only in Katy’s over-active imagination, she often dreamed about this scenario.
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In response to my last newsletter on high-interest hooks (the question was regarding favorite hooks):
Hi, I run "The Detailed Writing Prompt Comp" . This months prompt includes the opportunity to cast yourself as your favorite movie mystery character in that worlds setting. Monthly prizes include 10000 gift points and inclusion in an ebook. Judges favorites will be included in the book as well. But wait there's more! A grand champion will be chosen each year - who will win an upgrade (donations pending). Hope you find this information relevant for your weekly newsletter, to which I am a subscriber and read every week! -- Thundersbeard 30DBC JULY HOST 
Happy to feature your contest. Best of luck with it!
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Mystery: November 22, 2011 Issue [#4733]
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