A while back, I wrote a post about the elements that go into making a great mystery. And afterwards, I kind of wanted to share my own process for writing in this genre. As a self-confessed chronic pantser who has a major aversion to anything that could possibly be classed as an outline, mystery writing really hasn’t come naturally to me. It’s taken me a while to find a process that works for me, and I’m certainly not claiming that this is the best process ever. But a process it is, and it is mine, and it works. And today I want to share it with you.

What’s The Big Idea?

Every mystery starts with a big idea. A murder. A theft. A kidnapping. Whatever it is, this is the first thing I know for sure about my book. Usually, when I’m coming up with my big idea, I also find out its unique or special factor. If it’s a murder, it’s committed in a waxwork museum. If it’s a theft, the thief is stealing a jewelled mask at a masquerade party. I try and nail down this idea as solidly as possible right off the bat.

Brainstorming Bonanza

This is the most enjoyable part of the whole planning process. In this step, I get to make a list of everything I’d like to include in the book. I might want twins to be part of the solution, or have parallel mysteries, that tie together at the end or maybe I’d rather like to shoehorn a cupcake shop in there somewhere. It doesn’t matter how random or out of place the idea is, it all goes on the list. The more ideas I get down now, the more I have to work with later.

Hero VS Villain

One of the other really important pieces I like to get straight before I start plotting the book is the identity of the hero and villain. It is especially important to know who the villain is as the whole solution to the mystery is based around that fact. But knowing who the hero is also gives me the chance to make the mystery more personal to them. Maybe it involves war crimes and they were a solider, or they know the villain, or the case is super personal to them because of a past experience. If I know who the hero is, I can work this sort of thing in right from the start.

Putting the Puzzle Together

This is painstakingly slow bit, and is probably the hardest step for me as a pantser. For a mystery to work, you have to do at least a little plotting, even if you’re a pantser (unless you’re super smart, in which case I salute you). Taking the pieces I’ve already brainstormed, I start fitting them together. Usually they go together in disconnected segments. I might have some ideas about the end, a section around the first murder, and a nice little sequence involving cupcakes. From here I build up around them as much as possible.

Activate the Timeline

This is as organised and as close to an outline as I ever get, but it does make the plotting and writing of mysteries much easier for me. Once I have enough plot to be going on with, I slot all the events in a timeline. This way I can see how everything pans out, whether there are any parts with too much or too little happening, whether the timeframe is realistic and, most importantly, where I have gaps in the plot.

At this point, it’s usually pretty easy to see where I need to do research, and this is when I start looking into that to help me make sense of the plot and fill the gaps in my story. I don’t really do a lot of in depth research at this point. Just enough to let me know whether what I’m planning sounds plausible or not. And usually this research sparks a few other ideas that are mighty helpful as well.

For me, this timeline is very basic. As a pantser, I don’t like working with lots of details, so usually I have a day, and a few bullet points for the important events. This gives me enough knowledge of the plot so that everything should make sense, I don’t get lost, and everything should tie together nicely at the end, but leaves all the fun bits to be worked out during the writing stage, which appeases my pantser personality.

Fill in the Holes

Timelining points out all the holes. And there are a lot of them. This is the point where I usually need a brainstorming buddy to help me work out how to bridge my solid sections and tie the threads together. This is the most time consuming, frustrating stage for me, and it’s only with the great help of my brainstorming partner and sister that I ever get through it.

Logic Check

The final step, after I’ve completed my timeline and brainstormed to fill all the holes, is to do one final check to make sure that everything happens logically. I also like to check to make sure things aren’t happening by coincidence, the hero has to work for the ending, and that things don’t run too smoothly.

Let’s Write This Thing!

After all the planning, checking and (shudder) outlining, it’s time to write the book. At this point I set out in my epic adventure, armed with my basic outline, and (hopefully) still full of enthusiasm for the original idea. Anchors away, and this mystery is ready to set sail!

So that’s how I write mysteries and thrillers. Have you seen my other post, Elements of A GoodMystery yet? Do you write mysteries or thrillers? Are you a plotter or a pantser? How much do you like to have planned before you start writing your book?

April is right around the corner, and with it comes Camp NaNoWriMo. If you’re taking up the challenge like me, then you might be prepping your plot in anticipation of the big day. Maybe, like me, you’re lacking a bit in the ideas department. You might be struggling to come to grips with a new genre, or just trying to flesh out a brand new idea into something you can work with. Whatever your plotting problem is, fear not! I have several steps that always help me when I’m getting to grips with the outline of a brand new story.

Start by identifying your story goal: What is your story about anyway? Is it an epic quest to slay a dragon? A romance where the boy wants to win the girl? Identifying your story goal is the first step to having a solid basis for your story. Make sure you’re clear on what’s really happening in this book.

Work out what you know: Do you have ideas for random scenes? Are there relationships you’d like to cultivate? Events you would like to add to your plotline? Write it down. You might not have enough for an entire plot yet, but you might be surprised at how much you actually know about this book. Plus, going through what you know can inspire other ideas. And writing down these things gives you a skeleton to build the rest of the plot around.

Get to know your characters: Who is this delightful cast of colourful characters you’re planning to spend the next month with? What do they do with their lives? What are their hopes and dreams? Their disappointments? Interview your characters. Fill out questionnaires if you like them. Dig into their backstories. Plot ideas often grow naturally from characters, so by getting to know your characters, you might find yourself generating new plot ideas. Plus it’s always helpful to know something about the people you’re going to spend an entire book with.

Build around what you have: You might not have a full plot yet. But you do have an idea that your questers are going to cut through a quicksand bog and nearly lose a companion to the treacherous sands. Brainstorm around this event. Why did they cut through the bog? What made them so desperate as to risk the quicksand? Are they being chased? Are they on a fast approaching deadline? Building around what you already know allows you to fill in smaller gaps rather than being faced with the daunting task of coming up with an entire book.

If you can, brainstorm with someone else: One of my sisters loves helping me fill in my plot holes. We spend an evening talking about the book, discussing ideas and bouncing suggestions off each other, and the plot just seems to materialise of its own accord. If you have someone else to help you, try brainstorming with them. They may be able to suggest connections and ideas that didn’t occur to you, or could trigger some new ideas of your own.

These are a few of the steps I follow when I’m trying to outline a basic plot for a new book. What do you do when you’re plotting? Are you doing Camp NaNoWriMo? What will you be writing about? If you’re not doing Camp NaNo, what are you working on at the moment?