Guest Post – Writing Two Mysteries in One: What We Found Writing Finder’s Creatures
Okay, folks, we’re gonna do something a little different today. It is my esteemed pleasure to introduce to you authors Kevin and Rebecca Kelly. They’re going to sit down and discuss the process of writing two alternating mystery storylines in one book, in conjunction with their new graphic novel series, Finder’s Creatures. What is Finder’s Creatures precisely? Allow their publisher to explain:
Last August, Kevin and Rebecca Kelly – writing under the pen name P. Knuckle Jones – launched their debut graphic novel, FINDER’S CREATURES #1: BOG GONE!. Now, they return with the sequel, FINDER’S CREATURES #2: ALARM AT THE FARM! (Penguin Workshop; 9780593519882; On Sale July 2, 2024; $13.99; Ages 7-10). Between the hijinks, silly wordplay, secret high-tech headquarters, a mysterious tardigrade army, and the bold and striking art, FINDER’S CREATURES #2: ALARM AT THE FARM! is an exciting second installment perfect for younger graphic novel lovers that are hungering for the next The InvestiGators.
And honestly, I’m just turning the blog over to them today. They have things well in hand, as you’ll see:
Our new young reader graphic novel series, Finder’s Creatures, follows the adventures of Finder the tree frog and her friends as they solve mysterious going-on in their town of Belly Acre Bog. Simultaneously, it tracks the World’s Greatest Detective, Seymour Warts, as he and his sidekick engage in an investigation of their own. The two parallel stories proceed throughout the book and unfold in their own resolutions by the end.
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During the exercise of building the two storylines, we learned a few things that we feel helped both unite and separate them in interesting and fulfilling ways for the reader.
1. Have two distinct main characters:
Develop two main characters with unique personalities, backgrounds, and motivations
Our two main characters, Finder, a tenacious but uncertain elementary school student and Seymour, a confident, somewhat older gentlefrog, could not be more different, other than their common love of detective work (and, of course, being frogs). Finder is unknown outside of her circle of friends and has most likely has never left the bog while Seymour is an international superstar, known and loved by millions. He is interested in maintaining his stellar reputation while she is just on the cusp of building one. In the story, her motivation is much more personal than his: finding her missing friends and family is imperative.
2. Connection between the characters:
Find a way to connect the two main characters, either through a shared setting, a common friend, or a linking event.
This connection should be meaningful and contribute to the overall story. While Seymour has no way of knowing Finder exists at the outset of the story, they make contact in the first chapter, before launching their individual investigations. On the flip side, Finder is hyper-aware of Seymour— her all-time, hands-down, ultimate hero. They end up forging a lasting relationship which continues throughout book two.
3. The story. Create two separate mystery plotlines:
Develop two independent mystery plots that can stand on their own.
It can be beneficial to develop, or at least outline, each story independently in order to avoid conflating the two or interfering with the creative process by attempting to work out the details of both simultaneously. Elements of each story can hint at the other, but we find that keeping them completely separate and allowing the characters to “do their own thing” makes each plotline more coherent and engaging. This prevents the temptation to make the stories too similar and less interesting.
Ensure that each mystery is age-appropriate, engaging, and not too complex for young readers
Like everything in life being presented for human consumption, the audience should be considered at each step along the way (think UX/UI). Just as the characters should resonate with their elementary school readers, so should the plot. Kids can relate to the urgency of finding their family, as well as animals being rounded up and imprisoned by a mysterious group (which we describe as a zoo to both make it more relatable and less scary for the audience). The stories are actually similar in that they both deal with creatures going missing but different enough in scale and storyline to make them each stand up independently.
4. Alternate between the two mysteries:
Structure your book so that it alternates between the two mystery plotlines
Chapter breaks or clear scene transitions indicate the switch between the characters and their respective mysteries. In a graphic novel series, we have the added benefit of comic-style panel illustrations to delineate parts of the story; the action is literally defined by borders, which can help designate which story is happening. Chapter breaks are an obvious tool, however, and interjecting chapters of story two within the wider arc of story one is a fun way to both allow for a cliffhanger or a pause from the first story while advancing the action of the second. Some of the most interesting television shows use this device to keep their audience engaged in multiple stories.
Ensure that each section is long enough to maintain reader engagement but short enough to keep the pacing exciting
This seems obvious but with two mysteries to contend with, it can be easy to lose track of the pacing of one or the other. This is where it becomes helpful to write the stories separately with the entire plot of only one in mind at a time. Once they are intertwined, edits can be made or details added to thicken or balance the stories. Which leads us to the next suggestion:
5. Provide equal focus on both mysteries:
This can be misleading.
Our books obviously give unequal real estate to the different stories: Finder is (probably) 75% of the page count compared to Seymour’s 25%. However, page count is only one measure of equality in storytelling. Other considerations are action and pacing, dialogue, illustrations, etc. In our books, Seymour occupies a mere spread following multiple chapters of Finder’s investigation, yet the reader gets much more information in that spread than in any one of Finder’s. The action is compressed but accelerated to make up for the slower pace of Finder’s tale, which gives a balance, albeit asymmetrical, to the story as a whole. It becomes critical to keep track of checkpoints along the way to ensure that the mysteries wrap up logically at the same time without speeding or slowing either one in order to force them to come together at the end.
6. Tie the two mysteries together:
Consider having the two mysteries intersect or influence each other in some way
This may be an optional consideration but we feel that the most interesting and successful direction is to make the two mysteries connect, no matter how loosely. It can add a little more work to the creative process but it’s worth it when your reader sees a crossover between the two seemingly disparate mysteries. Our two detectives meet at the beginning, working from the same initial clue, then launch into their own investigations and come together in the end with congratulations on a successful case. This builds a unity among the characters, a feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction for the reader and it sets up future plots featuring the same characters with ties in each subsequent story.
This connection should be subtle and not take away from the individual mysteries’ resolutions
The story is key here. Each character has his or her own compatriots, villains, settings methods, strengths, weaknesses and personality. Their story is their own, whether tangentially related or not. This is critical to keeping the stories adequately distinct from one another; in our books, the mysteries are key and need to remain the focus of the work. Characters, setting, dialogue all serve to advance the story—the mystery and its solution—in order to keep the readers coming back.
7. Create satisfying resolutions:
Develop logical and satisfying solutions for each mystery
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As mentioned above, successful resolutions are crucial to the story, and unexpected ones can be even more rewarding and memorable. This may be common sense, but adding a second mystery can make this more difficult. It can be easier to spend less mental energy coming up with the solution to one of them (especially if they are unequal in length), but focusing on each one separately while writing prior to interweaving them can help prevent this. If the resolution of one can reveal something about the other, this can add interest and encourage multiple readings to discover connections. In Bog Gone!, the villain in story two actually turns out to be associated with the events in story one, although the connection is loose and not necessary to understanding this story’s resolution.
8. Review, edit and revise:
As with any story, the work is never done after the first draft.
Re-reading and reviewing the story for consistency, pacing, and clarity, while keeping in mind the age and abilities of the audience (whether reading themselves or being read to) is an important part of the process. With two interconnected mysteries, reading each separately as well as in the final combined form helps ensure that each mystery is well-developed and that the alternating structure is effective. If circumstances allow, seeking feedback from the target readers or even creative partners familiar with children’s literature can expose any plot continuity or voice appropriateness issues before a professional review.
While writing is a highly subjective creative endeavor and there is no “right” way to go about it, we have found these considerations to be key when developing multiple mysteries meant to unfold alongside each other in the same graphic novel. Engaging characters, compelling mystery plots, balance and pacing throughout the book all come into play when constructing a successful and engaging work.
Thanks to Kevin and Rebecca Kelly for putting this all together and to Jenna Smith and the team at Penguin Young Readers for proposing it. FINDER’S CREATURES #2: ALARM AT THE FARM! is on sale July 2, 2024 so be sure to take a look at it then.
Filed under: Guest Posts
About Betsy Bird
Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.
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Rebecca Kelly says
Thanks so much for this article. We appreciate your time and sharing our work. Rebecca & Kevin Kelly