In a new post, Zara Altair suggests a method for keeping track of the clues in your murder mystery. “As a writer constructing your story, you have endless possibilities to plant and hide clues along your storyline,” she says. “The thing is, remembering what clues you planted can be challenging when you are at page 200 and you planted clues at page 20 and page 45.”
By the end of your novel, you need to account for all the clues, explaining why they mattered or how they misled your sleuth. Otherwise, your reader might feel tricked. Altair suggests keeping a clue journal for this purpose. “In the same way you have a character bible, keep a journal of your clues,” she says.
The benefits of this approach include:
- Documenting every clue you use in your story
- Noting when and where the clue is closed
- Identifying how the clue raises questions for the reader
“When you reach the editing stage, you’ll be able to check each clue to make sure you’ve closed the loop for your reader,” Altair says. “Discovery writers (pantsers) can keep track of clues without planning beforehand. Plotters can double check each clue works in the story.”
How you keep your clues is up to you. You might name the clue and give it a category, such as physical, verbal, or circumstantial. You should note where the clue appears in your novel and what idea you want the clue to plant in your reader’s mind.
