New to mystery and suspense

Read different types of mysteries. Agatha Christie is different from Arthur Conan Doyle, and neither are the modern mystery novel. For a murder mystery, whatever type, it's helpful to know who your killer is (which also translates to knowing who the guilty one(s) is/are in other mysteries), but it's not necessary. Know that your first draft isn't going to be cohesive, just like a NaNo novel. It's going to have plot holes, and it's okay to write in clues that weren't mentioned before - that's what the editing is for. Get to know your characters, and they'll tell you all sorts of surprising stuff.

I'm not the ultimate source on this, having just recognized this year that I'm a "mystery writer" by nature (3/4 of my NaNos have been mystery) but I've got some idea of how things are supposed to work, even if my novels don't reflect that in their lowly first drafts. Feel free to PM or email me if you have any other questions.

I also like to write in the mystery genre. I took writing instruction on mystery that was based on crime. It was soooo interesting. I had no idea how detailed it is. Everything from blood typing to preliminary forensics.

I learned it is almost imperative to begin a mystery with a 10-chapter/10-scene synopsis. I keep my characters on those little 3x5 index cards for reference. On these, I list all of the character's features I feel a reader must know. I find doing these two things keeps me from tons of editing when the manuscript is done. I used to feel that all of the preliminary work was annoying. I just wanted to dive in and write---until I began to edit and found I'd inadvertently changed details that a reader would find confusing.

Now, before I even start to write, I do my homework. I spend at least as much time on research for historical mysteries as I do the actual writing.