Plot A Mystery Story With Me // Outline A Story Guide.

Hey everyone! :) I hope this story outline guide helps you plot a mystery. Today, we're plotting out the reveal of information.

Whilst other stories and character arcs can run parallel, we're plotting the story events of a character who discovers a mystery and searches for its truth. See my writing thought process and follow along if you wish to outline a mystery story for yourself too! Sit down, grab your laptop and let's outline a mystery story in this "Plot With Me" video.

Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
1:20 - Start Writing
3:40 - Set Up - The 3 Act Structure
10:40 - Pursuit - Clues & Red Herrings
26:22 - Call To Action & Plan Of Action
34:09 - Take Action - Begin Investigating
36:50 - Receive Guidance
43:00 - TOAST & Chit Chat
48:40 - Receive Guidance EDIT - Pointed In The Right Direction
50:20 - Realisation - Find A BIG Clue
51:35 - Victory - Reveal The Mystery
54:00 - Act 2 Summary
56:15 - Climax - Finding The Last Clue
57:20 - 3 STAGES OF PURSUIT
1:01:20 - Climax - Making Their Way To The Answer.
1:04:50 - The START Of The Mystery.
1:13:00 - Lead Up To Climax + Climax + PLOT TWISTS
1:17:20 - Act 1 Summary
1:18:05 - Act 3 Summary
1:18:44 - Final Notes

[hystericalbiology]

2 years later, I found the information still very relevant.

[MikeSiegert]

I really respect the humbleness of a video like this. To me, you are a professional, and to see that your writing process is not flawless, and that you also had to pull up the structure of one of your own previous videos is very comforting as a beginner writer.

[tasedeon]

Holy cow, you have saved my crippling Mystery Thriller plot with this! You know sometimes, when a story would have a sequel planned, maybe returning to normality won’t always be the case, and the characters world is forever changed.

[thestressbus]

How did you know I was struggling to plot a mystery? Thank you!

[shondasinclair]

I have outlined 12 chapters, but little things keep making the process stumble. This has been very calming and helpful. Thanks!

[anziacromer]

I didn’t write my story but I wrote notes on what you were saying (waaaay too many pages I’m sure) and in my head filled in what would go where. I’m going to go find your other videos now. This was great!

[falks]

Joe, this is so helpful! More than anything I’ve seen on YouTube so far in writing!

I’m trying to plot a mystery in parallel to my character’s individual stories and this was an enormous help. Looking forward to seeing more of your content 😇

[greencoffee]

the fact that you type so fast as a coder is so fascinating and I loved your method

[ruthlanders]

Wow this was amazing. So happy I found this channel. Really helped me get back on track. Thank you 😊😊😊

[monstar]

Omg I love this. I'm glad you did it.

I find it hard to get myself in the groove of writing. But having the ability to write alongside a writer I look up to is very motivating.

I wish you the best of luck in this writing world. And I hope you have a wonderful day Joe. Stay motivated and always be positive. We love and support you.💙

[oyuncanavar]

I've been waiting for this video! Let's go! 🤩

[shondasinclair]

And, yes, please do more uncut, continuous stream tutorials like this one.

[XxSEETHRxX]

I wrote this out and then watched" Knives Out". Then using it on a mystery/psychological horror story I had developed. Very hepful Thank you

[annaelisabethgeissler]

I'm gonna watch this while filling in your incredibly helpful sheet :D I've been getting my plot in slightly more order just by typing it out in short, so that's great!

[sarahsander]

I always start plotting stories from the middle, regardless of the genre. I like writing the "pursuit" part (or the Fun&Games or the Akt2a or however you call it), where most things are happening. I almost never start at the beginning and I also hate beginning. Also: Your video is very helpful (sometimes I just need someone to plot along to, even thou I use a diffrent approach) and I'm sorry for your trees.

[ursulass]

I’m a Pantser not at all an Outliner, so it’s absolutely fascinating to me when I see other writers like yourself create an outline 😂 like I’m seriously impressed😱 I tried to do that but I just can’t, for me I write ✍🏾 as I go…I know it’s strange😆 but I enjoy watching this, it really helps me compare to the mystery series I’m currently writing and there’s something very soothing and calming about this video and even hearing the birds chirping in the background. Sorry long paragraph 😆 but thank you for this!

[madamii]

This was such a useful video!I was struggling so hard with my comic outline when I found this video. I scrapped that outline so quickly and started rewriting it again, using your outline example as a guide, and it's SOO much better now! Thank you so much!

[RyanKeane]

Omg Joe gold!!! That’s Sat night sorted!☺️

[earthtominiryu]

you're an actual lifesaver for this, i had no clue where to start at first but now i have a solid amount of my story down!

[oonagi]

Heyo ! Thanks a lot for this video ! I'm writing a romantasy mystery and i've been struggling with the mystery part of things and how to plan out clues / the investigation, but you've helped me a lot ! im not too far off so that gives me confidence to finish the first draft and move onto revisions !