Writing a Murder Mystery in Two Weeks
June 11, 2010 9:43 AM Subscribe
In charge of a murder mystery party to be held at a public library. Person writing it bailed. HELP!
I'm in charge of programming at a public library. We have a murder mystery party scheduled in a couple weeks, and I just found out the person with whom Iam was collaborating (who was supposed to write the mystery itself) has bailed on the project. The event is promoted as participatory (people will play sleuth, piecing together clues offered as the game progresses). So far I have 25 people registered, with a registration limit of 50 (though that limit can be adjusted if necessary).
Now everything's been dumped in my lap, and cancelling the event is not an option. I've never hosted (or even attended) a murder mystery party. Researching online has led me to this AskMe post, a bunch of websites offering games for sale, and generic advice that doesn't get to the nuts-and-bolts of the game/story structure.
I suppose I could modify a mystery-party-in-a-box to fit our event's premise (an author visit held at our branch is cut short when the author is murdered... whodunit?), but I'm wary of some of the problems with that (pretty large group, warnings that box mysteries are lame, etc.). I'm a decent writer and have some experience directing actors, so I'm not worried about the prospect of having to execute a plotline, get volunteers to play key roles, etc. What I'm freaked out about is that I have no idea how these types of parties actually work. I need to move quickly to get this done, so I need to know the best way to approach this so I can start writing and rehearsing.
FWIW, my ex-collaborator has proven next to impossible to reach (something I learned too late), so it seems prudent to assume that I won't be able to pick her brain or get access to what (if anything) she's written so far.
Any ideas?
I'm in charge of programming at a public library. We have a murder mystery party scheduled in a couple weeks, and I just found out the person with whom I
Now everything's been dumped in my lap, and cancelling the event is not an option. I've never hosted (or even attended) a murder mystery party. Researching online has led me to this AskMe post, a bunch of websites offering games for sale, and generic advice that doesn't get to the nuts-and-bolts of the game/story structure.
I suppose I could modify a mystery-party-in-a-box to fit our event's premise (an author visit held at our branch is cut short when the author is murdered... whodunit?), but I'm wary of some of the problems with that (pretty large group, warnings that box mysteries are lame, etc.). I'm a decent writer and have some experience directing actors, so I'm not worried about the prospect of having to execute a plotline, get volunteers to play key roles, etc. What I'm freaked out about is that I have no idea how these types of parties actually work. I need to move quickly to get this done, so I need to know the best way to approach this so I can start writing and rehearsing.
FWIW, my ex-collaborator has proven next to impossible to reach (something I learned too late), so it seems prudent to assume that I won't be able to pick her brain or get access to what (if anything) she's written so far.
Any ideas?
I bought a murder mystery package for my husband's 30th birthday and here's a general overview of how it worked without a lot of specific details.
The whole point of the thing is to get different people/characters to talk to one another to find out clues (which makes your party fun, because people have to socialize with each other). Presumably the person who gets the most pertinent clues has enough information to figure out who did the murder and why.
The way the one I purchased was set up was that all guests had to fill out a questionnaire online and the company assigned each guest to a specific character. They then gave the guests info sheets about their characters and what they know and/or suspect coming into the party. Obviously, the guest chosen to be the murderer and the victim know this in advance too. Of course, the character part can be as elaborate or as simple as you want it. We had a 50's Vegas Lounge party, so people were gangsters and strippers and actors etc., but you can just have people be library patrons who know specific things too. I suppose you could hide clues in the library as well, giving some characters hints about where they are or partial hints that they can put together with clues from other guests to figure out where they are.
So people come to the party knowing certain facts and have to mingle with each other to find out clues. There were also plot cards that certain people got to help move things along. So, lets say there were 5 different plot cards that had key pieces of information on them and one was supposed to be read every 20 minutes to make sure that people were discovering information in a timely manner. After the first 20 minutes of the party goes along, the host says "Plot #1" [or whatever] and then whichever character was given that plot card (which was information they were supposed to reveal to people they were mingling with during the course of the party) needed to read out the information on the plot card.
At the party I hosted, everyone was always ahead of the plot cards, but they're helpful in case the party is really big and not everyone can talk to everyone else.
So eventually, the murder happens (the murderer connects with the victim in a private area at a certain point in the party - you can give instructions like, do the murder after plot card #3 or something) and all the plot cards have been read aloud. Then it's time to do a group guess on who the murderer is and why etc. The host has the story of the murder and the motive on a sheet and after people are done talking about it, there's the big reveal.
Obviously, there's more than one way to do it, this was just how the one I did worked. I'm happy to answer any questions, just mefimail me.
posted by Kimberly at 10:27 AM on June 11, 2010
The whole point of the thing is to get different people/characters to talk to one another to find out clues (which makes your party fun, because people have to socialize with each other). Presumably the person who gets the most pertinent clues has enough information to figure out who did the murder and why.
The way the one I purchased was set up was that all guests had to fill out a questionnaire online and the company assigned each guest to a specific character. They then gave the guests info sheets about their characters and what they know and/or suspect coming into the party. Obviously, the guest chosen to be the murderer and the victim know this in advance too. Of course, the character part can be as elaborate or as simple as you want it. We had a 50's Vegas Lounge party, so people were gangsters and strippers and actors etc., but you can just have people be library patrons who know specific things too. I suppose you could hide clues in the library as well, giving some characters hints about where they are or partial hints that they can put together with clues from other guests to figure out where they are.
So people come to the party knowing certain facts and have to mingle with each other to find out clues. There were also plot cards that certain people got to help move things along. So, lets say there were 5 different plot cards that had key pieces of information on them and one was supposed to be read every 20 minutes to make sure that people were discovering information in a timely manner. After the first 20 minutes of the party goes along, the host says "Plot #1" [or whatever] and then whichever character was given that plot card (which was information they were supposed to reveal to people they were mingling with during the course of the party) needed to read out the information on the plot card.
At the party I hosted, everyone was always ahead of the plot cards, but they're helpful in case the party is really big and not everyone can talk to everyone else.
So eventually, the murder happens (the murderer connects with the victim in a private area at a certain point in the party - you can give instructions like, do the murder after plot card #3 or something) and all the plot cards have been read aloud. Then it's time to do a group guess on who the murderer is and why etc. The host has the story of the murder and the motive on a sheet and after people are done talking about it, there's the big reveal.
Obviously, there's more than one way to do it, this was just how the one I did worked. I'm happy to answer any questions, just mefimail me.
posted by Kimberly at 10:27 AM on June 11, 2010
Were I in the same situation, I'd wing it. I wouldn't worry so much about making my murder mystery party fit someone else's idea of a murder mystery party. You've already got the skills to put the basic mystery together—now think creatively about how to use your guests and the library to make it interesting and fun.
I'd try to make the solving of the mystery involve three or so puzzles that the guests can work on in teams: one puzzle involves finding clues from books on a handwritten list the dead author has left behind, perhaps; another requires the help of a reference librarian (or a "reference librarian" played by an actor). What services unique to your library can you incorporate into their clue finding process? After each puzzle, reconvene the whole group for the next scene. In the final scene, have each group declare who they consider to be the prime suspect and why, and then have the suspects defend themselves and/or reveal the final clue that is the incontrovertible proof.
My feeling is that if you focus on making the puzzles fun (and relevant to your library) the plot will be secondary, and your guests will have a grand time.
posted by ocherdraco at 10:29 AM on June 11, 2010 [2 favorites]
I'd try to make the solving of the mystery involve three or so puzzles that the guests can work on in teams: one puzzle involves finding clues from books on a handwritten list the dead author has left behind, perhaps; another requires the help of a reference librarian (or a "reference librarian" played by an actor). What services unique to your library can you incorporate into their clue finding process? After each puzzle, reconvene the whole group for the next scene. In the final scene, have each group declare who they consider to be the prime suspect and why, and then have the suspects defend themselves and/or reveal the final clue that is the incontrovertible proof.
My feeling is that if you focus on making the puzzles fun (and relevant to your library) the plot will be secondary, and your guests will have a grand time.
posted by ocherdraco at 10:29 AM on June 11, 2010 [2 favorites]
if guests will have access to the library proper, hiding clues in relevant books could be a lot of fun. especially clues that insult dan brown.
for instance, 3 clues collected might lead one to 'the number one ladies detective agency', page 82, paragraph 2....which in turn lead to the next.
also might be fun to have the murderer assigned by random clue discovery.
or, book zombies. some clues lead to a dead end, turning the finder into a 'zombie'. if 'touched' by a zombie, you become likewise after a certain gestation period. that would add a time element, which might be desirable. maybe zombies always lie?
posted by kimyo at 2:36 PM on June 11, 2010
for instance, 3 clues collected might lead one to 'the number one ladies detective agency', page 82, paragraph 2....which in turn lead to the next.
also might be fun to have the murderer assigned by random clue discovery.
or, book zombies. some clues lead to a dead end, turning the finder into a 'zombie'. if 'touched' by a zombie, you become likewise after a certain gestation period. that would add a time element, which might be desirable. maybe zombies always lie?
posted by kimyo at 2:36 PM on June 11, 2010
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posted by jessamyn at 9:49 AM on June 11, 2010 [1 favorite]