The Nothing Girl is in the outline stage. It’s a contemporary mystery novel that I have been considering for several years. The challenge for me is that I love to watch mysteries, but I struggle to read them. There is also little out there about how to write a mystery. When I was writing Loving the Unlovable, a contemporary romance, I could find tons of templates, videos, and how-to books on writing a romance novel. But for a mystery, there is almost nothing. I know the real answer to how to write a mystery is to read more mysteries, but this is a major struggle. So I’m approaching this novel from a different perspective entirely.
Most books have a 3 act structure. Movies and plays have a 5 act structure. Because most of my inspiration for this novel is from TV shows and movies, I have been watching a lot of Top Development’s YouTube. Tyler Mowrey, who runs the channel, created detailed videos on everything from character development to story structure for screenplays. The interesting thing about following this structure for the novel is that it feels more natural. That’s not to say the 3 act structure didn’t work fine for my previous novel, but this illustrates the importance of choosing a structure that fits what you’re writing.