Writing a murder case?

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EllaMila1
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Writing a murder case?

#1 Post by EllaMila1 »

The theme of my VN is a mystery murder. It's quite a small project and the deadline is really close so I'm not really
reaching for the stars, but I at least want to write a decent murder case.

And I'm having a bit of trouble with it, so I figured I would ask for help.
I'll summarize the plot;

- Main character is newcomer in high class school
- Classmates are children of politicians, musicians, company owners etc.
- There are conflicts between these classmates
- After a few days, someone (Phillip) gets murdered.
- Main character has to solve the mystery.


I've already decided who is going to be the murderer, but I can't really come up with good motives for the murder.

I know this is really cheesy, but this is the main reason:
Lissa murders Phillip because he threatened her crush/boyfriend Kevin.

Can anyone help me out with Lissa's motives? The only things I can come up with are cliche and boring.

Thanks in advance.

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Re: Writing a murder case?

#2 Post by Asceai »

I'd probably draw on the fact that this is a school for the kids of the rich and powerful and look to their parents for justification.

Example: Lissa murders Phillip because her father has been indicted on corruption charges and Phillip's mother is the attorney-general bringing the charges.

Although it might be better if you play up that sort of angle (as in, a political motive) and it turns out it is just for something really petty after all. Everyone loves a twist.

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Re: Writing a murder case?

#3 Post by EllaMila1 »

I was already planning something with a conflict between the companies of Phillips and Kevin's parents, and Lissa
took care of him because of the threat for their future, but the corruption charges is a fantastic idea! Thank you very much! (:

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Re: Writing a murder case?

#4 Post by OokamiKasumi »

EllaMila1 wrote:The theme of my VN is a mystery murder. It's quite a small project and the deadline is really close so I'm not really reaching for the stars, but I at least want to write a decent murder case.
...
If you want to write a murder-mystery --even if it's only a simple one-- I suggest reading advice from people who actually write murder-mysteries:
  • Elizabeth Craig: 15 Tips for Writing a Murder Mystery
    -- Before I was a mystery writer, I was a mystery reader. I’d easily devour two or three in week. I loved everything about them—the sleuths, the puzzle, and the resolution of the case at the end of the book. As a writer, I love mysteries just as much. For me, the structure in the books makes them a lot of fun to write. That structure also makes them the perfect books for a new writer: the pattern of introducing a body, the suspects, laying clues, and resolving the case. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you write your mystery.
  • 25 Things You Need To Know About Writing Mysteries, By Susan Spann
    -- Mystery novels work a lot like any other genre, except that mystery writers murder their imaginary friends. To paraphrase the Hoover campaign promise, a mystery novel will deliver “a corpse in every pot.” (Mystery authors are twisted. We might as well get that straight from the outset.) Mystery offers plenty of room for variation, too. Murder is universal—it can happen in any setting and any time. A sleuth can be a professional, an amateur, or a NINJA (though I’ve already done that last one), and your victim and method can vary just as widely. One warning, however: killing your imaginary friends is a lot like eating potato chips. Nobody I know can stop with one.
  • Mystery Writing Lessons by PD James (8 tips)
    -- What's the difference between writing a straight novel and writing mystery? According to P.D. James, not much. "A first class mystery should also be a first class novel," she says. However, if you aspire to write great mysteries, there are important conventions, and who better to learn them from than a master?
Ookami Kasumi ~ Purveyor of fine Smut.
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EllaMila1
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Re: Writing a murder case?

#5 Post by EllaMila1 »

Amazing tips! Thank you!

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Re: Writing a murder case?

#6 Post by StellarOrb »

A bigger question would be why is it the protagonist's job to uncover the mystery in the first place? Why is it his responsibility? What makes him qualified to investigate, as opposed to a police detective? You need to MAKE him involved by putting his life- or the life of someone he cares about- in risk. Is it just one murder? Or would he be next?

If you want a bigger payoff, raise the stakes. Learning that the murder was caused by a threat to a girl's boyfriend would be quite the disappointment. You have the children of politicians and company executives in the school, don't you? There can be a conspiracy involving that. A corporate method at getting a politician's attention. Why have a high class school if there isn't any point to it?
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Re: Writing a murder case?

#7 Post by GhostWriter37 »

While I too would have to question why a high schooler has to solve the murder case, I can roll with it. This comes with the territory.

As for motive, given the scenario, rich kids + relationship drama, my immediate thinking is that it was kind of an accident. Maybe Lissa isn't the most well adjusted person, as children with very well of parents sometimes are. She has a bit of a psycho streak to her, though nothing too overboard, and is suddenly presented with this guy who is threatening the person she cares about. She tries to threaten him right back, but he is too stubborn or foolhardy to go for it so, in a moment of panic, she kills him.

That might not be the best thing in the world, especially given how it was my first thought, but I could see things working out that way and still be satisfied.

This might have been thrown out in the previously posted tips, but I would say that a good motive is at least 60% character, so if you want the motive to be good, you need to really invest in the character somehow.

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Re: Writing a murder case?

#8 Post by Kinjo »

EllaMila1 wrote:I know this is really cheesy, but this is the main reason:
Lissa murders Phillip because he threatened her crush/boyfriend Kevin.
Your motive really shouldn't be cheesy. It's the heart of the story, so it needs to be solid.

And it should be much longer than just one sentence. Take a look at it again. No rational person would immediately jump to murder, unless the stakes are raised high, and we don't know what the stakes even are from that sentence. You use a lot of vague words, too -- how was Kevin threatened? Was he going to be killed? Or was Philip going to extort him for money, revealing a big secret if he didn't give in to his demands? Was the murder self-defense, or was it an accident, or premeditated?

Here's how I'd revise your motive, as an example:
Kevin had been running an illegal operation thanks to his politician father. However, Philip, who works for the company Kevin's father was in negotiations with, was going to expose the truth after his big discovery. Philip first tells Lissa, thinking she might side with him, but during the night Lissa plots to kill Phillip to ensure that her boyfriend's (or perhaps, one-sided crush's) secrets remain hidden. But of course, our detective character seeks the truth (for whatever reason you'd like) and ends up revealing everything anyway... a tragic ending for everyone involved.
Of course, you should also make sure that the howdunnit makes sense given the motive, and that the detective comes into contact with all of the clues necessary for the reader to solve it.

You said that the deadline is near, so I'm not sure if you still need the advice, but hopefully this helps.

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Re: Writing a murder case?

#9 Post by SelLi »

I highly advise anyone who is writing mystery stories to read some original Sherlock Holmes stories or watch a good adaptation of some of them.

In Sherlock Holmes, some of the greatest mysteries aren't about murder at all, but they are still extremely interesting to uncover and piece together.

However, there are still many that involve murder, and the case itself is "who murdered this person" but we're talking about the motive.
I think it's very interesting to have the murder itself be connected to something much bigger than the actual murder. For example, in Sherlock Holmes there might have been a murder, but it's because the murder victim was foiling the murderer's plans of stealing the Mona Lisa and passing off copies of the original as the original and making bajilions of munnies- or because they got in the way of them trying to reclaim their stolen one of a kind precious stone which was originally owned by the queen (which that person only stole successfully in the first place by having an affair with one of the queen's maid servants or something like that.)

I suppose a murderer in a story having a well developed motive depends on that character's depth and the events that surround them. Where did your character come from? What events really lead up to this? Does that character have some kind of mental condition? If so, then how did it develop? Did your character really just murder their victim out of one instance of passion, or did they think they would get something out of it? If so, they might be connected to someone else who also has a motive for wanting that person gone. Maybe the murderer is in the clutches of that other person who wants the victim gone, and is only murdering the victim to escape their clutches, or release someone they love from their clutches. Also consider where the story takes place, as the setting itself might have some part in this, like if it is cursed. And if it's cursed, why is it cursed?

Attaching it to something bigger and having well developed characters with well established backgrounds and stuff will most probably lead to an interesting story.

Edit: I think of instead of focusing on there having to be a murder, you should just focus on the core. If you focus on the core, other things will follow.

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