eMysteries Toolkit

The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. [Project Number: 2019-1-DE03-KA201-060127] 53 collaborative writing technique they are going to use and the instructions they have to follow. ✓ Observe the work and give regular feedback. It is not about correcting all the time, but about observing and solving questions for the students, if they get stuck or don't know how to follow, or if they need motivation... ✓ Finally, a re-reading and revision of what has been written is carried out, both by the teacher and by the students themselves. 4.2. How to Find Ideas for a Mystery Detective Story? The primary and first recommendation when writing a mystery detective story is to read many mystery detective novels. There are many stories to look at with different characteristics, but all of them have the same structure: ✓ powerful and antagonistic main character/s, ✓ a specific scenario (time and place), ✓ crime (mystery), ✓ clues (and false clues), ✓ resolution of the mystery. Ideas for writing a good detective story can come frommany places, from stories students have read or heard, personal events, or the imagination. The most important thing is to situate the story in a place and time, and to determine the main characters. Of course, another key element will be the clues and suspicions along the plot, as well as the resolution. Ideas for settings from well-known detective stories The scenario where the plot takes place is essential for the story to work, it can be a city or simply a ranch. In classic mystery stories the setting used to be a castle far from the city, an enchanted forest, a fantastic place where unreal animals act as clues or suspects. But there are other possibilities much more realistic and closer. A mystery story can be set in a bookstore, a university, a student residence, a whole town or a small village. The detailed description of the place and time is the first step. Details are very important in any novel, but even more so in a mystery novel. Some details may be overlooked on purpose, others over-described to mislead.