How To Write A Thrilling Crime Novel Outline: A Step-By-Step Guide To Plotting A Murder Mystery Book That Sells. Take Your Creative Writing To The Next Level With Our Streamlined Proven Formula

By Hackney and Jones

Write a Gripping Murder Mystery and Get Noticed...

Are you ready to unleash your inner detective and craft the ultimate crime novel?

Would it be even better if you actually had fun writing your novel?

This comprehensive toolkit is packed with everything you need to bring your murder mystery t

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hackney and Jones
• Release date: Jan 2, 2023
• ISBN: 9781915216625

Book preview

Part I

The Genre Bundle

The Genre Bundle – Crime Fiction

The Genre Bundle is our secret weapon in the fight against the dreaded writer's block. Whether you are a die-hard plotter or a free-as-a-bird pantser, this has something for both. It will help you to plan a solid summary of your novel and give you the creative freedom to add elements as you see fit.

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In this section, we will cover all the elements you will need to consider to plan a solid summary of your novel. We have compiled The Genre Bundle by looking at the top 50 books in the crime genre. Throughout this guide, we've used Amazon’s top 50 bestselling crime books as the basis of our research.

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We have taken a deep dive into the elements that make them bestselling.

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This includes:

The Words Most Frequently Used In Bestselling Book Descriptions

Character Names And Roles

Events

Locations

Titles And Subtitles

Do's And Don't's Of The Genre

Crime Tropes And Stereotypes

Power Words

More Plot Twists To Add To Your Ending

Characters Part 2 - Develop Them Further

Internal And External Goals

At the end of this section, you will put all your thoughts together into one amazing novel summary.

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Before we expand on the sections above, we need to establish a definition of what crime fiction is.

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Crime fiction is a genre of writing that involves some type of crime, most often murder. The investigation that follows is the part that readers enjoy. We are all amateur sleuths, convinced that if we follow the clues left by the writer, we can solve the crime. We aim to bring the culprit to justice and make the world right again.

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Crime fiction details the crime and introduces possible suspects. The main protagonist is usually the lead investigator of the crime. This could be a detective, or sometimes a nosy but intelligent member of the public who helps the police. Think Miss Marple or even Jessica Fletcher. These harmless old ladies have lots of friends in the crime scene village. Their experience in solving other cases, and local knowledge, help the investigating officer.

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In a crime fiction novel, you will also find lots of different types of conflict. The resolution of these conflicts makes up the side plots, which give a crime novel its breadth. This is also what keeps the reader engaged. A one-dimensional plot would be boring and give little for the reader to get their teeth into.

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Let's talk for a moment about writing-to-market. Some die-hard pantsers claim writing-to-market takes all the creativity out of writing.

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This is not true.

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Writing-to-market is nothing to do with the actual quality of the book. It involves looking at what type of book is selling and the themes it involves. Then you write a book in this vein, but with your own take on it. This way you are giving your readers what they want.

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Trends come and go, but hopping on one is not always a bad thing. But quality lives forever, which is what your book will be.

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Especially if your goal or intention is to make money from your writing. We see it as a trade - readers get a book they know they will enjoy as it is in the niche they can't get enough of at the moment. Authors get a sale. Simple. Readers want entertainment and you are the one who delivers. It's a win-win.

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In The Genre Bundle, we will walk you through all the key elements for you to create a complete novel outline. This will come into play in part 2 of the workbook where you will outline your novel in greater detail. Each time you add an extra layer to your outline you make your novel