 Mystery: July 31, 2019 Issue [#9680] |
This week: I found it! Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon  
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Quote for the week: "All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost."
~J. R. R. Tolkien
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Searching for lost articles is an important part of mystery investigation, both in real life and fiction.
People search for lost or hidden items in different ways, depending on their personalities and the situation. Some search logically and systematically, recalling the last time they saw the lost article and going through the area where it is likely to be in an orderly fashion. Others rush around in a panic, searching some likely hiding places several times while missing others entirely. Still others sit helplessly, expecting someone else to find the lost article for them. Some might blame everyone but themselves for losing the item, even though they were the last to handle it.
Items might be lost or hidden in mystery stories for many reasons. The item might have been deliberately hidden by a character who has stolen it, or by the owner to prevent theft. Lost or hidden items make great puzzles for children's mystery stories. The article might be missing due to ineptitude or carelessness of the person who was guarding it. Or it might have been taken and "hidden" innocently by a child or pet.
The following is an exercise to help you and your characters search for lost articles.
Choose a lost article from this list:
Antique diamond ring
Old letter
A check for $1000
A thumb drive
Key
A doll
Backpack filled with money
Painting
Scientific data
An old book
Photo album
Cell phone
Now pick a character to hide the item and a motive for hiding it. The character can be from one of your own stories, or it can be from one of your favorite stories written by someone else. The character does not have to be a major character, and can have either well intentioned or evil motives for hiding the item. You can also make up a new character for the exercise or maybe use a character you have developed but not used in a story.
Now choose a hiding place from this list:
Your bedroom
An amusement park
A school
A car
A hoarder's cluttered home
A library
A beach
A prison
A police station
The basement of your neighbor's house
Now choose another character to search for the lost item. The character does not have to be from the same story as the first character, and does not have to be a detective or police officer. It might be a child, a crime victim, a witness, or even a villain.
What steps will your character take to find the lost item? Will they be successful? What challenges will this character face in the particular location you have chosen? Will the character find the lost item alone or call for help? What will your character do if the item is found? Remember that characters will search for missing items in different ways depending on their personalities, the value they place on the missing item, and their emotional state at the time of the search.
Something to try: Write a story that involves a lost or hidden article.
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| |  | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#2124980 by Not Available. |
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#2097272 by Not Available. |
|  | The Building (13+)
Curiosity gets the better of me as I noticed a strange building in downtown Seattle.
#1559221 by Riot  |
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