This document provides a guided outline for writing a mystery story in 17 steps. It prompts the writer to describe scenes such as arriving home from school, receiving a mysterious phone call asking for help solving a crime, investigating clues and interrogating suspects at a crime scene, and ultimately identifying and confronting the culprit. The writer is guided to include dialogue, sensory details, clues, and a dramatic conclusion to reveal "whodunit".

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
activity. Describe how you get
home from school, how you feel,
what the activity is, what you’re
doing, and what is going through
your mind at the time.

3. 2. Your (or someone’s) cell phone
rings, but you don’t answer it for
some reason (can’t? won’t? didn’t
hear it?). Describe what goes
through your mind during the ringing,
and what you do or don’t do, but
don’t answer it and don’t shut it off
completely.

4. 3. After a few quiet moments, the phone
rings again, and this time you do answer
it. On the other end is someone who
needs your help (do you know this
person?). 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 know what question the reader will

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?) **If you have set it up so
that you cannot meet this person, just
decide to GO somewhere.

6. 5. Describe the setting as you
arrive to meet the other person.
Someone (maybe the person on the
phone or maybe someone else - a
victim, a witness, a suspect, etc.)
comes up to you. Describe this
person and give the audience hints
at his/her personality. (Don’t talk
yet.)

7. 6. What do you and this other person
talk about? Use dialogue to explain
the conversation. Remember to use
body language and facial
expressions to help the reader “see”
what is happening.

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. During 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, either something in what
someone says or an actual
physical object. What is it, and
what does it make you think or
do? (Use dialogue, thoughts, 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 and actions.)

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

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,
thoughts, and actions. Don’t forget
body language, especially for the
suspect.

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.
17. *Bonus for having a red herring!