Mystery Writing

Picture of Mystery Writing
Quick Facts
  • Delivery Method Online
  • Professional Certificate
  • 24hrs Suggested Study Time
  • 3 Months Access
  • Tutor Support
  • Study On Any Device
  • 2792 Students

Using vivid examples from bestselling mystery novels, this course will teach you the techniques you need to become a successful author.

What makes a mystery?

If you consider the books you've read most recently, you may be surprised to discover that many--if not all--are mysteries. From Dan Brown to Dennis Lehane, mysteries are hot items on today's best-seller lists.

This course will teach you the techniques you need to know if you want to become a best-selling mystery author.

Mystery Writing begins by introducing the four story types and then explains how they relate to mysteries. It then reveals the three-act story structure, which is any story's key to success. Next, it shows you how to propel the action forward to a climax, followed by a catharsis in which your readers feel the release of tension that accompanies a great finish.

The difference between story and plot is one of the most important distinctions in fiction writing--and one that many professional authors don't fully understand. But you will have mastered it by the end of this course. You'll also get a chance to experiment with viewpoints and see which one works best for your mystery. And you'll write a complete scene from your story and learn the internal structure that makes every scene feel right.

Finally, you'll delve into the special techniques that apply to mysteries, including crime scene description, MacGuffins, and the use of red herrings to misdirect your readers and create suspense.

Examples from real mystery novels will show these techniques in action. Then, following each lesson, you'll get to practice on your own story. And when you have questions or insights to share, you can join your instructor and classmates in a dynamic, interactive discussion area.

This information-packed online course combines the best advice of many writing professionals, tempered with the instructor's own experiences as a mystery writer. Follow the guidelines taught in this course, and you'll be well on your way to writing a successful mystery of your very own!

Courses are delivered to you through expertly executed lessons, online instruction and interaction with like-minded students. Our courses are designed to deliver all of the benefits of studying in a classroom whilst giving you the flexibility to study at a time and place to suit your needs. You can access your classroom 24/7 from any device with an internet connection.

This course has a 3 month duration. You'll complete comprehensive lessons, quizzes and assignments before submitting your final exam at the end of the course to achieve your certificate. Courses must be completed within the 3 month access period.

You're probably wondering if you can really write a novel or screenplay. You may have already started one—maybe even several—and then run out of steam. In this first lesson, you'll begin finding out the secret that guarantees success. It's the secret of knowing where you're going before you start. We'll also take some time today to discuss what makes a mystery great, and to explore a number of real-world examples.

Did you know that there's a big difference between story and plot? Amazingly, even many professional authors are confused about this. To

In our first lesson, I'll introduce you to the profession of physical therapy (PT). You'll learn about the history of PT and how two wars and an epidemic created a need for this profession. To help you understand what makes PTs different from other health care professionals, we'll discuss the types of patients who need PT and the types of treatment PTs use. You'll understand the important difference between PTs, PT assistants, and PT aides as you come to understand the special role of PT aides.

As a PT aide, you'll communicate with many different people, so in today's lesson, we'll focus on the communication skills you'll need to help you communicate with your supervising PT, patients, and their families. You'll learn about some of the challenges you'll face when communicating with sick or injured people, and how to demonstrate the traits of empathy, respect, and patience. We'll also spend some time on SOAP notes—the method many medical personnel use to document their evaluations and patient treatments.

This very important lesson will help you stay out of trouble because today, we'll discuss law and ethics for the PT aide. You'll learn the differences between law and ethics and why you must be concerned about both. We'll go over the American Physical Therapy Association's Code of Ethics, relating its principles to PT aides. We'll also talk about the American Hospital Association's <em>A Patient's Bill of Rights</em> so you'll know how you should treat patients in different situations. You'll want to understand both negligence and malpractice, so we'll cover those topics, too. Finally, we'll spend some time on the very important topic of patient confidentiality. You can face stiff penalties if you violate patient confidentiality, so I want to make sure you thoroughly understand this topic.

Have you ever noticed that every profession has its own unique language? The health care profession is no different. As a PT aide, it's vitally important that you understand the language that PTs use, so we'll focus on that in this lesson. We'll cover planes of the body and directional terms. You'll also learn the terms that define the body's major regions and body cavities. The movements of joints have special names, so I'll define them and share lots of graphics that demonstrate these movements. We'll finish with some other terms related to function and movement in the last chapter.

In this lesson, we'll begin our discussion of the body's organ systems. We'll go over how your body is organized, from atoms to an entire individual. We'll discuss the muscular, skeletal, nervous, endocrine, circulatory, and lymphatic systems. You'll learn about the organs in each of these systems, the jobs they perform, and disorders affecting these systems that are commonly treated by PTs.

We'll continue our discussion of the organ systems in this lesson. To start out, we'll go over how our organ systems are interrelated and how a problem with one system will affect the others. We'll then move on to a discussion of the integumentary (skin), digestive, urinary, respiratory, and reproductive systems. Just like in Lesson 5, you'll learn about each system's organs, function, and some common disorders. We'll finish the lesson with a discussion of the most important concept in human physiology—homeostasis. Homeostasis means the drive of your body to keep many different variables, like blood pressure and temperature, within a certain range. I'll tell you why this is so crucial and how you might be asked to monitor homeostasis while caring for patients.

We'll start discussing specific safety issues in this lesson, focusing on infection control. Anyone working in healthcare must understand the meaning of infection, its causes, and how its spreads. To help you understand this, we'll discuss the chain of infection and what you can do to break that chain so infection doesn't spread from one person to another. We'll spend some time on an infection called MRSA because it's so common and dangerous. Since proper hand hygiene is the most effective way to stop infection from spreading, we'll go over the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidelines. We'll also talk about patient-care equipment, environmental control, and the role of vaccinations.

day you'll learn that plot is physical while story is emotional. Balancing the two is one of the keys to writing fiction that will satisfy your audience.

This lesson is about the dramatic elements at the heart of every story: <em>passion, theme, character</em>, and <em>premise</em>. Your passion is what drives you to tell your story and the theme is the underlying message it carries. To convey your theme, you create characters that represent it—either positively or negatively. Put these elements together and you've got your premise.

Character is what story is all about. Without a character—and a change in him or her—there can be no story. Today, you'll discover why the best characters are flawed. We'll explore you main character—the protagonist—and the opposing force of the antagonist. And then we'll look at tricks and techniques for creating characters that are memorable.

In this lesson, we'll explore the structure underlying almost every great story. That's right: Nearly every successful story has the same structure—a structure that virtually guarantees success! Like Sherlock Holmes, we'll examine each element of it under our writer's magnifying glass. Then we'll test our theories against some well-known mysteries. By the end, we'll have solved the mystery of story structure.

This is the first of three lessons in which you'll construct your story outline, act-by-act. In Act 1, you'll hook your readers. Then you'll fill them in with some character history called <em>backstory</em>. Finally, you'll exit Act 1 with a bang by triggering a traumatic event in the life of your protagonist.

Today, we work on Act 2 of your mystery. If Act 1 ended with a bang, Act 2 starts with a whimper. Your protagonist begins in crisis—an emotional state brought on by his or her flaw. And because of that flaw, your protagonist will struggle throughout the act as the antagonist deals setback after setback. Fortunately, at the conclusion of Act 2, your protagonist finally figures out the source of all this emotional distress and overcomes it.

The epiphany that ended Act 2 has prepared your protagonist for triumph in Act 3. So it's time to devise a plan. The result will be a final confrontation with the antagonist. This lesson looks at the best way to defeat the antagonist—it's not what you might guess. Then, with that dramatic climax behind you, you'll be ready to tie up all your story's loose threads in the ending.

We've accomplished a lot and you've gotten pretty comfortable with story structure. This is the lesson where we put it all together. We're going to move from story idea, to story outline, to developing scenes. From these little seeds, we're about to grow a forest.

In this lesson, we'll unravel the internal structure of every piece of fiction you've ever read. This is different from story structure and it's something I bet you never even knew existed. It's called <em>scene</em> and <em>sequel</em>. After today, you'll never forget it.

One of the most important choices an author makes is viewpoint. It affects every aspect of story—from theme, to pacing, to suspense. Today we'll look at the three most common viewpoints: third person omniscient, third person limited, and first person. We'll explore the advantages and disadvantages of each by considering examples from real-word mystery novels.

We'll discuss important safety issues again in this lesson, but this time, instead of infection, we'll focus on proper body mechanics and safe patient transfers. Body mechanics means the posture of your body and how you move it. You must understand proper body mechanics to protect yourself from injury. We'll start out with a discussion of the anatomy of the spine since the spine gets hurt most often when we ignore proper body mechanics. We'll talk about proper posture and the importance of paying attention to your center of gravity. We'll also go over a list of principles for using proper body mechanics and guidelines for moving patients in a variety of different situations. We'll end with a discussion of lifting machines, which PTs now commonly use to transfer patients.

Most of us take walking for granted, but many patients must learn to walk again after an illness or injury. PTs often ask their aides to help with this, so you must understand what types of conditions make it hard for people to walk. You should also understand the normal gait cycle, so I'll spend some time on that topic and tell you about common deviations from normal gait. We'll spend quite a bit of time discussing different ambulatory devices including parallel bars, walkers, crutches, and canes and how they're used in PT.

PTs use physical agents, rather than medications or surgery, to treat patients. These agents include heat, cold, ultrasound, traction, and electricity. To explain these agents, we'll start with a discussion about the relationship between a disease or injury and one's ability to perform activities of daily living. We'll then follow a fictitious Mrs. Smith as she struggles to recover from a car accident. You'll learn about the physical agents her PT chooses and how they affect her body. We'll end with a discussion of contraindications (when an agent should never be used) and precautions (when an agent must be used with extra care).

Along with physical agents, PTs use exercise to treat patients. In this lesson, I'll introduce you to three types of exercise—strength training, aerobic exercise, and range-of-motion exercise. You'll learn how muscles are put together and why resistance is necessary to build strength. I'll teach you about three important principles you should know when supervising a strength training program. We'll also go over aerobic exercise, and you'll learn how it increases a person's ability to use oxygen. Finally, you'll learn about range-of-motion exercises. You'll find out how PTs measure how far a patient can move a joint and why joints sometimes become limited in their motion. We'll talk about different types of range-of-motion exercises and important principles to follow.

In our final lesson, we'll explore balance, coordination, and developmental delays. We'll focus on children in this lesson, although the information will be helpful if you're treating adults, too. You'll learn about a special sensory system called the vestibular system and how important it is for maintaining balance. I'll give you examples of activities PTs use to treat children with balance problems, and you'll learn about the adaptive response—something PTs continually look for when treating children. We'll move on to a discussion of developmental coordination disorder, and you'll learn how important it is for professionals to properly diagnose this condition. We'll end this course with the subject of developmental delays. You'll learn about developmental milestones and how PTs treat children who fail to meet those milestones. We'll also discuss how PTs use developmental activities with adults who have sustained traumatic brain injuries.

Holly Trimble

Holly Trimble

Holly Trimble has a bachelor's degree in physical therapy from the University of Colorado and a master's degree in pediatric physical therapy from Boston University. She completed an additional 15 credit hours in education at the doctoral level. S... Read more Read Holly Trimble's Profile

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you've made the payment, we'll send you a confirmation email with a link to start your course. Feel free to get started whenever you're ready!

You'll have 3 months access to your course. In that time you are free to study at your own pace. The course duration is 24 hours.

Online learning is a flexible way to study that fits around your schedule, giving you the freedom to learn at your own pace from anywhere in the world. You'll have 3 months to complete the course and can take the multiple-choice questions and final exam whenever it suits you.

Much of what we've talked about in this course applies to all types of fiction, not just mysteries. So, in learning how to write a great mystery, you've also been learning to be a better writer in all genres. But in this final lesson, we'll examine some elements unique to mystery writing. Then we'll wrap up with ideas about how to follow the roadmap you've created and actually reach your goal of a finished novel or screenplay.

Steve Alcorn

Steve Alcorn

Steve Alcorn is the published author of a wide range of fiction and nonfiction works including the mystery A Matter of Justice, the historical novel Everything in Its Path, the romance Ring of Diamonds (under the pseudonym Sha... Read more Read Steve Alcorn's Profile

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you've made the payment, we'll send you a confirmation email with a link to start your course. Feel free to get started whenever you're ready!

You'll have 3 months access to your course. In that time you are free to study at your own pace. The course duration is 24 hours.

Online learning is a flexible way to study that fits around your schedule, giving you the freedom to learn at your own pace from anywhere in the world. You'll have 3 months to complete the course and can take the multiple-choice questions and final exam whenever it suits you.

If you need help, you can contact us anytime. You can also join the discussion area where you can interact with other students. The discussion area for each lesson is open for the entire duration of the course.

Of course! We offer a 7-day money back guarantee. As long as you haven't completed the course, you can get a full refund within 7 days of enrolling.

We do not offer extensions or transfers for this self-paced course. However, you will have 3 months to complete the course, and if you need to cancel within the first 10 days of enrolment, we offer a money back guarantee.

The Learning Environment

From the moment that you enrol in the Mystery Writing you will become an integral part of our learning community. You'll find yourself with the freedom to learn at a speed that suits you, on any device, from anywhere in the world. Achieving your career goals no longer has to mean compromising family and work commitments.

Our Values

If you need help, you can contact us anytime. You can also join the discussion area where you can interact with other students. The discussion area for each lesson is open for the entire duration of the course.

Of course! We offer a 7-day money back guarantee. As long as you haven't completed the course, you can get a full refund within 7 days of enrolling.

We do not offer extensions or transfers for this self-paced course. However, you will have 3 months to complete the course, and if you need to cancel within the first 10 days of enrolment, we offer a money back guarantee.

The Learning Environment

From the moment that you enrol in the Become a Physiotherapy Assistant you will become an integral part of our learning community. You'll find yourself with the freedom to learn at a speed that suits you, on any device, from anywhere in the world. Achieving your career goals no longer has to mean compromising family and work commitments.

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Education should be accessible to anyone who wants to learn. That's why we offer some of the most competitive prices in the industry with payments plans for just $25 per week. Investing in your future is a smart choice and doesn’t have to break the bank.

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There's no better way to learn than from experts with years of experience in your field. That's why each of our 200+ industry-led courses are designed to give you a real-life perspective on your industry. With our expert mentors, you'll learn from people who have a wealth of knowledge and experience, and who are passionate about sharing it with you.

Industry-Led Courses

There's no better way to learn than from experts with years of experience in your field. That's why each of our 200+ industry-led courses are designed to give you a real-life perspective on your industry. With our expert mentors, you'll learn from people who have a wealth of knowledge and experience, and who are passionate about sharing it with you.

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At Vibe Learning, we're real people who are dedicated to providing you with personal support every step of the way. Our industry experts are not only professional and knowledgeable but also incredibly passionate about sharing their expertise with you. With their guidance, you'll gain invaluable insights and practical knowledge to help you succeed.

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