This lesson is designed to help people write a rough draft of a mystery even if they have no idea where to begin. It helps if mystery ideas are brainstormed before starting.

1. Write a Mystery
Even if you have no idea
how!
Lesson written by Shannon Powell, adapted
from one by Penny Lou Lew

2. 1. You are finally out of school
after a long, busy week. You are
just about to do your favorite,
relaxing activity. Describe what
the activity is, what you’re doing,
and what is going through your
mind at the time.

3. 2. Your cell phone rings, but
you don’t want to answer it.
Describe what goes through
your mind during the ringing,
and what you do, although you
don’t answer it and you don’t
shut it off completely.

4. 3. After a few quiet moments, the phone
rings again, and you decide you need to
answer it. On the other end is someone
who needs your help. They have
discovered a mystery to solve, and are
frantically trying to explain it to you.
Explain who the person is and use
dialogue to describe your conversation.
(By the end of this slide you should have
that question for the reader to solve.)

5. 4. You decide you must help.
Arrange with the person on the
phone to meet somewhere (tell us
where) and head there. Use dialogue
to end the conversation, and action
sentences to explain your leaving.
(How do you get to the place?)

6. 5. Describe the setting as you
arrive to meet the other person.
Someone (maybe the person on the
phone or maybe someone else)
comes up and talks to you. Describe
this person and give the audience
hints at his/her personality.

7. 6. What do you and this other
person talk about? Use dialogue
to explain the conversation.

8. 7. As the person you’re talking to
walks away (give your audience a
reason), you set to work examining
the scene. What does it look like?
What are some of the interesting
things that you notice? Use plenty
of detail and as many of the five
senses as you can to explain your
surroundings.

9. 8. While you are examining the scene,
you come up with a couple of
questions that should help you solve
the case. What are the questions?
(Think about what clues you will need
to solve the mystery.) Have your
character decide who to question to
solve the case.

10. 9. How do you find/get your
suspects to question them? Who
are they? List the three
witnesses/suspects and their
responses to your two questions.
(For this rough draft, you could
even make a list or a chart to
complete later.)

11. 10. Toward the end of the
interrogation, you notice something
extremely suspicious, either on one
of the suspects, near him/her, or in
something he/she said. What is it?
(Think about that key clue to solve
your mystery or catching someone in
a lie.)

12. 11. As the interrogation draws
to a close, you notice another
clue. What is it, and what does
it make you think or do? (Use
dialogue and action
sentences.)

13. 12. Now you are alone, giving
you an opportunity to more
closely examine the evidence you
discovered. It clearly points to
one of the suspects. What
information does it give you, and
what do you decide to do about
it? (Describe your thoughts.)

14. 13. You decide to confront the
suspect, but when you get to the
person, he/she is about to escape.
You act quickly. Describe what
happens. Use plenty of action and
description.

15. 14. After a struggle, the suspect
confesses. He/she confirms
what you thought, and even
gives a motive for the crime.
Explain in detail how this scene
plays out. Use dialogue and
thoughts and actions.

16. 15. Somehow, conclude this story.
16. Or, if you prefer, go back to
around where slides 11 and 12
are, and try to end the story with
a “Who did it?” -type ending like
the short stories we read earlier.
Make sure that essential clue is
in the story somewhere.