 Mystery: June 16, 2021 Issue [#10807] |
This week: Mystery/Crime Thriller Plot Outlines Edited by: Lilith 🎄 Christmas Cheer  
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A plot outline is like your story’s skeleton. It’s the bones on which you hang the flesh, blood, sweat, and tears of your story.
It sketches out the underlying structure of your novel: its key stages, including critical developments and pivotal moments.
It doesn’t list all of the chapters or everything that happens in them. Its sticks to the heart of the story – which is usually the personal journey of the protagonist, from who they are at the beginning to who they are at the end.
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The simplest plot outline could be based on the three-act structure:
Act 1: Beginning
Act 2: Middle
Act 3: End
 Act 1
Present the Crime
Mysteries and Crime Thrillers often begin with a prologue in which the inciting crime takes place. This is not from the POV of the main protagonist, but may be from the killer, victim, or omniscient narrator.
Introduce the Sleuth
The sleuth is also the protagonist, who might even be a detective; but not always. Sometimes this character is a normal person that has been thrust into the situation and has no choice but to act - usually, someone they love is missing or threatened.
Offer Some Plausible Suspects
The most important aspect of a mystery is to keep the reader guessing who the perpetrator might be. In order to do this, there must be multiple suspects who act suspiciously.
Introduce a Private Subplot
While hunting down the external demons, the sleuth is battling their own inner demons.
Act 2
Clues are Revealed
Pressures begin to mount and the protagonist may begin to feel pressure from others. They might feel like time is running out. The investigation reveals some clues, including red herrings!
A Suspect Disappears
One of the key suspects might disappear or turn up dead., which indicated to readers that the perpetrator knows he’s being followed and that investigators are closing in.
Raising the Stakes
The protagonist gets a clear message that if they persist in their digging that they too could be a victim.
Develop the Subplot
Something about the case antagonizes the protagonist’s inner demons. They start to go off the rails and struggle to hold it together.
 Act 3
Reveal Hidden Motives
Most of the suspects will have their secrets revealed, showing them to be flawed but not murderers.
An Unsatisfying Solution
There may be a fake ending that closes the case.
Overlooked Clues from Act 1
The protagonist can’t let things go, feeling that something isn’t right. They pour over the case and stumble upon an overlooked clue that blows the case open.
Confrontation with the Perpetrator
The protagonist rushes to confront the perpetrator with the evidence, resulting in a big showdown. A positive is not certain until the last moment.
Resolution of the Subplot
The protagonist returns to normal life and finds the strength to deal with their inner demons. They return to everyday life, complete and optimistic.
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