The Plot Thickens—M.G.Sondraal
I took a course on mystery writing at our local university and found the visual aids for plot development very instructive.
Whole books have been written about the intricacies of plotting, and it is not my intent here to try to duplicate that, but I do find the visual mapping of the plot helpful, particularly when attempting something a little different.
What is a plot?
1) overall strategy for the story, the path from beginning to end, and
2) the tactics for scene-to-scene progression of the story. Each chapter needs a purpose, and the world must be different in some small way at the conclusion of the chapter. If it doesn’t do that, the chapter is unnecessary.
Plotting guidelines are broadly based on Freytag’s Pyramid that begins with the introduction and inciting incident, escalates with a series of exciting actions until the protagonist reaches the point of no return where an irrevocable decision is made and the consequences from that decision bring the tale to its end. This works well for character-driven stories especially tragedies and often is used in stage plays.
Freytag’s Pyramid
In mysteries, there are common beats for a successful plot. There is an inciting incident chosen by the author as the crime itself, the discovery of the crime, or when the detective, amateur or professional, is first on the case. A group of suspects must be investigated, including a few red herrings to misdirect the detective before the successful conclusion of the case. The reading public prefers the detective have some competence and be intellectually adept even if they have a façade of bumbling about aimlessly.
The three-act structure is the common template for every whodunnit from the golden age of Agatha Christie to contemporary mystery writers.
Act 1 introduces the characters. The Inciting Incident occurs early but not necessarily immediately. The protagonist has second thoughts, doubting their own ability or suitability to investigate and Act 1 concludes when the protagonist commits to solve the mystery.
Act 2 is a series of obstacles to elevate the tension as the crime is investigated. Typically, a midpoint twist provokes a change in direction. It can be another crime or a betrayal of some sort that leads to the lowest emotional point for the protagonist and solving the mystery seems impossible. Soon after there is an epiphany, and answers to the question the inciting incident posed are revealed. This is the Act 2 climax.
Act 3 is a rapid descent in action, resolution of all secondary questions and a quick wrap-up where the detective shares his/her conclusions.
My problem with the three-act structure is its predictability. Besides novels, it’s used in episodic television and movies. You can tell twenty minutes into an hour-long show that the initial suspect will be innocent. The real perpetrator will be identified ten minutes before the end and the investigator’s brilliant deduction will be summarized and arrests made. It works well for the time constraints of stage and movies but can seem a bit forced in novels. Though one can’t argue its success, knowing that formulaic structure means I can dismiss all early suppositions. One positive for me is that this structure assumes a third-person perspective, eliminating the possibility of the unreliable narrator. (Don’t get me started on how much I dislike an untrustworthy narrator, despite a surge in well-written books utilizing them.)
Thriller Roller Coaster
The Thriller as a mystery-adjacent genre follows a modified three-act structure with the peak occurring at the end of the first third of the novel. This is the point of no return for the protagonist and the remaining two-thirds are a roller-coaster of increasingly dire consequences because of that decision (The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley). Shakespearean tragedies use this same template resulting in general mayhem, death of the lead, and often many other characters. With modern thrillers, the ending is ultimately positive leading to another book in the series. There are no sequels in Shakespearean tragedies, but the stories remain exquisitely provocative and satisfying.
Convergence/ Divergence
The final plot diagram I share works well for books where the crime needs lots of preparation—heists, kidnapping, or bombings, though it can work for premeditated murders as well. Central is the single event at the heart of the story and the radiating lines represent different character stories that can be told in either direction from the central event, before or after. Each may be a character preparing for a bank heist that occurs late in the book and is either successful or not. Or it can be after the inciting incident, describing how the different characters were affected after surviving a kidnapping or a bombing, or even how the detective, the family, friends, politicians reacted after the event. “The Killing” television drama series demonstrates this approach well. Though less commonly used, this is an interesting way to tell a story from varying perspectives and shifts us away from knowing the criminal will be identified only close to the end. This is a structure where characters are more important than plot per se and there is more exploration of the inner thoughts of the individuals involved.
In crime fiction, these three plot diagrams are most common, but there are others for those who use extensive flashbacks, separate timelines or stories that intersect at critical points, or a more meandering pathway. They’re not utilized often because they’re difficult to do well. If there’s interest I can share the diagrams in a separate blog post later.
How I’ll Use Plot Diagrams
I write the story I want to tell, not adherent to any specific formula. Plot diagrams are more useful to me in the editing process. Like Post-it notes and colour-coded scenes, plot diagrams are another item in my toolbox to be pulled out when I’m struggling to mold that rough draft into a readable, shareable form. They help me understand exactly where I am in the story and where more tension should be added to help with pacing.
Are they a tool you can use as well?