Writing Too much mystery

[Light_Novel_San]

Have you ever encounter putting too much mystery in your own story? As the story progresses, you're also solving them but you already forgot that there's still other mysteries that you haven't solve and you just know it when you reread your story again and again. In the end, you only solve half of the story's mystery and didn't delve on the matter anymore because it became a pain.

 

[BenJepheneT]

this is why you make a checklist, have notes, and, I cannot stress this enough, plan your damn mystery before diving in head first Leroy Jenkins style

 

[Light_Novel_San]

this is why you make a checklist, have notes, and, I cannot stress this enough, plan your damn mystery before diving in head first Leroy Jenkins style

I wished I did.

Look at me now, I'm just laughing like a fool. Unsure whether to give the readers the solutions or let them wreck their brains into thinking how did that shit happened.

 

[BenJepheneT]

I wished I did.

Look at me now, I'm just laughing like a fool. Unsure whether to give the readers the solutions or let them wreck their brains into thinking how did that shit happened.

okay tanjiro bara, here's the three things you can do. you can either

- resolve the mystery in the most logical way possible
- resolve the mystery based on the theme of your story
- introduce a new character or plot point with the mystery, even if it's never been introduced with no foreshadowing whatsoever (this is cheap but effective in saving your skin; might lose some readers but a tied loose end is a tied loose end)

Hope you learn your lesson in pantsting. Usually not a good way of writing; especially one regarding mystery.

 

[Light_Novel_San]

okay tanjiro bara, here's the three things you can do. you can either

- resolve the mystery in the most logical way possible
- resolve the mystery based on the theme of your story
- introduce a new character or plot point with the mystery, even if it's never been introduced with no foreshadowing whatsoever (this is cheap but effective in saving your skin; might lose some readers but a tied loose end is a tied loose end)

Hope you learn your lesson in pantsting. Usually not a good way of writing; especially one regarding mystery.

Master, this idiotic being thank you for your consideration.

However, there's still another problem.... Its a quick wear type of novel and by now, I already reached the conclusion of the story and is a ready to introduce another arc.

This one is thinking whether to answer those mysteries but in just short sentences like a flashback.

 

[CupcakeNinja]

Have you ever encounter putting too much mystery in your own story? As the story progresses, you're also solving them but you already forgot that there's still other mysteries that you haven't solve and you just know it when you reread your story again and again. In the end, you only solve half of the story's mystery and didn't delve on the matter anymore because it became a pain.

Nah. Most of MY mysteries are solved or revealed pretty fast. Why? Cuz i dont assume my readers are stupid or that the mysteries i can make are so original that they are anything truly different than what most of us can guess at right anyway.

We're read novels. Watched movies, tv shows. We know all kinds of tropes and cliches. We've basically seen everything.

So a lot of mysteries arent REALLY mysteries.

Why would i bore the readers with a long overdrawn mystery, especially if i drop a few hints in the story as to what the answer is myself?

So personally i treat them as like....like candy. Just something to sweeten the story. I never get too serious with hiding things. Sometimes i put in easter eggs that some people might find, or make it so they wont get the significance until new info is revealed. But thats about it.

Hardcore mysteries arent my thing. Like unless we are talking murder mysteries or puzzles. And even then you can usually guess the killer. Or how to solve the puzzle if you seen enough Ramsey videos

You want a good mystery you gotta go psychological thriller. Or paranormal. I find that for me as a reader all other kind of mysteries either arent very fun or surprising.

 

[Light_Novel_San]

Nah. Most of MY mysteries are solved or revealed pretty fast. Why? Cuz i dont assume my readers are stupid or that the mysteries i can make are so original that they are anything truly different than what most of us can guess at right anyway.

We're read novels. Watched movies, tv shows. We know all kinds of tropes and cliches. We've basically seen everything.

So a lot of mysteries arent REALLY mysteries.

Why would i bore the readers with a long overdrawn mystery, especially if i drop a few hints in the story as to what the answer is myself?

So personally i treat them as like....like candy. Just something to sweeten the story. I never get too serious with hiding things. Sometimes i put in easter eggs that some people might find, or make it so they wont get the significance until new info is revealed. But thats about it.

Hardcore mysteries arent my thing. Like unless we are talking murder mysteries or puzzles. And even then you can usually guess the killer. Or how to solve the puzzle if you seen enough Ramsey videos

You want a good mystery you gotta go psychological thriller. Or paranormal. I find that for me as a reader all other kind of mysteries either arent very fun or surprising.

This little author salutes you.

 

[Mejiro]

If you're doing 'proper' mystery (as in, the genre, where the problems are meant to be solvable by the reader) then yes, you really need to plan that stuff out in advance, because otherwise you're going to trip yourself up. If you're using the term more broadly, and have stuff within the story that will be revealed, or you at least hint that it will be, then you should really keep a list or try to resolve some of it - it's slightly crappy craft to throw a load of stuff in there and never bother resolving it. Some odds and ends are fair enough, because the characters have moved on and forgotten themselves, or it's a thing that genuinely can't be solved in-universe. But if you dangle a big juicy 'ooo, here's a thing, what's up with that? Read on and find out!' and then... it just vanishes, that's a bit crappy.

 

[gaylolis]

I think some mysteries are best to be kept as mysteries :D /

That's why I only solve what I feel like solving. If it's too much of pain, I'd either just leave them be or not bother including it.

 

[yansusustories]

However, there's still another problem.... Its a quick wear type of novel and by now, I already reached the conclusion of the story and is a ready to introduce another arc.

Not sure if that'd be an option in your case but I've seen instances where authors did some kind of extra chapter, e.g. from another character's POV that dealt with something that couldn't be resolved from the MC's POV alone. They'd just attach that to the end of one arc before the next one starts.