Description
Write the mystery you want to read. That is the whole assignment, and it takes a year.
This online creative writing class for high school builds a cozy mystery from the ground up: a charming small town, quirky suspects, hidden clues, red herrings, a lovable sleuth and an unforgettable sidekick, and a twist nobody sees coming.
Students study how the masters did it, reading Edgar Allan Poe, Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ellery Queen, and Sherlock Holmes, then apply what they find to their own pages. The last unit is about series writing and publishing: shaping a marketable mystery and preparing it to be published, should your student want that.
By May they have a cozy mystery well underway, or a short story series substantially drafted, and the tools to finish it.
Beth Purcell teaches this one in a blended format on purpose. Live sessions on the first and third Wednesday of each month handle instruction, workshop, and discussion; the self-paced lessons in between give students the long, quiet stretches that real reading and drafting require.
She provides the texts and resources as PDFs and links, so there is no reading list to buy.
Beth Purcell, True North’s Humanities Department Chair, is an IEW-certified writing instructor with an English degree from the University of South Carolina.
“This is a great course! It’s fun, enjoyable, and you learn to write a murder mystery. I’m not a writer by any means, but this class was really good at guiding you along, and helping you to love writing! You also learn how to use grammar properly, but in a fun way. 10/10 would recommend for any high schoolers.”
— Lizzie D – 9th grade
A look inside this class
Class details
– Teacher: Beth Purcell
– Day and time: the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. CST
– Term: full year, 2027-28 school year
– Grades: 9-12
– Credit: 1 credit
– Materials: provided by the instructor as e-copies and links; reliable internet access for research
– Blended class: live small-group sessions every other week on Zoom, with self-paced lessons between
For the teen who has always wanted to write a book, this is the year. Reserve a seat; the credit is Cognia-accredited and the transcript is ours to keep.
Krista R –
My daughter is a freshman this year and has always had a dream to write her own novel, but had no prior experience with putting together a complete book. She loves murder mysteries and when I saw this course I knew she would love it. She has already grown so much in her writing, character development and understanding of the components needed to develop a novel, and it’s only the first semester. Meredith’s course is a dream come true for her, and I can not recommend it enough. It is a solid course with a strong balance between education and enjoyment, and Meredith has done a terrific job of engaging the students and motivating them to put the effort into the course. I am very impressed!
Leah Valentine –
This class was a perfect fit for my sophomore teen girl who loves to read and write! Meredith Curtis is an engaging teacher that has the right balance of encouragement and expectation to challenge the students to do their best. It is academic, but also creative. We appreciated the clear communication of assignments, due dates, expectation and feed back on work. The wholesome mystery books they read and discussed gave beneficial exposure of various styles of writing. Mrs. Curtis is a wonderful Godly role model that inspired my daughter to use her abilities to serve the Lord. She would love to take another literature or writing class with Mrs. Curtis ~ We highly recommend this course!
Lizzie D – 9th grade –
This is a great course! It’s fun, enjoyable, and you learn to write a murder mystery. I’m not a writer by any means, but this class was really good at guiding you along, and helping you to love writing! you also learn how to use grammar properly, but in a fun way. 10/10 would recommend for any high schoolers.