Mystery: March 19, 2014 Issue [#6219]
<< March 12, 2014Mystery Archives | More From This Day | Print This IssueMarch 26, 2014 >>

Newsletter Header
Mystery


 This week: Interview With the Pre-teen
  Edited by: Annette Author IconMail Icon
                             More Newsletters By This Editor  Open in new Window.

Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

Hello Mystery writers and readers. Following up on a suggestion by Quick-Quill Author Icon, I interviewed my 12-year old to find out what pre-teens like in mystery fiction.


Word from our sponsor

ASIN: B083RZ37SZ
Product Type:
Amazon's Price: Price N/A
Not currently available.


Letter from the editor


Interview With the Pre-teen


How hidden can those clues really be to be a satisfying read?


In my quest to understand younger readers better, I used one of my home resources: my 12-year-old middle son. He is an avid reader and is the type who will secretly stay up to read late or fill some downtime with a book rather than watching TV. Although he's reading a lot, as you can see from his answers below, getting information doesn't yield much, but I hope that those among you without access to pre-teens but you want to write for that age slice finds it a little enlightening.

Q: Which books have you read recently?

A: Lord of the Rings, Percy Jackson, and Harry Potter.

Q: Were any of those mysteries?

A: Percy Jackson has some mysteries in it that get explained in the end.

Q: Do you enjoy riddles in stories and collecting clues?

A: A little.

Q: Do you like obvious clues, possibly repeated, or clues that are a bit more hidden and only mentioned once?

A: I like obvious clues that get repeated.

Q: How do you feel as a reader when the writer mentions clues in the end as the reason for the ending, but you don't remember seeing the clue in the story?

A: Frustrated.



Editor's Picks

Image Protector
STATIC
Reflection of the Night Open in new Window. (13+)
Very Short Story About Tolerance Written for W/C Contest 2003
#637654 by ♥Ho Ho HOOves♥ Author IconMail Icon

 
Image Protector
BOOK
Journey's End Open in new Window. (18+)
A new position, a new life, and a mysterious disappearing employer.
#1964509 by Odessa Molinari Author IconMail Icon

 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#1954025 by Not Available.

 
Image Protector
STATIC
Jumper Open in new Window. (18+)
Policeman and a Jumper
#1975892 by Quick-Quill Author IconMail Icon

 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#1971577 by Not Available.

 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#1981310 by Not Available.

 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#1971389 by Not Available.

 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#1946702 by Not Available.

Image Protector
FORUM
Crack Kraken's Code Contest [Round Over] Open in new Window. (13+)
Follow the clues and decipher the message to win prizes!
#746016 by Kraken through the Snow Author IconMail Icon

Image Protector
FORUM
Twisted Tales Contest Open in new Window. (13+)
A monthly contest for stories with a twist. Get 500 GPs for entering! Dec round open!
#1269187 by Arakun the twisted raccoon Author IconMail Icon

 
Submit an item for consideration in this newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Word from Writing.Com

Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
         https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Don't forget to support our sponsor!



Ask & Answer

I got the following comment for my last Mystery Newsletter "Leave Enough CluesOpen in new Window.:

Donnamae Author Icon wrote: I have long held that the skill of critical thinking is underrated, thus under-taught. I think it becomes a potentially dangerous problem, for two examples, in the areas of public health and politics. People could actually help their children develop this skill. My grandmother did it for me in the fifties and sixties, as we watched television together. She would "pooh-pooh" the claims in the advertising, explaining that a drawing of a rubber wedge in the heel of a sneaker does not prove that the shoe could make you "run faster and jump higher."

Well said. Critical thinking has become near extinct in middle-schoolers and high-schoolers due to standartized testing, it's scary. Interestingly, all it would take to remedy that would be to read more fairy tales. Not the Disney versions, the Grimm's collections or other local collections and then talk about them with kids. Those stories always have a message that transcends time and culture because the tales revolve around human nature and its aberrations. I think I will bring out the Grimm's tales this week.


*Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet* Don't Be Shy! Write Into This Newsletter! *Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet*

This form allows you to submit an item on Writing.Com and feedback, comments or questions to the Writing.Com Newsletter Editors. In some cases, due to the volume of submissions we receive, please understand that all feedback and submissions may not be responded to or listed in a newsletter. Thank you, in advance, for any feedback you can provide!
Writing.Com Item ID To Highlight (Optional):

Send a comment or question to the editor!
Limited to 2,500 characters.
Word from our sponsor
ASIN: B07N36MHWD
Amazon's Price: $ 7.99

Removal Instructions

To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.


<< March 12, 2014Mystery Archives | More From This Day | Print This IssueMarch 26, 2014 >>

This printed copy is for your personal use only. Reproduction of this work in any other form is not allowed and does violate its copyright.