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Complete this final exam to pass the Whodunnit U online course. Have fun with it. You already have an “A” in the course just for trying! And since Whodunnit University is a figment of my imagination this exam may be a figment of yours. Who knows? Questions 1-3 are multiple choice…your choice. 1. What is the nature of the crime to be solved in your imagined story?             a) robbery             b) murder             c) sabotage             d) other ______________________ 2. Where does your story take place?             a) in an office             b) at a museum             ...

Lillian Duncan Whodunnit University welcomes visiting professor, Lillian Duncan. Let the lecture begin: Before we start, let’s take a look at the difference between mystery and suspense. The traditional definition usually says that a mystery is when you’re trying to discover who murdered someone and suspense is when you’re trying to stop a murder from happening. It’s a good definition, but I’d like to add a bit more for a little more clarification. I think mysteries keep the main characters in their day-to-day life while suspense thrusts the characters into a running-for-their-life scenario—if not their life, someone’s life has to be in danger. A good mystery should have elements of suspense and vice-versa so for our purposes I’m going to focus on suspense—since that’s what I write. A is for ACTION! ACTION!! and more ACTION!!! Readers today don’t want to read pages of description, backstory, or about a characters everyday life. They want action and lots of it...

Mystery 101 Course Syllabus Objective: Students completing this course will be able to identify at least three key elements needed to write a mystery. Assignments  Intro READ “ Top 10 Rules for Mystery Writing” by Ginny Wiehardt http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/genrefiction/tp/mysteryrules.htm This post is a great introduction to mystery writing. Plot READ   “Twisting the Plot for a Great Mystery” http://kobowritinglife.com/2012/11/19/twisting-the-plot-for-a-great-mystery/ I like this article because it gives the novice some great tips for creating a plot using the notion of a timeline and inserting twists. Characters READ "Taking the Mystery Out of Writing Mysteries" by Dennis Palumbo http://www.writersstore.com/taking-the-mystery-out-of-writing-mysteries/ This is a super post about character development. Think about your own protagonist and antagonist. The characters...