I've always viewed the two as the same thing, but maybe that's a mistake. Perhaps a great complication could be separating the two: the mystery the character is trying to solve is not the true problem of the story. The next question to answer would then become how he bridges that gap to understand what the true problem/mystery is. Nevertheless, as writers, we must always have a clear view of the main character's true task and how he gets there. (– Lisa)
The difference can be subtle. The MC knows about problems (if not their whole extent or how to resolve them), but he may not even know there is a mystery until it spawns problems that outline its shape.
Conflict is nothing without proper character motivation. There must be a perfectly logical and sensible reason why a conflict of any kind occurs in fiction, otherwise you just have a dumb action movie.
This is cool! Writer's School or how to craft a great story!
Most stories are a combination of problems to be resolved and mysteries to be solved. Often, the problem and the mystery are the same thing.
I've always viewed the two as the same thing, but maybe that's a mistake. Perhaps a great complication could be separating the two: the mystery the character is trying to solve is not the true problem of the story. The next question to answer would then become how he bridges that gap to understand what the true problem/mystery is. Nevertheless, as writers, we must always have a clear view of the main character's true task and how he gets there. (– Lisa)
The difference can be subtle. The MC knows about problems (if not their whole extent or how to resolve them), but he may not even know there is a mystery until it spawns problems that outline its shape.
Conflict is nothing without proper character motivation. There must be a perfectly logical and sensible reason why a conflict of any kind occurs in fiction, otherwise you just have a dumb action movie.
We could write about motivation, but ehhh . . .