Unraveling the Mystery: On Writing The Mysterious Lighthouse

Abstract

This English creative writing thesis is my submission for the final BA project in English at the University of Iceland’s School of Humanities. The thesis is in two parts. The first part comprises extracts from my novel, The Mysterious Lighthouse, which is approximately 14,800 words in length. The second part is an exposition on the writing process of about 3,000 words.The Mysterious Lighthouse is the first story in a planned young adult mystery series that follows fifteen-year-old Felix Baxter, Ethan Carter, and fourteen-year-old Emma Carter. Felix is an introverted teenager who has been bullied most of his life. When siblings Ethan and Emma move into the neighborhood, his solitary life gets turned upside down. The three teenagers witness strange lights from the old lighthouse in Pinecrest Point, compelling them to investigate. The trio soon finds themselves on a hunt for a legendary treasure hidden by the founding pirate of the town, Captain Dixie Bull. However, they are not the only ones searching for it. Will they find the treasure first, or will it land in the wrong hands?The exposition discusses the story’s genre, audience, and writing process. It analyses classic young adult mystery novels, such as Nancy Drew: The Secret of the Old Clock and The Hardy Boys: The Tower Treasure, and how they may be used as inspiration for stories catered to a modern young adult audience. It then discusses the writing process, from generating an idea to drafting an outline and ultimately crafting a finished story, encompassing character development, setting, plot structure, and subplots. Finally, it examines what I have learned about the writing process while writing and editing my story. Each topic is supported by examples from professionals in the fields of writing and publishing, and I aim to demonstrate what I have learned throughout my writing journey.