Mystery+Writing+Prompts

== Tuesday, April 17: Use the Mystery Character Generator to come up with a character you like for your new story. Based on the character, start a mystery story about him or her (or them if you are really ambitious.) == 

Here are a few prompts to get you started writing a mystery story. If one of them makes you think of something else to write about, go for it!

**Mystery Writing Prompt #1 -- Plot** Write about an unusual murder weapon. How would it be used? How would it be disposed of?

**Mystery Writing Prompt #2 -- Characterization** Describe your detective in as much detail as possible. Why is he/she trying to solve the crime?

**Mystery Writing Prompt #3 -- Point of View** Write a murder scene from 3 different points of view: first person of the victim, first person of the perpetrator, and from 3rd person omniscient.

**Mystery Writing Prompt #4 -- Plot / Characterization** How many motives for murder can you think of? Write them down and be as detailed as possible.

**Mystery Writing Prompt #5 -- Setting** Describe the scene of a crime (any) using each of the following words at least once: muddy, white, broken, fork, ringing, definition.

**Mystery Writing Prompt #6 -- Plot** A laptop is stolen from someone's home. What information on it is important? What would happen if it fell into the wrong hands?

**Mystery Writing Prompt #7 -- Character** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: georgia,serif;">Write about a pair of detectives that don't work well together. Why don't they get along? Be as detailed as possible.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: georgia,serif;">Don't force the writing; let loose and let it come naturally. Writing prompts should always be fun and helpful!

For the table below, choose one item from each column (or more if they appeal to you) to spark a story idea. Get started and let the writing flow!
 * **Characters** || **Plot Ideas** || **Suspense** ||
 * * Very tall, long nose with a broad chin and dark hair
 * Short, long blonde hair, dark green eyes and a big chin
 * About 6'2" and balding hair with blue eyes and long arms
 * Medium height, black skin, dark hair cut short and a beard
 * Big, muscular with a shaved head and a mean look
 * Tall, with a broad nose and a chin that sticks out
 * Very short, with long curly hair and a warm smile || * Your character is looking for the perfect present
 * Your character wants to ruin a painter's picture
 * Your character is being blackmailed
 * Your character is sick and needs a rare medicine
 * Your character is found dead in a room
 * Your character needs money to pay for college
 * Your character is running for office and wants to be sure he/she will win
 * Your character is planning on something evil
 * Your character is very sad || * It was a strange night, there seemed to be a chill in the air...
 * As soon as I arrived, I could sense that something was out of place...
 * One night, I looked out the window and I saw the neighbor...
 * I was reading a book when I looked up. There in the window I saw....
 * I decided to go for an evening stroll. I walked about three blocks when...
 * They would have been fine if they hadn't stopped for the stranger...
 * Everyone avoided the big old mansion. It was believed to have...
 * They said she was able to utter a few words before she died...
 * Something is drastically wrong! Every time I pick up the telephone...
 * Sometimes I think my friend has strange powers. Every time he's around...
 * All of a sudden I was trapped! ||

//<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Directions: Read through the prompts below and find one that gives you a spark. Start writing! You can copy the sentence right into your document and modify it however you need to get started. //

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">You are out camping in the forest and you wake to find your lucky __xxxxxxx__ missing. You and your friends must track down the perpetrator, whether man or animal. Use the clues of the forest (tracking, etc.) to find this wonderful __xxxxxxx__.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Have you ever been accused of a crime that you didn't commit (small or large)? Talk about the situation from both your side and the side of the lawmakers (who may be your parents or friends). What actually happened in the situation?

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Talk about a mystery that has occurred in your life. Start the story a bit before the event and go through the future consequences. Was the mystery ever solved?

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Someone in your family's household has been stealing the cookies from the cookie jar at night. You set up an elaborate surveillance system in order to nab the culprit. Talk about you plan from beginning to end. Do you catch the thief?

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Someone has been stealing away the puppies from your town at night. You and a crack team of investigators (concerned people from the neighborhood and your friends) have decided to figure out the crime when the police couldn't. What do you do and how do you solve it?

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">On a day that started like any other, your friends and family have started to treat you a bit strangely and you suspect that something is up. On a whim, you stay after school and hang out with a few friends before going home. When you return your house is surrounded by police cars. What do you do?

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">You wake up to find a post-it note attached to your forehead. This note is a clue that leads you to another clue somewhere in your house. Your roommates claim ignorance but decide that they'll help you to solve the mystery. One clue continues to lead to another, where will it end?