The 3 elements of a WHYDUNIT story are:
1) The detective does not change, we do; yet he can be any kind of gumshoe—from pro to amateur to imaginary.
2) The secret of the case is so strong it overwhelms the worldly lures of money, sex, power, or fame. We gots to know! And so does the Whydunit hero.
3) Finally, the dark turn shows that in pursuit of the secret, the detective will break the rules, even his own — often ones he has relied on for years to keep him safe. The pull of the secret is too great.
The Thursday Murder Club Novel Beat Sheet Analysis
See how The Thursday Murder Club—optioned by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment—hits the 15 Save the Cat! story beats.
The Last Thing He Told Me Novel Beat Sheet Analysis
See the 15 Blake Snyder story beats of the bestseller, The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave.
The Maid Novel Beat Sheet Analysis
See the 15 Blake Snyder story beats of The New York Times bestseller The Maid by Nita Prose.
One for the Money (Stephanie Plum, No. 1) Novel Beat Sheet
See how the first “Stephanie Plum” novel's beats are on the money.
Save the Kitten: STC! and Micro-Shorts
Watch a captivating short film and follow along with its beat sheet!
The Silence of the Lambs Beat Sheet
See how writer Ted Tally hits the beats.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier Beat Sheet
See how this Whydunit hits Blake Snyder's beats.
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