Teach Primary Issue 19.6

86 | www.teachwire.net When it came to choosing Ista’s magic, I thought hard about what would be useful, but not too useful, for a character who often plays the role of detective. In the end I gave her the ability to transform herself to look like anyone she’d ever laid eyes on. This made it easy for her to sneak around, yet also provided dramatic potential by creating a danger that she might get caught behaving suspiciously, or bump into the person she was copying. For me, the best mystery writing succeeds on several levels. First, the nuts and bolts of the plot must be in place. As anyone who has read the first Tidemagic book will know, I’m a big fan of red herrings and dramatic twists, but to have maximum impact, these need to come out of the clues that have been laid, so that the reader is astonished but not baffled. On top of this, I’d say that at the heart of every good mystery are the characters. If we don’t care about our heroes, we won’t be fully invested in solving the puzzle alongside them. The twists and turns might satisfy intellectually, but they won’t resonate. The same goes for the villain(s) and the supporting cast. Motivation and stakes are the keys here. Give everyone a good reason to do what they’re doing, and something crucial that they stand to lose if they don’t succeed. I sta Flit and the Impossible Key continues the adventures of Ista and her friends, Nat and Ruby, in a world where magic ebbs and flows with the tide, giving people temporary superpowers every time the river rises. Having saved the city they call home, the heroes must now take on new foes called marsh spinners, who are enchanting people with the power of their sinister music. As with the previous book, mystery is what drives the story, and the titular ‘impossible key’ is merely the first of many clues that our intrepid trio must put together. Tidemagic: Ista Flit and the Impossible Key by Clare Harlow WAGOLL Tidemagic: Ista Flit and the Impossible Key by Clare Harlow (£7.99, Puffin), is out now 1 How writers can set up a mystery When main characters set off to solve a mystery, authors can set up the mystery not just for their protagonists, but also for their readers. An effective and dynamic way of doing this is to have the main character already on their way, and then flash back through the events that set them off, leading back to the narrative present. This helps with fast-forwarding through the detail for just the crucial parts, and also gives opportunities to bring more depth to the character(s), making them more realistic. Crucially, there has to be a sense that not everything is known; the main character may be keeping secrets; they may know very little themselves. Techniques a writer could use to set up a mystery First, create a situation that is normal – a mealtime, a shopping trip, a lesson in school – and then think about how this will be interrupted for the main character through the introduction of a message or a clue. This will enable you to contrast the normality with the mystery, which increases the intrigue. Opening with an explicit statement that details the main character’s feelings gives you the chance to create a mysterious atmosphere from the start. In the extract from Ista Flit and the Impossible Key , Clare Harlow tells us that Nat was awake but felt as if he must be dreaming , telling us immediately that something isn’t right. Then, you can launch into a flashback, using the past perfect form of verbs to let your readers know that these events have already happened, and have led up to this feeling of mystery. Achieve this simply by Cover and background illustrations © Karl James Mountford Resources © Lindsay Pickton. primaryeducationadvisors.co.uk Planning sheet Describing a character at the start of a mystery Plan a short piece of descriptive writing, focusing on describing your character as the mystery is just beginning. Think about how you will use contrasting vocabulary, time adverbials and descriptions of emotion to set up your mysterious situation. Resources © Lindsay Pickton primaryeducationadvisors.co.uk Who is the main character/ narrator? Name Age Important background Where is the main character when the message arrives? What ‘normal’ thing are they doing, and who with? (The main character should keep the message a secret from them.) What is the mystery? Who has sent a message? Who is the messenger? (They should be familiar to the main character, but don’t reveal this straight away.) Detail Notes and suggestions Helpful language from Ista Flit and the Impossible Key State clearly how the main character is feeling Contrast reality with the emotion – what they know; then what they feel Nat knew that he was awake but felt that he must be dreaming again Start the flashback Link the feeling already mentioned to what has been happening up to this point He’d been feeling that way ever since… First detail in the flashback An interruption to the ‘normal’ thing: knock at the door, phone call, opening a posted letter, approached in a crowded place… …interrupted what should have been the… Show main character being ‘normal’ Make them appear casual and relaxed …hopped down from the chair, the last corner of toast in his hand… llustration © Karl James Mountford 1 DOWNLOAD RESOURCES AT Download your FREE , exclusive teaching pack to help you explore both this extract and the rest of the book with your class. tinyurl.com/tp-Ista Exploring writers’ techniques Reread the extract from Ista Flit and the Impossible Key by Clare Harlow. Using the ‘How writers can set up a mystery’ poster, annotate the text to show the ways in which Harlow not only sets her characters off on a mystery, but also a generates a mysterious atmosphere for readers to relish. Nat knew he was awake but felt as if he must be dreaming again. He’d been feeling that way ever since a knock at the door had interrupted what should have been the Shah family’s first normal breakfast in over a season. Nat had hopped down from his chair, the last corner of his toast in hand, to see who was there, and found a long, thin string of a man stooping in the porch, ashen-faced and clutching an envelope. The caller wasn’t someone who smiled much, but usually the chance that he might smile crackled like a warm hearth in his gaze. At that moment, though, his eyes were winter-bleak with worry. Resources © Lindsay Pickton primaryeducationadvisors.co.uk Cover and background illustrations © Karl James Mountford 1 5 TOP TIPS FOR WRITING A MYSTERY 1. ANCHOR YOUR READER There’s a fine line between mystery and muddle. Offer clarity when you can, and this will help your readers enjoy the bits of the story that are meant to be mysterious, rather than wondering whether they’ve understood the basics. 2. QUESTIONS ARE CRUCIAL The spine of your mystery can probably be condensed to a series of questions; some big (‘Who is the murderer?), some small (‘Who was hiding behind the curtains on p.55?’). Decide how to fit these questions together, and in what order to answer them, and you’ll have your basic structure. 3. CHARACTER IS KEY Give everyone something to gain, and something to lose, and see if you can raise the stakes for your protagonists as the story progresses. 4. SOW YOUR SEEDS EARLY Planning a big twist? See what clues you can weave in early on. It’s a hard balance to get right; you don’t want to spoil the surprise. Reread a book that has surprised you and see if you can spot the hints and foreshadowing in the first half of the story. 5. SIGNPOSTING IS YOUR FRIEND Everything a character notices, every question they ask, will point the readers’ attention in that direction too. You can do this in dialogue and in the narrative. You can have fun misdirecting your readers, too, making them look away from the clues that are right under their noses. Peer inside the mind of the author, and help pupils understand how to set up a mystery story Tidemagic: Ista Flit and the Impossible Key by Clare Harlow Chapter 7 Pages 40-41 Nat knew he was awake but felt as if he must be dreaming again. He’d been feeling that way ever since a knock at the door had interrupted what should have been the Shah family’s first normal breakfast in over a season. Nat had hopped down from his chair, the last corner of his toast in hand, to see who was there, and found a long, thin string of a man stooping in the porch, ashen-faced and clutching an envelope. The caller wasn’t someone who smiled much, but usually the chance that he might smile crackled like a warm hearth in his gaze. At that moment, though, his eyes were winter-bleak with worry. ‘It’s Ista,’ Giddon had said, and Nat had understood that nothing about today was going to be normal. Cover and background illustrations © Karl James Mountford primaryeducationadvisors.co.uk Resources © Lindsay Pickton 1 Image © Fraser Burrows Photography