: Re: How to make the murder's identity less obvious, or make the obviousness not matter? I'm writing a short story following the first person perspective of the MC, who is a young, male writer of

"...and, unsurprisingly, the MC is a murdererâ€¦"

If it's this obvious consider going with #4 , but don't think of it as "Surprise! The main character turns out to be the murdererâ€¦". Instead try "My main character wants to be a murderer. Now whatâ€¦?" Then he can ask himself all the these questions and debate the answers as he plots the ultimate murder. He's our protagonist so we see him plan and make decisions, something goes wrong, he has to improvise, he has doubts, he over-thinks the meaning of them and how his friends will react to each detail, he is disappointed when they miss something, etc.

In a murder mystery, the crime is a puzzle that can be solved by the reader. There will be clues and red herrings, but the author is not deliberately trying to "trick" the reader down the wrong path. A villain might leave a false trail for the detective, but not the reader.

But for horror the murders are not a puzzle to be solved. They create tension as gruesome things are happening for unknown reasons, and suspense because "one of us is a madman". Structurally, they serve as a countdown until the Last Girl. There's no reason any of these deaths need to make sense, and certainly no reason for the characters to make sense of it. The whole point is fear closing in, and hope diminishing.

If the killer is trying to get his friends to "solve the puzzle" he will pre-announce the time people will die and leave plenty of clues, assuming himself to be a mastermind.

If the killer wants to watch everyone go insane from authentic fear, he will not be giving them time to ponder who is doing this or why. He will keep them as confused as possible and perhaps direct suspicion on one to tempt the others to turn against him. The evidence he leaves behind will not be clues to solve a puzzle, but hints of more terror to come.

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: Re: How to make the murder's identity less obvious, or make the obviousness not matter? I'm writing a short story following the first person perspective of the MC, who is a young, male writer of

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: Character crisis for a Science Hero? I have three protagonists working towards the same goal but with different motives. They are co-protagonists each with their own character arc and resolution.

: How to handle a massive info dump post-ending? I know this question has been asked a few times, and Iâ€™ve read all the helpful answers, but canâ€™t implement them in my situation. So, would

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