The ONE Thing You Need to Know to Write Mysteries

[@Avionne_Parris]

It's so amazing how you're able to craft entire how to murder mystery videos based on subplots from shows that arent even murder mysteries... EPIC. That being said, this type of reveal never gets old for me, the killer was right under our noses! Plus the added bonus of seeing how it was foreshadowed when you watch a second time (or is that just me?). Thanks, Jane!

[@haleymist09]

I love rewatchability! That's great story telling

[@janekalmes]

Never gets old for me, either! Thanks, Avionne!

[@lukacunningham342]

In a book I read by Agatha Christie called “An Unexpected Guest” has this man, Micheal Starkwedder’s car breaks down and finds a body in this house and there’s a ton of family members in said house who could’ve done it but near the end, it is revealed Micheal is infact a man named MacGregor whose child the victim ran over and is also the murderer, avenging his dead child

[@janekalmes]

Perfect example!

[@nightlady2001]

Ooh that sounds good. Going to check it out, even tho i now know whodunnit 😂

[@lukacunningham342]

@@nightlady2001 The real reason of a whodunnit is not to guess whodunnit, it’s to enjoy, enjoy the characters, pick your favorites!

[@aes0p895]

What great timing! I was just trying to decide whether or not doing this was cheating. Great, then I have my hidden culprit.

[@plutoisthebestplanet13]

I'm binging this channel right now! I love how everything just makes sense. The more I read and watch, the more I can connect the two. I really love the simple explanations that can be applied to so many things. Not only does it help my writing have so much more depth, but comparing all the writing strategies you talked about and matching them up with things shown in movies, shows, and books is becoming as fun as the content. Keep up the amazing work!! These are so insightful and well-explained!!

[@janekalmes]

Thank you so much, these words will have me on a high for the rest of the day!

[@KimtheElder]

Jessica Fletcher. 🕵️‍♀️ i'm still in mourning Another great video!

[@janekalmes]

Thanks, Kim!

[@nightlady2001]

Great info thank you!

[@SloanePaoPow]

Pefectly illustrated in Agatha Christie's "3 Blind Mice"

[@janekalmes]

You know it!

[@Priscilla_Bettis]

I love this idea of drawing circles around suspects to fool the reader!

[@janekalmes]

Thanks!

[@amandabarrows6066]

Great video, Jane! This is a concept we see constantly but don't really think about. It reminds me of the Miss Marple "4:50 from Paddington".

[@janekalmes]

Awesome example!

[@letmadora28]

Like other said: a positive pregnancy test could be from a male with prostate cancer. Not a funny turning point but an interesting one. I have been watching your videos and they have helped me with many aspects of my story. thanks 🥰

[@janekalmes]

I’m so glad they’re helpful!

[@Apparently-ideas]

I do want to point something out, at 2:40 you said men can’t get pregnant and ruled out the possibility of them getting the pregnancy test. The thing i want to say is that pregnancy isn’t the only thing that sets the test off, testicular cancer can also do that. I was just wondering and it could also make a decent plot twist with enough foreshadowing.

[@janekalmes]

Hmm… I do think it could make an interesting plot twist, although you’d have to come up with some plausible reason for the man to take the test in the first place!

[@Apparently-ideas]

@@janekalmes i think a good reason for it would be that the men had a game of truth or dare and someone had the idea of doing a pregnancy test. Either the man who did it knew what caused the test to go off and hid it, or he didn’t know and flaunted it around as a joke and no one believed him. 🤔

[@janekalmes]

Haha, love it!

[@aff77141]

Just a fun note off the example for a serious, a positive pregnancy test can also be a sign of kidney disease or certain cancers 🤔

[@janekalmes]

Fair point!

[@mattmallecoccio8378]

Jane, is 14 suspects too many? Should I kill off one or more of the suspects? I feel like having 14 suspects may have come down to me having overcompensated for fear of having too few suspects.

[@janekalmes]

Hey, Matt, it’s probably too many if you’re treating them all as individuals. It might be ok if they’re getting eliminated from suspicion as groups-eg, your Sleuth finds a secret three suspects have been keeping together, which eliminates them all. Check out Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile for a great example of dismissing suspects in groups.

[@mattmallecoccio8378]

@@janekalmes Thank you for your help. Perhaps eliminating some of them will help the mystery move along and even create some more twists.

[@JonTanOsb]

Interesting fact: a man can test positive on a pregnancy test, if he has testicular cancer. But most guys wouldn't piss on the stick except as a joke. Jon in rural BC, Canada

[@janekalmes]

It certainly wouldn’t make a fun ep of Parks n Rec! 😄 But definitely a twist!