I was writing a story about a detective and realized my clues were too obvious

I was working on a mystery set in a small town, and my friend read the first chapter. She pointed at a line where a character said, 'I saw something by the old mill last night,' and guessed the whole ending right then. That was the moment I knew I was making it too easy for the reader. I need to hide clues better, not just say them out loud. How do you plant a clue without making it stand out like a sign?

2 comments

2 Comments

sean_murray12d ago

That line about the old mill is a classic example of what writers call a "red flag" clue. You can hide it better by making the clue part of a normal action, like having a character complain about the mill's broken fence while fixing their own. The key is to make the reader think it's just background detail. Another trick is to spread the clue across two separate, boring conversations so it doesn't connect until later.

the_zara12d ago

I mean, that's a lot of work just to hide a clue about an old mill. Most readers are just trying to enjoy the story, not solve a puzzle. Feels like you could just mention the mill once and move on, idk. Maybe it's just me but I'd probably forget both boring conversations anyway.