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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZYs1DpVZb8
Based on Demystifying the Beats: How to Write a Killer Book by Carol Potenza, Jordyn Kross, Ryley Banks, and Erin Krueger
Turn this into a Codex entry…
Act 1: Setup - Propel the Sleuth to the Crime
Goal: Immerse readers into the world of the sleuth while setting up the stakes and intrigue.
1. Introduce Sleuth and the World
- Establish time and place with vivid detail.
- Create a compelling connection to your sleuth (quirks, strengths, or vulnerabilities).
- Disrupt the ordinary, signaling the upcoming mystery.
- Highlight internal and external goals and needs of the sleuth.
2. Expose the Crime
- Show the crime in detail (or its discovery).
- Introduce plausible suspects with immediate potential motives.
- Subtly introduce the villain (not always as the villain yet).
3. Reactions and Complications
- Show the sleuth’s emotional response to the crime.
- Dive into the sleuth’s private life to make them relatable.
- Introduce key supporting characters who will assist or obstruct.
4. Undertaking the Investigation
- Commit the sleuth to solving the crime.
- Clearly define stakes (personal, professional, or moral).
- Establish a ticking clock or deadline.
- Expand the pool of suspects to deepen the mystery.
Act 2: Fumbling - Build the Foundation for Solving the Crime
Goal: Create complications and layers of intrigue while the sleuth gathers information.
1. Investigations and Interrogations
- Have the sleuth formulate a plan (even if flawed).
- Begin gathering information and observing behavior.
- Evaluate findings, introducing first red herrings.
2. Develop the Sleuth
- Complicate the sleuth’s personal life through relationships or past wounds.
- Progress subplots that intersect with the main mystery.
- Showcase the sleuth’s skills in creative or unexpected ways.
- Escalate conflict, both internal and external.
3. Motives and Lies
- Witnesses hide key information.
- Suspects lie or provide half-truths.
- Highlight motivations that complicate the case (financial, emotional, etc.).
- Present alibis that confuse the timeline.
4. Dire Disruption
- Introduce a direct attack on the sleuth or their reputation.
- Lose the primary suspect, or raise the stakes with a second victim.
- Create unforeseen hurdles or twists in the investigation.
- End on a potential breakthrough—hot lead or clearing a suspect.
Act 3: Connecting - Clues and Evidence Become Clear (or Do They?)
Goal: Build momentum by clarifying some details while introducing new challenges.
1. Stonewalled
- The villain actively misdirects or blocks the investigation.
- Continue investigating and interviewing to tease out inconsistencies.
- Direct clashes between sleuth and villain intensify.
2. Missteps
- Revisit overlooked clues or facts.
- Reveal hidden motives of secondary suspects.
- Have the villain effectively thwart or mislead the sleuth.
3. Whittle Suspects
- Recognize previously unimportant clues that now stand out.
- Gradually clear or eliminate suspects, narrowing focus.
- Show the sleuth gaining confidence and clarity.
4. Fast Fail
- Wrongly accuse an innocent suspect, resulting in personal or professional fallout.
- Create a sense of “all is lost” for the sleuth.
Act 4: Solution - Solve the Primary Mystery
Goal: Deliver a satisfying resolution to the mystery and subplots.
1. Reevaluate
- Synthesize the clues, identifying red herrings and clarifying the true path.
- Expose long-hidden secrets that tie the case together.
- Fill in any missing gaps in logic or evidence.
2. Revelation
- Build to a climactic confrontation with the villain or final suspect.
- Create urgency (the sleuth must act now or lose everything).
- Secure the necessary evidence for proof.
- Introduce threats or dangers that up the stakes.
3. Final Battle
- Resolve any key subplots (personal life, relationships, etc.).
- Present a gripping, dramatic final confrontation with the antagonist.
4. Resolution
- Explain the final details of the case (who, what, why, how).
- Set up any potential for a next book (if applicable).
- Show the sleuth’s new normal post-case.
- End with a powerful or reflective final image.
Goal: Immerse readers into the world of the sleuth while setting up the stakes and intrigue.
Goal: Create complications and layers of intrigue while the sleuth gathers information.
Goal: Build momentum by clarifying some details while introducing new challenges.
Goal: Deliver a satisfying resolution to the mystery and subplots.