A Novel Creation www.WatersWords.com

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             c) on ...

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. And that needs to start on the first page but… It doesn’t mean the action on the first page has to neces...

Objective: Students completing this course will be able to identify at least three key elements needed to write a mystery. AND REMEMBER FOLKS...THIS IS ALL IN FUN...BUT YOU WILL LEARN! See last week's post for glimpse of Whodunnit U by clicking HERE . Assignments (Bookmark these for future reference) 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 Dramatic Structure and Plot…or how to keep your story from circling the drain by Hallie Ephron http://mysterywriters.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Ephron_-_Plotting_-_Website.pdf I like this article because it gives great tips for creating a plot with rising tension and ultimate confrontation. Characters Taking the Mystery Out of Writing Mysteries by Dennis Palumbo http://www.writersstore.com/taking-the-mystery-out-of-w...

The Silver Sleuths at Whodunnit University (WU) are holding tight to their perfect record, remaining undefeated in this, the fifth week of collegiate football. J.R.M. Whodunnit University prepares writers to put together well-crafted mystery and suspense novels as well as short stories. “Anyone can attend WU for the month of October tuition free,” University President, Dr. Rebecca Waters shared at a recent press conference. Potential students of mystery and suspense are encouraged to participate each week in the online study program hosted by Whodunnit U during the month of October. Week one begins today. Participants are asked to name their favorite mystery or suspense character. “The university will accept characters from books, television, movies, or plays. You may also include characters from courtroom thrillers,” Waters said. “Leave the names of the character(s) you’ve chosen in the comments section below.” One additional assignment for the week requires parti...