Mystery Writing Tips from Rebecca Podos

Think about your favorite mystery novel. Is it filled with twists, turns, and red herrings? Did the author leave you hanging on tenterhooks trying to figure out “whodunit” right until the very end? Yes to all of the above? We thought so! This week, Mystery Writing Competition guest judge and writer Rebecca Podos walks you through her tried and true tips for writing a story filled with suspense and mystique.

Your debut novel, The Mystery of Hollow Places, came out last year. Why did you choose to write a mystery novel?

I grew up reading mystery books for kids—Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys (the mid-90’s updates where everyone had boyfriends and girlfriends), The Boxcar Children and Babysitters Club mystery specials, and for slightly more sophisticated tastes, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. I wasn’t any good at solving the cases ahead of time, but that was okay, because I knew that by the end, I would have all the answers, and that was very comforting.

When I set out to write a book for teens in one of my earliest beloved genres, I wanted to write a detective character who also grew up on mysteries, and believed wholeheartedly in that classic narrative structure, in the promise that there are answers to every question, if only you’re patient and clever enough to seek them out. But life is messy, and the seemingly straight-forward puzzle she sets out to solve evolves and complicates along the way, until she realizes that there are no easy answers, no neatly guaranteed solutions.

So that was kind of the task I set for myself in writing Hollow Places: to craft an intriguing mystery, but also, to challenge their typical structure. I have no idea if it actually worked :)  

Mystery writing, in particular, relies on the writer keeping readers on the edge of their seats with twists, turns, red herrings and the like. How can readers make sure their story is gripping right until the end?

Twists and turns are definitely important! I think that, like in any story, momentum is so important—this sense that events are snowballing toward their inevitable conclusion. For me, in this case, that means that every choice the character makes, every bit of evidence they uncover and every lead they pursue, directly motivates the next step of the mystery, even if it’s a misstep. Otherwise, they’re just sort of stumbling from clue to clue.

That also means establishing a strong main character at the heart of the mystery. Because sometimes, the detective has to mess up, make bad guesses, let their own biases and assumptions get in the way.

Our young writers can submit a short story or an excerpt of a larger work. While most are familiar with the short story format, what advice do you have for writers who are planning to submit an excerpt that won’t necessarily come to any sort of resolution but must still stand on its own?

There are plenty of opportunities to find smaller, stand-alone excerpts within your novel, because there are lots of mini arcs within the larger, book-length plot arc. A moment where your detective reevaluates the path they’re on, or uncovers a game-changing clue. Or it can be a quieter moment of character growth, where some event or encounter causes them to see the world in a slightly different way. Ideally, you want some sort of evolution within your selection.

What are some of your favorite YA mystery reads?

There are so many great ones out, just in the last year! I love Brittany Cavallaro’s A Study in Charlotte series, which is a modern day, gender-flipped Holmes/ Watson relationship. Kim Savage’s thrillers are gorgeous and dark, so I recommend After the Woods and Beautiful Broken Girls. Caleb Roehrig’s Last Seen Leaving is a very cool, LGBTQ noir homage. 2016 was a good year for YA mysteries!

What are you looking for in a strong mystery writing entry?

A fresh voice and a fully realized character; they don’t need to be likeable, and I don’t need to want to be friends with them, but I have to believe in them, and understand why they make the choices they make. Also, this being a mystery competition, a compelling mystery! Something with real physical and emotional stakes that escalate throughout the story or excerpt, so that I care desperately about the outcome.

You studied literature at Emerson College in Boston. What advice do you have for young writers who are interested in pursuing writing as part of their higher education?

I did—I actually got my BA in Creative Writing in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and my MFA in Writing, Literature and Publishing at Emerson. And I went into both programs with different goals. As an undergrad, the decision to pursue writing as a degree was sort of a scary one, because everybody asks “What are you ever going to do with that? How are you going to get a job?”

First of all, having a college degree is, of course, very important for your future. But I think being passionate about what you study is a lot more important than choosing the Most-Statistically-Likely-to-Get-You-Any-Kind-of-Job major. Whether you want a career in publishing or not, the ability to write well and to think creatively will genuinely be an asset. But aside from that, you only get so much time in your life to concentrate solely on the subjects and projects that you love. And if you limit yourself when you’re young, it will only get harder as you grow older, when financial and personal responsibilities start to pile up. So why not study something that fascinates you? Why not allow yourself this time to do what you love, amongst people who share your passions, and see what comes of it?