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Mystery novels are unique from other genres in that a puzzle must be solved as part of the story whether or not it involves a murder. This genre offers an immense scope for setting, period, and type. Mysteries vary from the fast-paced thriller, the hard-boiled, the police procedural, the dark suspenseful plot, to more so-called cozies where the puzzle dominates action. Two areas have become increasingly prominent in mystery fiction: the paranormal and romance. The addition of these two elements adds an extra dimension to the mystery and offers the writer and reader an intricate plot with additional room for subplots. This makes mystery fiction richer and more textured than many mysteries written a quarter of a century ago.
Readers of mysteries, responding to a survey by Bowker Division (a company that collects publishing data) indicated the most important aspect of a book was; the author, the book was part of a series, the protagonists and the setting in that order. But of importance was also the puzzle – the plot of the story. Readers read mysteries to solve puzzles. An author must never disappoint, and often has only one chance to get it right, their first mystery. So if you choose to write a mystery, make certain that it will be the beginning of a series, and you have a good story to tell. These exercises will help you get started in crafting a mystery with paranormal elements. This workshop can only touch on writing a mystery, paranormal, romantic or any other type of mystery. But the material presented in this workshop can serve as a foundation for you to continue writing your mystery.
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