Mystery writing prompts: detective fiction story starters and writer tips

 March is National Reading Month. Mystery readers, are you tired of cracker-bland mysteries you put down in sheer boredom? Mystery writers, are you sick of writing dull-as-plain-toast plots that readers barely nibble at? Here are mystery story starters for tales readers will gulp down whole and beg for more before the first even digests. Use these writing prompts and mystery story starters to write can't-put-down stories. This article covers detective stories and mystery story starters for crime fiction, affectionately called the whodunit. 

Basics of mystery story starters. Every mystery story needs an introduction, characters, plot, climax, denouement and conclusion. Detective stories are all about detail and sequence. But crime fiction doesn't necessarily need resolution and closure--a very effective literary device is to leave mystery unsolved. Charles Dickens was known for writing several endings and letting the readers choose. Ending on a cliff-hanger has the advantage of paving the way for sequels and more sequels. 

Plot development for detective stories. There are different school of thought on whether mystery fiction writing prompts should start with character or setting creation. Settings seem the best as they give a framework to place other elements in. Regardless, always write what you know. If you grew up in Michigan in the 1940's or Mozambique in the 1990's, write to that specific knowledge. Use your cultural or religious background or family history. Don't try to write about what you don't know unless you plan to do a barge-load of research. 

Choose a known time period and locale. You can set your story in any time period or place, as long as you know enough about it to make your mystery story credible. If your idea of medieval life is Game of Thrones, probs best to avoid the middle ages. This author once tried to write a 1930s English country house murder mystery like her hero Ngaio Marsh. Without having lived then and lacking enough research, the result was a schmaltzy pastiche. Mystery story starters require a specific setting. Where did the whodunit take place? 

Write mystery stories outside the hackneyed setting. So having said know the terroir, don't use overused places. Thinking of Scooby-Doo here--an abandoned mental hospital, a disused school, onboard a ship, country mansion are common (dead common) places. Try to get away from stereotypical mystery settings if possible. Tie it to your own locale so you can envision the details better (the disused factory on Third St that you drive by every day, the historic St. Adalbert's Catholic Church you attend, for example). Be precise but not trite in description--setting drives mystery stories more than any other genre. 

To detect or not, your choice. Mystery fiction stories may or may not include a detective character. Agatha Christie's best-loved mystery story "And Then There Were None" is crime fiction with no solver of the crime. Whodunit detective stories obviously require a detective-type main character. But it may or may not be a police officer or private eye. Start thinking characters, beginning with the investigator if there is one.. Match an appropriate person to setting. Your detective can be of any age, strata of society, occupation or nationality as long as you can write with some authority.  

Mystery Writing prompts for detective stories main character. How will your detective interact with official authorities? Is he a policeman or a PI? Is she an amateur crime-solver like Miss Marple? Does she solve mysteries as a hobby, but assist with investigations? Maybe he hasn't always been on the side of justice., such as Father Brown's friend Flambeau once the greatest jewel thief in Europe, turned detective. Perhaps your detective operates separately from public investigators or is too young to work professionally (like the Three Investigators, Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys). Your detective may have a different occupation altogether: librarian, cleric, rabbi, pharmacist, garbage man (trash collectors see lots of dirty secrets). Lillian Jackson Braun's series "The Cat Who..."features a cat detective! 

Plot writing prompts for detective mystery stories: Frame the crime. It may involve a celebrated murder, international heist or art theft or it may be a local incident that affects only certain people. Maybe it's just an odd occurrence that unravels a larger problem. It could be a victimless crime fiction but victims make it more interesting. Details about what happened should come out little by little. The detective should be lead on a few wild goose chases by "red herrings" finding out whodunit. 

Outline and sequence the problem. Create a timetable for personal reference and draw a map of the crime scene and environs. These become the plot, but you can also add your map to the book. This mystery reader loves it when authors provide maps. Even if it's just a map of the study showing doors, furniture etc. I have trouble visualizing from verbal directions so this really helps me "see" the scenario. 

Detective story characters writing prompts: People the story. Who are the dramatis personae? Flesh out characters. Determines criminals, witnesses, suspects, accessories and assistants. Perhaps it's passengers and airplane crew, or members of a club or secret society in which the whodunit occurs. That narrows the field. Again, describe with accuracy and details but avoid stereotypes and tropes: beautiful, curvy blonde, hard-bitten detective, frail old man. Also keep the cast of suspects down to about 8-10 max. It's too difficult to keep plot lines clear otherwise. 

Writing prompts to add detail. Scatter some clues. Toss in subtle details that a witness may notice and mention to the detective, but not understand. Don't have the detective pick up on it right away. Readers love to catch things the detective originally misses but don't make it obvious. General clues are okay but try to spice them up. Tire marks could be from certain vehicle. Character clues--unique buttons from uniforms, grandfather's cuff links, Mrs. Highbrow's jewelry, a girl's personal perfume--could lead in one direction but be left by someone else. A smell of curry might have been planted to frame the Indian gentleman. These are called a red herrings and are useful if not too obvious. Also, don't make clues so complicated that only an expert would understand them. Don't dumb down or get too rarefied. 

Identify the MMO: Every crime is based motive, method and opportunity. The motive is the reason a character might have for committing a crime (money, jealousy). The method is how the crime committed (think Clue here--in the garage with a tire iron). The opportunity means who was available to have committed the crime. 

Identify the alibis (or lack thereof) for characters. According to the timetable, decide who was where and when at the time the problem occurred or crime was committed. The detective may remove someone from the suspects list and then re-add them as she finds new information. It really does work to make the criminal the least likely person, perhaps someone hovering in the background or someone who isn't who she claims to be. 

Write a climax. Generally, something intense happens which brings all the events together. It's usually an event of some drama, seemingly unrelated, with some element of surprise. You might include death, danger or disaster. It is this event that ultimately explains the mystery. There should be an explanation for why she did it, but it doesn't have to make sense. Grudges, scores settled, paybacks usually have deep roots. As the saying goes "old sins cast long shadows." 

Allude to solution, earlier on. Once you have your conclusion, be sure you hinted at it previously, but in a not obvious way, such as by something a character said or let slip. It's not fair to the reader, who is trying to solve the puzzle themselves, to have something completely unforeseen resolve the issue. It's cheating. My favorite plot devices are when children or previously discounted people (visually impaired teen, "senile" elderly person,, developmentally disabled man, "hysterical" woman) have said something that the detective overlooks (Miss Marple wouldn't) which come back to be helpful. 

Write your denouement: This is the resolution of the mystery. This is when secrets come out and loose ends are wrapped up. Some details will reveal themselves in the plot and your detective can articulate the rest: the what, who, when, where, how and why. Or, as was discussed before, you can leave some loose ends hanging, some questions unanswered. If the crime is wrapped up, summarize with a short conclusion on the outcome. As readers part company with the detective, you might even give a few hints about her next adventures, Be sure to read a few detective stories for inspiration

Helping children cope with family trauma, stress and chaos

Hello my friends of the Omschool. Today I'm exploring a very sensitive subject that comes up more in the classroom than we would like to admit. And that is childhood trauma, family stress and parental chaos and abuse. I don't pretend to have all the answers and I don't even fully understand the questions. But one thing I do know, from experience, is that we MUST do something to help children navigate these overwhelming situations. So I'm going to attempt to share, what would have helped me cope with all the trauma and abuse I dealt with as a child and teen. 

1) See us. Notice our withdrawn behavior, our exhaustion where there should be energy. Be concerned that we are falling asleep in class, wearing shabby or dirty clothing, that we don't smell clean. That we look sad or hungry. Notice the bruises or how we flinch. That we are sick all the time. Take note. 

2) Hear the strange things we let slip. How we walked to school alone at age 5. How we played in the park alone blocks from home. How mom and dad are no where to be found. How we go home alone to empty houses. We will not tell you this outright but you will hear if you are listening. Take note of that too. 

3) Elicit feedback. Ask around if anyone else has noticed problems. A recent episode of "Call the Midwife" showed Sister Veronica and Cyril doing their homework with a family of neglected children and uncovering terrible abuse. Abuse that was continuing because up till then no one had wanted to "interfere." Even when one child died. 

4) Interfere. I'm not saying take the law into your own hands. I mean don't just walk by on the other side and hope someone else will reach out. From experience, I can tell you, no one else ever does. Some of us went our whole lives shouldering it alone, with no one interfering. I can also tell you that if one person had it would have made so much difference. 

5) Do not judge. Neither the parents and especially not the child. No good comes from a holier-than-thou crusader, sticking her nose in. Get the facts and forget your opinions. You don't walk in their shoes and you certainly won't help the child. If anything, she'll just protect them more. 

6) Get trauma informed. This should be mandated in all education curricula. Learn to recognize signs. Factor childhood trauma and family chaos into the curriculum down to the lesson plan level. What I mean is, know who these kids are and tailor expectations to meet their needs. Try to mitigate by being sensitized around difficult issues. This can help compensate for the added burdens these children carry. I'm not saying make excuses for or dumb down lessons. Actually, challenging content was a form of therapy for me. I just mean to take into consideration that these children don't have what other kids  have. 

7) Acknowledge the child. Reach out in friendship. Encourage the child to share without leading the witness. Keep your door open. Hear what she isn't saying. Hold space for her. Let her feel her feelings without trying to redirect, talk down and certainly not minimize. 

8) Use child-led CBT. Cognitive-behavioral therapy isn't just for kids with behavior problems. It can help guide children struggling to cope with family problems too. Ask what she is experiencing, what she is doing about it, how that is working and what might work better. 

9) Be on the child's side. Too often, traumatized children bear the brunt of responsibility, shame, guilt and consequence for dysfunctional parent behavior. They are scapegoated and made to feel always in the wrong. Take their part. Be the change they need. You don't have to and shouldn't trash talk their parents. But you also shouldn't excuse, defend bad behavior. Either will just confuse the child. But you can empathize with how difficult it must be for them. You can say you are sorry they are dealing with it. You can affirm them and remind them that family chaos isn't their fault. They are not the problem. That a child doesn't cause an adult's behavior. 

10) Observe objectively. Ask the child if she would like some ideas. Suggest don't direct. Lose any agenda or bias. Now's not the time for religious proselytizing. If asked, be honest but in a calm, rational way. Also, avoid creating unhealthy attachments with the child that you can't follow through on. Bottom line is, you are not the parent. 

11) The dilemma. Okay here's where push comes to shove. Here's where we must differentiate when things are bad enough to intervene between child and parents. Sometimes it's impossible to stand up for the child without standing against the parents. We don't want to bash the parents' behavior. But if it's neglectful or abusive, we can't ignore it either. But the child still has to live with these people. So discretion is always in order. But the child must come first. And there's no cut and dried, one size fits all solution. 

12) Form a care team. Don't confront parents alone or randomly. Compile evidence and approach with open-minded caution. Sometimes what looks like neglect or abuse turns out to be overwhelming family struggle with poverty, disabled parents. In that case, helping them connect with resources can bring about positive impacts. But also recognize system limitations. 

13) Foster autonomy and independence. All this is complicated in a formal school setting where children move through a system. Fact is you can't be there for them always and must be careful not to make them dependent on you. Usually, the best thing you can do is be supportive but help them find and use their wings. Make sure to pass along what you've done and observe to the next teacher.  

14) Don't make it about you. This should have been said further up. I kind of alluded to it but it needs more discussion. Sadly, as with other helping professions, there are people who become teachers to get their own needs met. To have a captive audience to unload on. This kind of teacher is prussic acid to a traumatized child who is already being forced to make everything about her parents and nothing about herself. A child's trauma should not be leveraged for self-promotion.  You know the kind I mean. The "see how great I am, I help so many students. When I hear that I want to run screaming. I had a supervising teacher paragon like this. She was toxic, arrogant and narcissistic as could be. She's now branded herself a "life coach." God help her coach-ees. 

15) Do the best you can. You can't and don't have to fix all our problems.  Ultimately, it's up to us to get the help we need as soon as we know we need it. It shouldn't have to be like this. Our parents should care and support us. But if they don't, we have to. But again from experience, something is better than nothing. It's enough to know someone cares.. If just one teacher had noticed and reached out, had told me that I was not the awful person my parents said I was, I could have shaved decades off the healing process. 

Thank you to all you good teachers out there who care, who try, who show up, as best you can. 

Free printable St. Patrick's Day coloring pages, lesson plans and activities

Hello my friends of the Omschool! Today we're exploring things Irish. St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on

on March 17. Many people think the holiday is about green beer,

shamrocks and leprechauns. But that 's just commercial hype. The real Saint Patrick was a Catholic

Roman Britain taken as a slave by Irish raiders. Patrick later returned as a missionary to convert

Druidic Ireland. Here are St. Patrick's Day lesson plans, crafts and activities to explore the saint behind

the legend and the religious beyond the secular. Read the story of Saint Patrick on Britannica. And 

here's more information I just learned today on the history of St. Patrick. Then

scroll down for free printable St. Patrick's Day activities. 

Here's a video story of St. Patrick on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjUSWTT3UMQ

Coloring has loads of free printable Saint Patrick's Day coloring pages. DL-TK

has many free printable St. Patrick's Day games, puzzles, dot to dot, crossword and crafts. A-Z Teacher 

has free printable math and reading and writing lesson plans based on Saint Patrick's Day.

ABC Teach has some Catholic Christian Saint Patrick activities and some secular ones with

leprechauns, etc. Education has free printable St. Patrick's Day lesson plans. They're secular but at

least educational--with shamrock math, etc. First-School has mostly secular St. Patrick's Day

printables, but a few religious activities. And to round it out, Marilyn the Toymaker has beautiful 

vintage-y free printable St. Patrick activities. Slainte mhath! 

Learning decision-making and problem-solving skills with cognitive-behavioral therapy

 Hello my friends of the Omschool! Teacher Omi here with some thoughts on how children can develop decision-making and problem-solving skills using CBT and what we used to call RT (reality therapy) and RET (rational emotive therapy). Originally I was going to gear this toward teachers but then I realized that cognitive behavioral therapy is about active client (student) participation. So I'm writing this to you, children. 

Think about situations you are in or you might be in (hypothetical). Or difficulties you may be having. Then look at what choices you are making. Often these are choices that aren't working well for you or others. For example, taking what  isn't yours. That probably makes the person you took it from angry. BUT you should also consider choices you make that work out well for everyone. Like sharing with siblings. 

Identify how your choices are working out for you and others. If you took a toy or hit someone, it probably won't make either of you feel very good. Which doesn't work for anyone. Now contrast this with times you did things that made everyone happy, like sharing your toys or helping them when they needed help. I'm guessing you all felt pretty good about that, as well you should. 

Contrast and compare what was different. What changed when you did things no one liked and when you did things everyone likes? You can make a chart if you want listing the positive and negative outcomes. Omi (and CBT) aren't really into calling behavior good or bad. It's about what works and what doesn't. Usually, kindness, patience, generosity, helpfulness, agreeableness, cooperation, cheerfulness work better than rude or unkind words, selfishness, refusing to do our part which don't work too well for anyone. 

Think really hard about what it is you need or want. Say you got angry because you wanted to play with someone and they did not.  Or you took something of theirs. Did you really want their toy or did you want one of your own? If you wanted your own and you took theirs do you feel any better? Probably neither of you will.  

Think about how the other person is feeling. If it's hard to do that, think how you would feel if your toy was stolen. Or someone yelled at you.  Regular CBT doesn't  address this much but I think it should. Because feeling with and for another person, empathy, is a crucial skill to learn. We have to know that we aren't not the only person with needs, wants and feelings. Everyone has them. 

Consider who owns the feelings, needs and wants. Problem-solving requires us to look at what we bring to the situation. If you got angry with someone for not doing what you wanted, was that her fault for or might you have been expecting her to something that wasn't her responsibility? Remember, you can choose how you act and she can choose how she acts. If you wanted her to play with you and she didn't want to, it's okay. It doesn't mean you are a bad person. It just means she wanted to do something else. 

Talk to someone you trust about how you feel. While it's okay she didn't want to play with you, it doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. Tell a loved one, like sibling, mom or dad, a friend or your Omi or Opi, how you feel. 

Look at what you are doing.  If she doesn't want to play with you, it doesn't mean no one wants to play with you. Unless you find no one does. Then think about why. Are you kind and friendly or bossy and pushy? You might have to make some different choices so they will want to include you. 

Be will to admit to making choices that didn't work out. The worst thing we can do and adults do it too is something called DARVO. That means that instead of  owning up to problem choices we've made, we Deny and Attack (blame) an innocent person. Then Reverse Victim and Offender. That means we don't take responsibility for our choices that hurt someone (the victim). And we make it look like the other person was at fault, not us. Trust Teacher Omi, this only leads to problems. But happily, admitting our hurtful choices can make everyone happier. If it was your fault, say so and say what you will do differently. But first you have to...

Explore your options. Part of good decision making and problem solving includes thinking about things you could do in situations. Depending on age, you can list choices you could make. Younger ones can talk to an adult about options. Some scenarios might be hypothetical (could be) and some are real things that are happening now. Think about ways to fix the things you broke and improve friendships so problems don't occur in future.  Think about the choices you make that help everyone, like helping your  sister. 

Make changes. It's not just about saying sorry. Those are just words and they don't mean anything unless we show people we are sorry by not doing what hurts them. And doing kinder more caring things. Sometimes we do kind things even if the other person doesn't. That's called "being the change we want to see in others.) If someone is consistently not kind, it is okay for you to choose not to be around them. 

Teacher Omi trusts and believes  in you to make your life and your world the best it can be. Picture is our cats Moishe and Mordecai. Sometimes they play nice and share the bed. Sometimes they fight and b beat each other up. Then no one gets to enjoy the bed. I think they have learned that sharing is nicer for both of them.