Mystery Writing

Lesson 1

The Four Story Types

You're probably wondering if you can really write a novel or screenplay. You may have already started one—maybe even several—and then run out of steam. In this first lesson, you'll begin finding out the secret that guarantees success. It's the secret of knowing where you're going before you start. You'll also take some time to learn what makes a mystery great, and to explore a number of real-world examples.

Plot vs. Story

Did you know that there's a big difference between story and plot? Amazingly, even many professional authors are confused about this. In this lesson, you'll learn that plot is physical while story is emotional. Balancing the two is one of the keys to writing fiction that will satisfy your audience.

Passion, Theme, Character, and Premise

This lesson is about the dramatic elements at the heart of every story: passion, theme, character, and premise. Your passion is what drives you to tell your story and the theme is the underlying message it carries. To convey your theme, you create characters that represent it—either positively or negatively. Put these elements together and you've got your premise.

Character

Character is what story is all about. Without a character—and a change taking place within them—there can be no story. In this lesson, you'll discover why the best characters are flawed. You'll explore the main character—the protagonist—and the opposing force of the antagonist. After that, you'll look at some tricks and techniques for creating characters that are memorable.

The Checkpoints of Mystery Story Structuring

In this lesson, you'll explore the structure underlying almost every great story. That's right: Nearly every successful story has the same structure—a structure that virtually guarantees success! Like Sherlock Holmes, you'll examine each element of it under your writer's magnifying glass. Then, you'll test your theories against some well-known mysteries. By the end, you'll have solved the mystery of story structure.

Act 1: Hook, Backstory, and Trigger

This is the first of three lessons in which you'll construct your story outline, act-by-act. In Act 1, you'll hook your readers. Then you'll fill them in with some character history called backstory. Finally, you'll exit Act 1 with a bang by triggering a traumatic event in the life of your protagonist.

Act 2: Crisis, Struggle, and Epiphany

In this lesson, you'll work on Act 2 of your mystery. If Act 1 ended with a bang, Act 2 starts with a whimper. Your protagonist begins in crisis—an emotional state brought on by their flaw. Because of that flaw, your protagonist will struggle throughout the act as the antagonist deals setback after setback. Fortunately, at the conclusion of Act 2, your protagonist finally figures out the source of all this emotional distress and overcomes it.

Act 3: Plan, Climax, and Ending

The epiphany that ended Act 2 has prepared your protagonist for triumph in Act 3. So it's time to devise a plan. The result will be a final confrontation with the antagonist. This lesson looks at the best way to defeat the antagonist—it's not what you might guess. Then, with that dramatic climax behind you, you'll be ready to tie up all your story's loose threads in the ending.

The Story Outline

Once you've become comfortable with story structure, it's time to put it all together. You'll move from story idea, to story outline, to developing scenes. From these little seeds, you'll grow an entire forest.

Scene and Sequel

This lesson will unravel the internal structure of every piece of fiction you've ever read. This is different from story structure and it's something you probably never even knew existed. It's called scene and sequel. After this lesson, you'll never forget it.

Viewpoint

One of the most important choices an author makes is viewpoint. It affects every aspect of story—from theme, to pacing, to suspense. In this lesson, you'll look at the three most common viewpoints: third person omniscient, third person limited, and first person. You'll explore the advantages and disadvantages of each by considering examples from real-word mystery novels.

The Mystery

Much of the content that's been talked about in this course applies to all types of fiction, not just mysteries. So, in learning how to write a great mystery, you've also been learning to be a better writer in all genres. In this final lesson, you'll examine some elements unique to mystery writing. Then, the lesson will wrap up with some ideas about how to follow the roadmap you've created and actually reach your goal of a finished novel or screenplay.