Your mystery is a puzzle your sleuth and your reader want to solve. Each character is a piece of the puzzle who guides your reader through the story. Learn how to put them all together to create a puzzling puzzle your readers will love.

1. ZARA ALTAIR FOR RWA KISS OF DEATH - COFFIN
Who They Are and How They Work in Your Story
MYSTERYCHARACTERS
1

2. TODAY’SAGENDA
PLAYFULCREATIVITY

3. - Presentation
- Q & A
- Writing Session
- Share
HOWWE’LLWORKTOGETHER

4. ZARAALTAIR
Mystery Author
Teacher
Story Development
Script Doctor

5. READERSCOMEFORTHEPLOT

6. ANDSTAYFORTHECHARACTERS

7. “ROMANCE NOVELINWHICHSUSPENSE,
MYSTERY,ORTHRILLERELEMENTS
CONSTITUTEANINTEGRALPARTOFTHEPLOT”
RWA
ROMANTICSUSPENSE

8. MYSTERYCOMPONENTS

9. - a ba
ffl
ing crime, usually a murder
- an investigator committed to solving the crime
- a concealed killer villain
- the killer’s cover-up
- discovery process and elimination of suspects
- evaluation of clues, sorting the true from the false
- identi
fi
cation and apprehension of the villain
MYSTERYCOMPONENTSREADERSEXPECT

10. CHARACTERSBRINGYOURNOVEL
TOLIFE

11. YOURPROTAGONISTSLEUTH

12. HOWDOESYOURSLEUTHSTACKUP?

13. - Inspector Jules Maigret - Argolicus used to have as much authority, but now he must rely on
his acumen alone.
- Commissario Salvo Montalbano - Not as volatile but certainly as doggedly persistent. And,
yes, his helper, Nikolaos, sometimes gets the bits he misses.
- Cadfael - As compassionate without the religious fervor.
- Father Brown - A certain naȉvete which allows people to share intimacies.
- Bernie Gunther - Similar strong moral values, without the snark.
- Gregor Reinhart - None of the angst, but keen observation skills and an ability to navigate
political in-
fi
ghts.
- Gordianus - In the thick of politics, but centuries later.
- Falco - At the other end of the social strata, but equally keen to solve a problem.
- Commissario Guido Brunetti - Unencumbered by family matters, Argolicus must still navigate
a political maze.
SLEUTHCOMPARISONEXAMPLE

14. QUESTIONS?

15. YOURTURN
COMPARE YOUR SLEUTH
5 Minute Brainstorm

16. - observant
- obstinate in the face of
opposition
- trained inspector
- expects excellence
- fearless in tough situations
YOURDETECTIVE’SSKILLS
FOCUS ON YOUR DETECTIVE

17. YOURTURN
DETECTIVE SKILLS
2 Minute Brainstorm

18. INTRODUCEYOURSLEUTH

19. Meet Argolicus, a learned man, who turns detective at the bidding of
others who know him as trustworthy, wise, and fair. His tools are the
logic of Aristotle, the self-restraint of Epictetus, the theology of Arius,
and the empirical insights of Marcus Aurelius all sharpened to an edge
by wry humor and ferocious curiosity. He collects evidence, deciphers
politics, and digs into the deepest secrets of the human heart.

20. QUESTIONS?

21. YOURTURN
MEET YOUR DETECTIVE
5 Minute Brainstorm

22. SHARETIME

23. WHYWOULDANYONEWANT
TOKILLYOURVICTIM?

24. - Context in the story. Much of the victim’s context besides the death is the victim’s
relationships with suspects
- Physical details. Details that attracted and/or repelled other characters
- Emotional makeup. Likewise, what attracted or repelled other characters
- Speci
fi
cs of how the victim impacted the killer
THEVICTIMINCONTEXT

25. QUESTIONS?

26. - The victim’s public reputation
- The victim’s relationship to suspect 1
- The victim’s relationship to suspect 2
- The victim’s relationship to suspect 3
- The victim’s relationship to suspect 4
- The victim’s relationship, if any, to supporting characters: love interest, mentor,
sidekick, etc.
- The victim’s relationship to the villain
VICTIMNETWORK

27. YOURTURN
YOUR VICTIM’S RELATIONSHIPS
5 Minute Brainstorm

28. SHARETIME

29. IKILLEDTHEVICTIM,BUTNOBODYKNOWS

30. - Personal life not related to the victim
- Secrets they want to keep hidden
- Lies they tell to preserve the secrets
- Life-related to the victim
THEVILLAIN’SHIDDENTRAITS

31. HIDETOREVEAL

32. QUESTIONS?

33. YOURTURN
YOUR VILLAIN’S SECRETS
5 Minute Brainstorm

34. SHARETIME

35. LOOKINGSUSPICIOUSANDTELLINGLIES

36. - Their life related to the victim
- Personal life not related to the victim
- Secrets they want to keep hidden
- Lies they tell to preserve the secrets
SUSPICIOUSSUSPECTS

37. SUSPECTSECRETS

38. QUESTIONS?

39. YOURTURN
PICK A SUSPECT
5 Minute Brainstorm

40. SHARETIME

41. HOWDOESYOURCHARACTERSUPPORTTHEMYSTERYGOAL?

42. - How the character relates to each of the other characters
- How they
fi
t in the framework of the story
STORYROLE=CONTEXT

43. QUESTIONS?

44. YOURTURN
SUPPORTING CHARACTER RELATION AND STORY CONTEXT
5 Minute Brainstorm

45. SHARETIME

46. LASTQUESTIONS

47. zaraaltair.com zara@zaraaltair.com WRITE A KILLER MYSTERY
THANKYOU!