Problem with doing a mystery for NaNo

This is my 2nd year of NaNo and 2nd mystery - it's what I WANT to write, but the problem is that it's hard to wing it and pump up the word count since you have to keep worrying about the clues and unwinding the mystery and murder. I am spending too much non-writing time thinking about how to reel out clues, add to plotting, etc.
sigh...

I am not interested in writing Fantasy, but I suspect it's easier churning out words - or is that just wistful thinking?

SusanD

I write mysteries for NaNo. I have plotted some but not completely. My solution... I write backwards. I'm constantly adding scenes earlier. I'm about to add more conflict earlier in the story.

It might take a bit more time to plot out clues and churn out output but it's worth it if you want to write mysteries. And sometimes the word prompts and dares help. @NaNoWordSprints (Twitter) I took the dare to have a squirrel chasing my MC. I did it even though it didn't fit into the story. It morphed into a rabid squirrel and animal control and one of my main suspects fainting at the sight of the dead squirrel (killed with the TSoD no less). I realized I was able to eliminate that one suspect because she faints.

So yes, craziness but worth it. Just put a little extra effort into it, add those clues, red herrings and keep moving. Let your subconscious have a crack at throwing in clues too along with the ones you've planned. Have a general plan where you want to end and hopefully, you will arrive there and solve the mystery.

Good Luck!

I like the backwards idea - thanks for that tip.

My murder takes place 55 yrs ago and leads to a murder in present time so I'm linking them up as I go as best I can.

I have been off reading forensic stuff on the web this AM - that's one problem, I keep heading off to do research.

Your squirrel gave me a chuckle!

SusanD

Fantasy isn't any easier lol Its just as hard because you have to name everything and sometime you don't know you need a name for something till you write it and then you get stuck on that name lol

So I've started on my mystery novel and I'm finding an easier time writing this.

I'm skipping scenes and getting my framework laid down, and then going back in a filling in my red herrings and my clue dropping. That seems to be easier than trying to write it from beginning to end.

I know what you mean about research. I spent way too much time yesterday learning how to determine age and gender and such from an old skeleton. Fascinating but very distracting.

I'm just rolling along, no matter what, though. I'll have a lot of revising to do, but by the end of this month, I will at the very least have the bare bones (Hee!) of the story in place, from beginning to end. Then I'll go back and layer in the rest.

This thread has been really helpful. I've gotten to the end of my story, but not to my final word count. So I'm having to go backwards now and getting stuck.

You've all given me the brilliant idea to add more clues -- and especially, more red herrings! Thanks.

Fringe benefit of writing a mystery...

you get to plant clues that make no sense and then spend a couple hundred words having your character investigate and ask people what the clues mean. In fantasy, you'd usually have to know why you're writing what you're writing. In mystery, you can throw in a bunch of scenes that make no sense and then figure them out later! :)

Me too! My second nano mystery. I write an extensive outline in October. It really helps. The problem I'm having now is that this is Part 2. Is yours a part 2 ? Because not only do you have to keep track of clues and motives, but also...what happened in part 1. my memory is crap. I'm always forgetting where my characters went to college and stuff like that.

You know who I feel bad for? People writing Lit Fic. That can't be easy.

When pansting, you can just add the effects of a clue and make a small note to add so-and-so clue (I usually highlight it with a different color), and during editing, find all such notes and fill them in. This is just so you do not lose time finding the proper place and adding that clue.

Even when I've done NaNo with a solid outline, the characters surprise me and I had to make notes and fix backwards

if you get a plothole you get your detective to spend 500 words trying to work out if it is important enough to deal with or just another little mystery of no relevance for example why Marians girlfriends family never visited her for long enough to realise she was living with a woman, or why the only interesting thing Shona Djouti ever did was grass on her teachers to another student.

I don't do clues first draft - they are like any other kind of foreshadowing in any other genre - they appear naturally on the rewrite.

I'm a reluctant convert to general planning. First mystery I wrote, I got so sidetracked by sideplots I forgot to include the murders ... Second time, I rmembered the killing but ended up with a completely incoherent plot that whimpered it's way to 50K and then fell over dead. Third time, I got murders, plot and alll that jazz. But forgot to introduce my murderer until the scene where the MC pointed his finger at him and said, "It's YOU!!"

So, yeah, planning helps. But not too much of it. I plotted out about 30 plot points, leaving lots of room for improvisation and inspiration. And lots of 'character building' stuff which has nothing to do with the plot but helps me find out what sort of person I'm writing about ...

I wrote an outline, a little blurb to myself regarding 'who done it' and why, a list of random clues the MC has to work with and then a small list of characters. As I write, I don't worry about if it makes sense, that's what December is for. I find that's what hung me up the last time I did NaNoWriMo. When I worry about a clue now, I just pull up my list and put it in the story. It's really fun because then I really run wild with my imagination while I write.

This is my first time writing a mystery for NaNo. It's also my first time not caring about my word count. For what it's worth, I've been doing this since 2002 and usually do write fantasy; it's a lot easier to pad the word count when I'm trying to build a world from scratch, but at the same time it's harder to stay on track when there are so many fun, word count-boosting dares that could be incorporated into said world.

Now, if I had planned ahead better (or, you know, at all... I came up with this plot somewhere around Day 4), then I'd probably be on track right now. But I kind of enjoy flying by the seat of my pants. It puts me in the position of a reader, because even though I'm technically in control, I don't know what's going to happen next.

Yes, I like these last two posts. I don't worry if it makes sense either, in fact it is better if it doesn't. This is the first draft. If it makes good sense, that means it's mostly left-brain driven, and I don't want that. I prefer letting my subconscious take over (like letting a character take over), and that way I come up with a lot of wild and crazy material, which is what I want for a first draft. Also, it's fun to write this way, and I believe if the writer is enthusiastic and having fun, then the reader will enjoy the novel too.

weave a sub-plot to bump up the word count?

I've just discovered a gigantic sub-plot that simply didn't exist in the initial plan. Like I said, find the balance between too much planning (which strangles inspiration) and too little (which leads to the problems described above). And when the inspiration hits big time, follow it. Your plan is just that - a plan, not the novel you'll actually write.

I did extensive planning in October, which I realize doesn't help anyone now, but I just wanted to put in my two cents to say that I don't feel like planning has stifled my inspiration. In fact, having the bones in place for my mystery - the who, what, when, where, why and how - leaves me free to do the cool stuff like develop my characters and really explore those levels that can be so easily ignored when I'm just desperate to make my word count.

My pre-planning also included sub-plots, thinking about internal and external conflicts, etc. so I don't have to fret about what happens next and keeping things interesting.

All the pantsers out there may be cringing, but I think everyone is different. Do what works for you. Either works for me - I pantsed last year and sailed to 54K in about 11 days of writing; this year, I'm at 36K in about the same time writing. I have a lot of novel to go, but I'm confident I'll hit my 50K by November 30. And, I think what I'm writing this year is better. "December is for editing" yada yada but I'm glad I won't have the steaming pile of crap I had last year to deal with at the end of this month. It was so bad, I never looked at it again! XD

I did some planning before starting; I'd also started another mystery, but the plot was getting too complicated. Also I have a definite idea as to where it's all going and who did it, etc. For this mystery, I wanted to keep it a cleaner line. I have a general outline that I'm following, which is very helpful. I did go back and add some more description/plot to the opening scenes. For me, it's important to have a plot to work with. I've noticed on some the shoutout sections, people have hit really high word counts, but then they say they have no idea what their plot is. For me, that would just be a complete waste of time. I'm a little behind in my word count, but I'm planning to do a lot this week.

I did little planning. I knew who was going to die. I knew the names of some of the characters. I knew where, I knew how, I now have a small idea of why. But most of it is drawn as I write, though I find I planted clues before I meant to (there's an obscure mention of a certain room that shows up again as important later, the reaction of a character to the victim is also important, etc.) and I even ended up having to write a room chart for one character's alibi and got mixed up because of contradicting info I accidentally gave (and corrected).