Are you struggling to pin down the heart of your mystery novel? Every great detective story starts with a clear promise to the reader. In Secrets to Writing a Mystery, we peel back the layers of plot construction to reveal the most powerful tool in a writer’s arsenal: the skeleton blurb.

What is a Skeleton Blurb?

A skeleton blurb is a single sentence that captures the core of your plot. It’s the “why” that keeps readers turning pages. Without a solid focus, your mystery can become a collection of clues without a compass. To create a skeleton blurb, you must decide on three mandatory elements: the protagonist, the goal (solving the crime), and the stakes.

Think of it as this simple formula: [Protagonist] must [solve the crime]; otherwise, [stakes if the protagonist fails]. Whether it is a professional cop or a detective like Sherlock Holmes or an amateur sleuth like Miss Marple, the goal is always to uncover the truth before the stakes catch up to them.

For a mystery novel, the formula tightens to [Sleuth] must [solve the crime/discover the culprit]; otherwise, [the culprit will commit more crimes/the protagonist may become a victim].

In my last blog, we dove into the mandatory mystery cast with an even closer look at the protagonist. As you create your skeleton blurb, consider how the cast impacts your decisions. What is the crime the culprit has committed? What was the motivation? How is the victim integral to the crime? What weaknesses or traits made them a target?

Adding Depth: Subplots

But a mystery isn’t just about the crime; it’s about the friction in the protagonist’s life. Secrets to Writing a Mystery teaches you how to use additional skeleton blurbs to explore subplots.

• Protagonist’s Subplots: These involve the same protagonist. In our book, we show how these goals—like keeping a bistro open while solving a murder—add pressure and misdirection to the main story.
• POV Characters’s Subplots: These follow a different character with a separate goal. They serve to support or complicate the sleuth’s journey, providing a lock on the reader’s attention.

Your Path to a Professional Plot

Developing these blurbs is a critical task. It requires you to consider the “why” behind the culprit’s actions and the “what” behind the victim’s targeting. When you master the skeleton blurb, you master the plot. Remember, as you draft your mystery, you may decide to revise your skeleton blurb to more clearly reflect the story you are telling. It could be fun to keep track of your changes as you go through the process. You can look back and see your creative process at work.

By the time you finish Secrets to Writing a Mystery, you’ll have a “vault” of focused sentences that guide your writing from the first chapter to the final twist.

Are you ready to crystallize your mystery? Start building the skeleton of your next bestseller and watch for the next blog to develop your plot through five essential scenes that form the spine of your story.

Remember, Secrets to Writing a Mystery is available if you can’t wait a month for the next blog. We want to help you because we are excited for you to write your mystery…so we can read it.

Until next time, Lisa.

For years, Lisa was an educator and librarian, honing her skills in helping readers and writers develop with curiosity and creativity. Now as an editor and writing coach, Lisa works with a small publishing house as well as being a Fictionary Certified StoryCoach Editor and Certified Instructor.

Secrets to Writing a Mystery is Lisa’s first published book. Along with editing and coaching, she is currently writing an amateur cozy mystery series set in Northern Ontario.

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