In a new post, Zara Altair says mystery writers need to invest as much time in their murder victims as their sleuths. “As the catalyst for the complex web of events that follow, the victim’s demise sparks the journey into darkness, where secrets emerge and hidden motives are revealed,” she says. She suggests five elements every murder victim should have:
- A mysterious past. “To truly captivate your audience, you must embed their past in a kaleidoscope of ambiguity and complexity, full of contradictions and double meanings that keep readers guessing,” Altair writes. “Their mysterious past should be revealed in gradual layers, with each disclosure bringing new insights and implications while also raising fresh questions and suspicions.” Give your victim an unconventional affiliation, a guilty secret, or a quest. Put them in a unique community or culture.
- Suspicious relationships. “The connections with other characters should be a maze of conflicting loyalties and ulterior motives that provide plenty of suspects and unanswered questions,” Altair says. Identify how your victim relates to all the primary and secondary characters and delve into their lives as well.
- Imperfections. No character should be all good or all bad – or worse, a cipher – and that includes your murder victim. Give their backstory the same attention you would to a major character’s and develop their personality strengths and flaws. Find the conflicts between the victim and the other characters.
- A meaningful death. The victim’s death should create an earthquake in the lives of the other characters. “The loss of your victim should trigger a domino effect, setting off an intricate chain of events that ripple throughout the community, involving a diverse cast of characters and hidden machinations,” Altair writes. “Consider how the victim’s death exposes hidden secrets, scandals, or disputes carefully concealed behind closed doors.” Who grieves, who celebrates, and who is worried? How does the victim’s death alter the relationships among other characters?
- A unique personality. “For a mystery victim to truly captivate readers, they must possess a memorable and distinctive personality, one that resonates throughout the story even in their absence,” Altair says. Again, go deep into character construction for your murder victim, examining their backstory, motivations, goals, fears, and relationships. Give them unique traits, personality quirks, mannerisms, and ways of speaking.
