I Don’t Think So- JB Fletcher

Jessica Fletcher calls out criminals using four simple words- I Don’t Think So. Check out how I use Murder She Wrote Episodes to get my students prepared to write their own mystery novels.

First, Murder She Wrote is the iconic cozy mystery television series that rocked the eighties and nineties. If you weren’t alive to watch the episodes as they aired, odds are you caught a few reruns with your parents or grandparents.

Second, Jessica Fletcher is a fun character to follow. Plus, she’s static. She doesn’t grow very much throughout the series. This means we can focus on the mystery instead of following the character arc, making the journey much more simple to attempt.

Strange Facts about MSW

Breaking Down an Episode

When teaching my students, I want to make writing their first mystery as easy to attain as possible. So, instead of using word count to spur them on, I use chapters. Thirteen chapters, to be exact. As long as my student hits the plot points I ask for, I don’t care if their chapters are 500 words long or 2000 words long. This takes a wee bit of pressure off them and makes the experience much more fun for me. I get to watch them grow instead of pushing them for empty descriptions or words.

One way I teach them how to write a mystery in 13 chapters is by directing a Murder She Wrote Episode for them. So grab your remote and cue up your streaming service and find Season 1 Episode 20 of Murder She Wrote.

Murder Takes the Bus

Chapter 1- Theme song to 8:55

Intro to sleuth, setting, and suspects.

Chapter 2- 8:56 – 14:00

Inciting Event (AKA the Murder)

Chapter 3- 14:01- 16:45

Call to Sleuth and Plan #1 – Learn about the victim

Chapter 4- 16:46- 18:00

Gather clues from plan #1 – on to Plan #2- Get Alibis

Chapter 5- 18:01- 23:05

New Clues from plan #2- Plan #3- Check Alibis

Chapter 6- 23:06- 27:54

Start eliminating suspects: Plan #4- Time to confront the loudest suspect.

Chapter 7- 27:55- 30:15

The assistant takes a guess- mini-plot twist- Things are ramping up.

Chapter 8- 30:16- 32:05

The search continues. Plan #5- Seek outside help.

Chapter 9- 32:06- 36:50

Secrets come forward. Plan #6- Return to the Crime Scene.

Chapter 10- 36:51- 41:45

A fresh crime and fresh crime scene! New clues! Plan #7- Search for the murder weapon.

Chapter 11- 41:46- 43:55

New smaller crimes lead to huge clues. Plan #8 – Confront the next big suspect.

Chapter 12- 43:56- 47:31

Last Plot Twist. Confront Killer. Climax and unraveling.

Chapter 13- 47:32- 48:48

Justice is served and the sleuth returns to everyday life.

Yes, I pause the show in between chapters to discuss how each chapter unfolds. After the sleuth signs onto the case, they formulate and execute plan after plan. Along the way, they uncover new clues and elimate suspects. The plans don’t have to follow a direct path. In the episode, the first plan was to discover who the victim really was. That doesn’t have to be the first plan. It could be finding the murder weapon, finding alibis, or any number of plans.

The point is that each chapter has a plan for the sleuth to follow, which will lead to new clues and revelations and cause them to create a new plan or discover a plot twist. The pattern continues until there’s only one suspect left and justice is served.

Let me know what you think about my 13 chapter breakdown. Apply it to your favorite mystery shows. You can help yourself to my very imperfect printable that follows the 13 chapter outline. Just subscribe to my newsletter where I discuss homeschooling, writing, and my fiction novels.

Write on and God bless.

Sarah