In the last article, I talked about a couple of methods you can use to cover up evidence in your mystery stories. Now I will talk about arguably the most important things to work on for a murder mystery: the characters. The characters are important because, to have motivation enough for murder, they have to feel real. The only mystery series I’ve read that had flat, one-dimensional characters was Isaac Asimov’s “Robot” series, but those books are an exception. While they would have benefited from better characters, the stories’ mysteries aren’t the point. It’s the sci-fi concepts. However, if you plan on writing a mystery, you should give all of your characters the attention they need.
So, with that being said, how do you go about creating characters for your mystery story? Let’s start with the main character by studying my two favorite characters in all of fiction that both happen to be detectives: Batman and Sherlock Holmes.
Some of you may be wondering how Batman could be a detective. He’s a superhero, right? He’s not a sleuth like Holmes or Hercule Poirot. Well, Batman is more in line with the dark, hardboiled detectives of America who were popular when he debuted. Think about it for a second. Detective Comics published him (now known as DC), the comics have dubbed him the “world’s greatest detective,” and “The Batman” (2022) was more in line with modern neo-noir films than it was with modern comic book movies, like Marvel or anything else DC has been making. If you want proof that Batman is a detective character, look no further than the comic classic “Batman: The Long Halloween.” It’s my favorite Batman story, and it’s much more akin to “The Maltese Falcon” or “The Big Sleep” than it is to other comics. But what is it that makes Batman so special? Why does he stand out from the pack? How come, while thousands of other masked men go out of print, Batman remains almost 83 years later?
Batman is one of the most interesting characters in all of fiction because of the way he lives in darkness and refuses to succumb to it. He lives in so much decay and corruption, yet he refuses to become a part of the darkness and continues to fight it. But he has one rule that both helps him from falling from grace and keeps him from saving some people: he doesn’t kill. Even when the need arises, and he must kill one person to save hundreds, thousands, or even millions, Batman will never kill anyone. It’s strange because it’s almost a character flaw, but not quite. There are some Batman stories like “Batman: Under the Red Hood” that explore this rule he has and questions whether it’s a weakness or a strength. It adds depth to Batman and creates intrigue for the character. Stories are always at their best when they attack a character’s flaw, something they prevent themselves from doing, or something they simply cannot do. A character’s weakness, let’s say, for simplicity. One character has distinct and iconic flaws that make him feel more human and make his trials even more difficult, and that character is Sherlock Holmes.
Everyone is used to Benedict Cumberbatch’s take on Holmes, but I haven’t seen that show yet. To me, the definitive on-screen version of Holmes comes in the form of Robert Downey Jr. Still, even his version doesn’t fully capture the character of the original Sherlock Holmes written by Arthur Conan Doyle. See, Downey’s version of Holmes is lonely and depressed, with only Watson as a friend, and that is accurate to the books, but in the book, Holmes also has one more problem that contributes to his loneliness and his depression: he is a drug addict. The beginning of his second novel, “The Sign of The Four,” introduces us to this flaw, opening with Holmes doing cocaine. Watson notes that he’s been taking drugs three times a day, and the book describes the innumerable puncture marks on his arm. Holmes mentions that he “craves mental exaltation.” This character flaw can easily be exploited, especially in a mystery, since it affects his mind, his greatest asset, and it brings our hero down to Earth and makes him human. Sherlock Holmes, the man who can solve a murder in only a small handful of minutes, is a drug addict. That’s interesting and makes the audience sympathize with him more.
So, when writing your main character, give them a flaw, whether they’re a detective or not. Give them a rule they cannot break, an addiction they cannot escape, a loved one they cannot lose, or an ego that cannot be humiliated. Give them any kind of flaw. I would recommend giving them a flaw that you have personally experienced. If you had someone you could not lose but did anyway, do the same with your character. If you’ve ever felt trapped by addiction, your character should also be trapped.
This is only how to write your main character. Next, I will help you to create your culprit. Be sure to look into it if you’re interested, and good luck with your mystery story!
Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic day.