Plot A Thriller Backwards! | How To Plot A Thriller
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- Опубликовано: 11 июл 2024
- I'm sharing my strategies for plotting a mystery/thriller which is... backwards! I start with the motive or twist and work back from that. I'm sharing all my tips for how I do it, and the important elements of your mystery/thriller to consider before you start writing.
This method will work for outliners or discovery writers! For an outliner it might be a brainstorm/planning tool, and for discovery writers it might be, well, as much as you'll do.
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“You never want it to come out of left field that this sweet lovable character is a psychopath” *sideyes every chapter 3 trial of every danganronpa game*
Right?! LOL
Nah just the majority of the Danganronpa blackeneds-
*cries in Chiaki*
Thriller seems so hard to write. Very intimidating. Thank you for the encouragement and help.
How fun would it be to have a thriller where the pov is someone that wanted to kill the victim and they're annoyed enough to want to know who beat them to the punch? Lol
Oh, that would be a great twist!!!!!
Then they want revenge on the jerk who killed their plan!!
ulvenNixie And they could have loads of insight for the case because they were planning the murder themselves for so long. Hmm you’re onto something there!
This is a phenomenal idea. Honestly though, I'd love to see a twist at the end that once they've figured it all out they themselves get arrested for the murder. But since they have the motive, their prints were found at the scene, and possibly even caught holding the murder weapon when they find where the killer stashed it; they're found guilty.
Yes! Sounds superfun to read
Write a book and call me when you publish it
personal time stamps
1:53 Tip 1: The Motive
4:30 The Red Herrings
7:00 Third Act Set Pieces ( ohhhh that's cool)
8:00 Killer and Victim
9:40 Secrets
10:40 The Authors Dance
11:00 Killer
12:25 Killer Options
12:53 The Protaganist / Investigator ( jeez it really is backwards)
14:59 Options : The Outsider
16:32 Options : The Socialite
17:09 Settings - and the importance
19:30 Setting Caveat - Law Enforcement
22:05 Writing Act 1 : The Tragedy
23:20 Break into Two
This is all really interesting. 😁
But can we talk about your eyeshadow for just a second? So pretty!
Thank you! It's a mix of Colourpop and Urban Decay shades :)
it's BEAUTIFUL
I do this with Historical-Fiction. When researching history, or "his-story" you have to identify what old wealthy men fought to hide. This method is fantastic for trope subversions. Great Content!
Great 😊
Thank you for making this video! One day I want to go back and try writing a thriller and I might try plotting it backwards like this. Right now I'm getting stupid excited, Barnes and Noble just told me 'The Stars We Steal' is about to be shipped. I really can't wait to read it!
Another great one Alexa! We plot thrillers similarly and yet I’ve never really broke it down that way. This is definitely a good resource for new thriller writers ☺️
Good stuff. I used this approach with a screenplay I wrote and it won a competition. I’m currently using this method for a YA thriller as well. Definitely is effective 💯
Thrillers aren't always detective thrillers though. What about action thrillers, espionage thrillers, psychological thrillers etc
I did disclaim in the video that I was focusing on one specific subgenre, ie: murder thrillers. But, they all will have an "investigator character"--not literally. It's the main character who thrusts the plot forward, for whatever reason you have. Someone is after them, they have to save themselves, justice... it's just the character who drives the plot, so that advice is evergreen. They all should have a twist, an antaongist, and that antagonist will have a motive. Universal stuff. I would need other analytical videos to cover other structures (and spoil some books to talk about it, probably), but this one is lowest common denominator, which is murder books. YMMV.
@@AlexaDonne Thanks, that does help. I appreciate the reply!
@@Rise876 NP! I know I should do other videos though. For psychological suspense especially the structure is different!
Alexa Donne ooooooo I’d love a psych thriller plot video!!!!!!!!!
Please do a video on how to plot psychological thrillers 😊
Alexa's upcoming thriller is more my cup of tea than sci-fi. I can feel the scares already.
Omg this was so so so helpful!!! It also gave me so many ideas for my burgeoning thriller idea!!! Thank you!!!! 💜
Yay! I'm so glad! When my friend (who was responsible for plotting one of these for Glasstown) gave me her tip it just blew it wide open for me! Really helped me figure out how to make thrillers work with my writing style :)
This makes a lot of sense. I've read books where the twist ruins the story, and I wonder if they had used this method if that would have saved the ending.
I also just realized that I did this in my mystery novella because the story was born from the twist. I tell the audience right out the gate that everyone at the dinner party is going to die, and the twist is who and how.
2 adult thrillers?!? YEAS QUEEN! So excited for you! In so interested in this - my spouse and I want to co-write an adult thriller and we’re developing the MC and the motive/twist. This is definitely great insight for us :)
Im so glad to see you running with writing more thrillers
Thanks Alexa! I am SO excited to read your thriller when it comes out! 💜
I love this. It’s so much like how I’ve been plotting my own thriller. It’s nice to see someone else on the same page. 😆
The best existing yt video about creating mystery, thanksss❤️❤️ love from Poland🇵🇱 can’t wait to read ur book📖
This is awesome! I watched this video and wrote down 1. tons of notes and 2. tons of ideas for my YA thriller! I CANNOT wait for The Ivies :)
When I first saw one of your videos, I wanted to throw all of writing in a corner and never write down an idea again. Now I know enough about writing and myself in sort, so that I get your advices and how to work with them. So thank your for kicking my ass to work on myself!
This is gold, Alexa!
Sounds interesting. I want to try it. I wrote a Sherlock Holmes' fanfic (no love story, fot a change). It was... fine, I think
I'm using this approach for my YA fantasy right now, and it's been really helpful. I've always wanted to try my hand at writing a thriller, so maybe now that I have a more thorough breakdown I'll give it a go.
Wonderful video, Alexa! Very helpful!
I just found your channel after devouring this type of content from other authors. All I can say is wow, your presentation and content both blow away any other author how-to videos I’ve seen. Thanks so much for making this available.
Thank you! I can apply some of this information to my thriller screenplay as I plot it out. Great stuff!
This was immensely helpful. I've written across different genres but have never attempted a long-form thriller, so this was all fresh inspiration for me. Mahalo for sharing!
Remarkably thorough analysis of how to get your story plotted in a comprehensive and quite detailed manner. Lots and lots of great insights and ideas from this lady!
Annon. agented thriller author here and this is how I plot! Great video!
a lot of advice videos for mysteries/thrillers is about revealing clues, which while important does leave a lot of niches unfilled. after a while going thru clue-reveal videos, I finally found this one that gives good advice on what I *actually* needed help with! thanks!
This video along with the thriller beats one are fantastic - so helpful! Thank you 😊
Because of this series of videos, I came up with a loose plot for a thriller. I never wanted to write one. I barely read them, but it all came together. Now, I'm putting together a thriller! Thank you for everything.
Thank you for this! I'll be using your tips to plan out my murder mystery graphic novel.
Thank you! I'm a dedicated outliner; would love to write a thriller and it makes complete sense to plot backwards. This is the best material I've found so far on how to do a whodunit. During my edit/revision process, no matter which genre I'm writing, I work backwards through the manuscript to make sure everything fits.
Yay! Now I'm curious to hear your take on how these elements do (or don't?) also exist other types of Thrillers-- specifically Thrillers without a concrete reason for the 'investigator' to investigate, no visible dead-body, but they get embroiled in a very tense dangerous situation. I think those are under the umbrella of psychological thrillers since they tend to be very character driven (and I love them, they reel me all the way in)
This was so helpful. Looking forward to a video on thriller beats! I'd also love some tips on other types of thrillers esp the trying to survive/ running for your life type.
This unlocked so many parts of my brain. Thank you.
THIS IS AMAZING!! Thank you so much for the advice!
Kinda unrelated but I LOVED the Ivies! I’m so surprised you have a RUclips channel! Props to you for such an amazing book
Getting ready to re structure my story for nano based on this. Thank you for your help.
This is very helpful 😊 I just realized this is also how I plot my story (tho a bit less detailed). You sparked ideas and techniques for me. Thank you so much and good luck with your novels, too 😊💗
It sounds like this is about writing a murder mystery, not a thriller. But as such it's not bad advice. "How to Write a Damn Good Thriller" by James N. Frey is a good resource for this kind of thing. Explains how a murder mystery = the protagonist's goal is to find a killer. Whereas in a thriller, the protagonist's goal is to overcome impossible odds and thwart a great evil, whether that involves finding a murderer or something else, like a spy novel about foiling a communist plot.
got any tips for paranormal thriller? I'm writing a campaign where my players investigate and deal with spirits that have cursed people around them or themselves and the thing is, figuring out what spirit they're dealing with is just the beginning. the main mystery is usuallly to find why and how the spirit chose its target and what can be done to break the curse, but I'm having a hard time structuring everything in a way that they can discover at their own pace.
Great stuff-as always!
You lucked out with your plot coinciding with the current college admissions scandal. Unless that was the spark that lit the flame. 😀 Thank you for the excellent video! So much great information. You’ve got my subscription for sure!
So helpful, thanks!
What helpful advice! I accidentally wrote mine backwards, and currently sending it to literary agents and would enjoy hearing your tips about how you were able to connect with your publisher if you like. Thank you, and with love in Christ, have a blessed day!
Excellent video! I look forward to seeing more about plotting thrillers. I'm especially interested in the placement of clues and red herrings, I'm finding it very tricky. How many is enough? How strong should they be? I worry that they're glaringly obvious. Great stuff!
Oh my gosh Thank you for this video I'm now writing a great book. It's more scary then gorry but it is still very gorry. (I loved the motive part)
Smart I used to read books backwards as a child! Thanks for sharing
Always excellent advice, thanks!
I usually just think “how do I want this crime to have taken place?” Do I want the suspect to be the person who’s obviously the red herring (this one is very common in long running series)? Do I want the murder to be faked by the victim to frame someone else (this one is actually really good, I might use it)? Do I want the murder weapon to be pushing them onto a busy street, and letting some random driver take the blame?
I’d give more examples, but I want to use them.
I love thrillers, any kind of. But writing a good plot twist is sooo hard
this was super helpful, thank you!
Awesome video! I'm currently working on a thriller and there were some great tips in here. Also, The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring is a perfect example of how a bad plot twist and terrible ending of a thriller can absolutely destroy the rest of the book. Just finished reading it as part of my thriller binge and I swear I just wanted to set it on fire and throw it off a cliff because it was that bad.
Hi! I haven't read that yet.
Could you please give the spoiler though?
Thank you for these great tips!
This is so helpful! Thank you 💖
Thanks for this, I'm trying to write a story for a CoC campaign and this is really helpful for writing
Awesome. I'm not a mystery/thriller kind of girl but ... wow this is great insight. :)
This is so helpful, thank you.
This is really helpful. Thank you!
You’re awesome. Thx for the lowdown
This helped a lot! Great video!
thank you for much for this.. just what i needed.. much gratitude!!!
Alexa - Thanks so much for this! I'd love to read and review The Ivies!
And I just discovered that I already have your Wattpad books in my library! I know you!😃
yes, great video!! thank you! definitely watching thriller beats video
This.Is.Brilliant.
You my new friend, are a genius! ❤️
This video help me so much... huhuhu cause now I have mystery and thriller collaboration with my friends.
The novel I'm currently working on isn't exactly a thriller, but it does involve a series of murders. I'm working on the second draft, after I, uh, "discovery wrote" the first draft for NaNo a few years ago. Just in the course of watching this video, I had three new ideas/insights for it. It might actually make sense when I'm done with it! Thanks!
Yay for a thriller beats video 👍🏻This video here is great
Yes, it's our queen!
You're so amazing and well-spoken, you might need your own podcast lol! ♥️ Love your videos.
Nice deconstruction. Thanks for this perspective
Thanks a lot for this video, it helped me a lot!
Great video!!! My book is going to be bomb🔥🔥🔥
How gorgeous are you, sharing all your knowledge with us all. I hope you know how much we all appreciated you advice and help. Thank you so very much.
This has been very helpful and inspiring for me as I plot my own mystery narrative. Thank you! Any tips for writing a thriller where there isn't a pivotal murder to base your third act around?
You're video is great, so helpful! But i mostly just want to comment on how lovely your makeup is.
Love ur videos
You helped me figure out who my real killer is and her motive. Thanks Alexa.
2 ADULT THRILLERS AND ANOTHER YA THRILLER! *heads to rooftop to scream from happiness* btw I really really want to read The Stars We Steal. I read Brightly Burning this past month and I LOVE IT!
I began with the hero, which I think was right because it's a series, but it's really interesting to see how it can be done from a different direction, though I do come up with the the who and how second and write the denouncement and ending very early too. It's a murder mystery/thriller.
Thank you so much for this video. Im writing a thriller at the moment. Female serial killer
I'd love to see a video on Plot Convenience
Im a 15 year old writer, and Alexa is like,, my writing mom. She has that 'hi kiddo, wanna learn how to write murder? I support you!' energy. Every time I finish something I just hear her saying "you're doing great sweetie!!" Or something in my head lol I love her so much
Interesting aproach.
Most of my stories start with a dream I had so I get a few players, parts of how they feel and who they are, some vital moments . . . and than I have to rationalise how it goes togeather, how one gets from one point to the other and all the details that make totaly sense in a dream . . . but apear compleatly nonsensicle outside of one and I somehow have to find a way to expain the impression I had, create context and somehow create a plot around those.
Say the male maincharacter is involved in a slaughter of his family, what I know of him is that he is protectiv and has anger issues as well as survivors guilt and never denied the murders. How does that fit togeather? As a protector he would not just slaughter his family, but he does not blame someone else, so who actualy did it has to be someone he covers for as well as he had part in some of it. He does not deny causeing their death even in his own mind, for he percives failing to protect them as analoges to killing them himself.
With this I also often know where the story will end but no fucking clue how the hell it will come to this . . .
Please make a video on psychological thrillers and apocalyptic thrillers. What I am working on is technically both.
Hi Alexa. I really liked this video. So helpful. I have one question, as I'm quite far into plotting scene by scene, is it possible to change POV a few times during the novel? I am writing in the closed 3rd person, mainly following the sleuth. Thank you!
This video caught me with its title
I'm the first one here!!!
Do you plan to do writing vlogs for your other thrillers? I really enjoy watching them :)
Once I start seriously writing it yes! I didn't really end up working on it so all my reading/writing vlogs turned into just reading vlogs haha. So the only vlog where I talk about the new thriller is my August reading vlog, which is the one where I went on a writing retreat.
So tantalizing... I write portal fantasy, but my shiny new idea has a very thriller-y setup, and now I want to work on it! But I’m trying so hard to stay focused on revising other things first.
Me having started my police mystery thriller without having any idea whatsoever about killers motive/mindset or pretty much anything that involves the case :P
I think I have a horror thriller that will be pretty sweet... though the ending is a tad bit... not clunky, but convenient rather. It's hard to really call it a thriller; it does have murder, it does have mystery, kind of like that 'creepy' thing you mentioned. I recently changed it so there is a new victim once we are caught up into the present, and then the ending plot system reveals itself.
I feel like it will have action scenes, so it will be thrilling, the mystery is super cool and creepy... so once we realize that fact at the end of Part 2, I worry that the rest of the story will fall flat. I guess I'll have to find the hard way.
Decades ago I read a thriller (not my usual read) and I wish I could remember the name, to where by the end of the novel you were also happy the victim was dead. At first you despise every single suspect and none of them have any remorse. But you learned that he was an abusive bastard and, by the finsl chapter, the author had you empathising with every single potential killer. I personally couldn't finish the book... Why? Honestly, I didn't want any of these people I empathized with to face criminal charges.
whats the name of the book?
Hi, thanks for the video- super helpful! You're so kind and beautiful! Thank you thank you thank you.
If you know math, thriller and mystery will be easy to write. In math we slove from the end many times and that seems to open a new way of thinking for us. Imagine the worst case scenario's result, like the most messed up charecter (antagonist) and think of everything they would have done and did, then leave that shit alone and write a scary, right-in-movement first chapter and start giving clues and hints based on the charecter. As you go in for a chapter or two, figure out the whole answer to the main question of the story and there you go, perfect plot for thriller
Do you have any advice for writing your way out of a mystery where you've come up with the hook first?
Very helpful tips, I'm dabbling with some writing and I really love thrillers and I have a good idea for a thriller but wasn't sure what the normal story arc is for a thriller. I know it's going to be different than the heroes' journey, the romance, fantasy, you name it type of genre. I do have a follow up question and maybe you address this in other videos, can you have 2 MCs one of them being the villain and the other the prey? Also, I want my villain to be a completely dislikable character yet sympathetic, where you're satisfied when he gets his punishment, but you also kinda feel bad for him too? What lines shouldn't I cross so that I don't lose readers?
I'm writing a thriller that takes place in Victorian England. It's in the perspective of the murderer, and the plot is him trying to not get caught.