Fed up with the complete lack of whodunnits (If you have one, please tell me about it), I decided to make my own. I had one problem; I COULDN'T FINISH IT!

After establishing the main character and setting, I was at a loss. Where to from there? I had no clue.

The story takes place in a small hotel in the Navada desert, and I had some great ideas, I just had no motivation to write them.

I'm in a bit of rut with this story, I haven't touched it in months, any suggestions on how to renew my passion for this rebirth of my favorite genre?

Well, I WAS planning a whodunnit... but I'm gonna leave it after a mystery novel I'm making... but then that one is after I finish everything else I have pending... it's called "53rd and 3rd", and it's about a gun store owner who's girlfriend, a local musician, allegedly commits suicide... however, the prints on the gun didn't match hers. So, using his contacts in the gun business, he tries to track down who could have commited the murder... or who sold the gun his girlfriend killed herself with...

I'll have to check out your story, but until then I'll just give you some general ideas. Make a list of things you need to happen so the mystery can be solved. Often, when writing, you get caught up in an idea and forget to add an important detail and it becomes almost impossible to add back in with out changing alot of the story line. Read articles about something similar that will occur in your story- seeing what has happened in real life will give you some ideas on how to make it more realistic. Some articles, if you can relate to the situation, often help motivate you to get up and write about it. Just remember to not rush your writing- stories are often ruined that way.

Good Luck,

~B. Shadow

I love reading murder mysteries, especially Mary Higgins Clark, but I would never try to tackle writing one. Mysteries are so hard to write. For it to be good, you need an original plotline and good clues throughout the story and a twist when it comes to the murderer, etc. It's a very hard thing to write and I give huge kudos to those who do manage it.

I'm planning a whodunnit set in 1950's America entitled "The Tidy Wives"

I have characters, setting, victim

I have motivation

But I'm lacking two vital things

A murderer and a motive for murder.

It's impossible to start without one :(

My biggest problem is that if I get stuck on concept, I don't even try to put any words on paper.

Do you think drawing up the first couple of chapters regardless of lack of proper plotting would be beneficial?

Trunks sxy, I think you should start your story even if you are uncertain that you'll be able to finish it. A lot of the times, when you start writing, you are inspired to create a certain plot (or in your case motives for the murder and murder) by the characters depicted in the opening scenes. You may start writing and decide that this person has this type of personality so they can do that do add dept to the plot, or actually commit the murder. Or this person had this happen to them in the past, so they are more likely to respond by doing this, etc. Just try to start writing focusing on characters and their roles in your story will fall into place, creating your setting.

Give it a try. Even if it doesn't work out, it's better that you tried it than throwing out a potentially good idea.

Whey :D

I finally started "The Tidy Wives"

And I'm actually really enjoying it.

At the moment, there's only the prologue up, but I'm really into it, and hopefully by tomorrow I'll have finished the first couple of proper chapters :)

Thanks Benevolent Shadow for giving me that much needed push :)

Since I can't figure out how to get the linking thing working, it's on my profile.

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Trunks