Tips on writing Kid’s Mysteries

Abi foresees new ghosts who might appear to
her in the third and final book of the
Abi Wunder series: Secrets of the Heart.
Illustration by Danika Corrall

By Linda Wilson   @LinWilsonauthor

If you want to write a children’s mystery story, you can find the basic how-to’s by doing a simple Google search: How to write a children’s mystery. AI offers an amazingly thorough and accurate description. I posted a copy at my desk to remind me to stay on track in my own mystery writing. Also helpful is to take a course on writing children’s mysteries and keeping a “Mystery” file to collect articles, blog posts, etc. on the subject all in one place.

When it actually came to writing mysteries, I found that I couldn’t follow a cookie-cutter description. I had to find my own way. In this post, I describe the highlights of my journey.

Holding Back

Holding back details of the mystery became the most important consideration for me. In the first few drafts, I gave away answers to questions my plot and characters brought up too soon. Keeping my readers guessing took careful sweeps (more than one) through the story to find information that I needed to hold back. Then later, to find the right place to reveal the answers.

The Main Plot

Secret in the Mist: An Abi Wunder Mystery is a ghost/mystery story. The ghost appears three times to Abi and Jess, the main characters. Significant clues are left each time.

• When the ghost first appears, she leads Abi and Jess to an old farmhouse. Why?
• A: Through some searching and trial and error, Abi and Jess discover that the ghost lived in the old farmhouse. An internet search reveals nothing about the ghost, so for a while this is the only piece of information they can find.
• Next time they see her, she waves a handkerchief that has her initials embroidered on it. Is the ghost simply saying good-bye or trying to confirm her identity?
• A: The ghost confirms Abi and Jess's guess of the ghost’s name by showing them her initials. Her initials match other hints of the ghost's name. The ghost’s identity is confirmed.
• The last time, the ghost leads them to a friend’s farm. Why?
• A: Abi and Jess learn that the ghost was engaged to be married to a past relative of the farm’s current owners. This information leads them to piece together why the ghost has returned, and finally, how they can help her.

In my last post, I discuss how this book, Secret in the Mist, began with a detailed outline, which immediately became obsolete as I wrote. The points I made in that post were discoveries made during the writing that were not included in the outline. Does that make me a pantser? A writer who writes as their stories come to them (off the seat of their pants, some might say)? In the end, Mist became a mixture of both, outlining and pantsering. Please refer to my post for a more detailed description: Writers On The Move: Writers: Will Outlining Your Story Save Time?

There is one more book to go in the Abi Wunder trilogy: Secrets of the Heart. My deepest desire is to write the book from an outline. I do believe outlining can cut time. But this will need much thinking and planning ahead of time. That includes as much foresight as possible in holding back fun and enticing details to keep readers guessing, and revealing these details in the right place later on. For children's mystery writers, this effort will go a long way in offering our readers the greatest impact and enjoyment.

Reading and writing with my
personal fan club, always there
to offer their support!

Linda's two new releases are Botas Altas, the Spanish version of Tall Boots, translated by Graciela Moreno and Adriana Botero, and Cuna en la Naturaleza, the Spanish version of Cradle in the Wild, translated by Adriana Botero. Visit Linda at https://bit.ly/3AOM98L.