Genre Mashups: A horrifying mystery

Hi everyone, and welcome back to Too Many Books to Count! I’m so glad you stopped by. All month, we’re talking about genres, and getting those creative juices flowing by mashing two genres together in a way we might not have considered before. We’re talking mashups, and I’m ending every blog with a short writing prompt, to really help you get those juices flowing—and just in time for NaNoWriMo, too!

Thus far this month, we’ve talked about everything from historical science fiction to historical horror, and this week, I have two more super fun subjects for you.

Genre Mashups: A horrifying mystery

Like I’ve said many times over the past two weeks, there’s nothing new under the sun. I’m sure many of you have read horror-mystery mashups before, and some of you might have even written in these genres before, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take a new spin on it, does it?

Let’s define our genres:

Horror is, as we discussed recently, just that: it’s a genre that focuses on the theme of the horrifying, of jump scares and setting your nerves on edge, of making your teeth chatter and making you wonder as to the reality around you. It’s terrifying, and that’s what makes it a whole lot of fun. Sometimes it’s paranormal, sometimes it’s based in the actual—but it’s always bent on getting a good scare, and it usually gets it. It’s a thematic genre, which means it blends extremely well with others.

Mystery, on the other hand… well, that’s not hard to guess at either, is it? Mystery is a thematic genre that’s focused on the solving of a certain mystery, though that mystery varies from story to story. There’s generally a detective involved, one who’s primary goal is to solve the mystery upon which the story revolves, to whatever end that may lead.

And, in my opinion, the two very easily go hand in hand.

They’re both thematic genres, which means they’ll also blend well into whatever time period you have in mind, whatever character set you have in mind, and essentially, whatever wonderful ideas you have in that noggin of yours. They bind easily, because the horrifying elements can very simply seat themselves as the basis of the mystery, or can propel the mystery forward. Whatever you choose. The story is ready and waiting for you, even now.

So, here’s your prompt:

Write me a story about a hardened detective, one who’s seen his fair share of crime. His fair share of hardship. Only when this deed goes down, even he’ll be terrified by what’s going on. It’ll shake him to his core, get his boots trembling, and make him wonder if anything he’s ever believed in could actually be true.

It’s up to you, what time period you set the story in, what horror you have in mind, even what the mystery may actually be. But I want your mystery to be based around the past of your primary character, and I want the story to reveal him for what he really is, in a way that he didn’t think possible. I want to discover him through the horror that’s around him, and I want the pieces to unfold like a mystery.

Let that challenge you, and let your mind take it and run.

Me, I’ve got some ideas, myself.

[love]

{Rani Divine}