Act One

With my latest book, Dragon Ink (contemporary fantasy) I used a seven-point structure taught by writer Dan Wells. It’s a hero’s journey.

Lyrics and other Felonies is my first mystery. Mystery readers expect the stories to unfold in a specific manner, so I’m working on a three-act structure. This is very different for me. I generally work with a high-level outline and let my characters tell me what’s going to happen next.

In Act One I need to:

• Present crime

• Introduce sleuth

• Introduce plausible suspects

• Introduce a crime complication

• Introduce a private life subplot

I pantsed (no outline) the first draft and in yesterday’s review, I discovered I’m not too far off. For the rest of the week, I’ll be updating this draft to third-person (many mystery readers apparently hate first-person), laying in the Nashville scene, and talking to a police officer to ensure I haven’t written myself into a corner. That should be interesting.

It feels like a good week for Act 1.