Screenwriting guide
How to Write a Mystery: Clues and Red Herrings
To write a mystery, decide the solution first, then hide it in plain sight. Plant every clue the detective needs where the audience can see it, add red herrings that point somewhere believable, and build to a reveal that feels surprising yet inevitable. It works the same for a murder mystery screenplay or a novel.
Written and reviewed by ScriptLix Editorial
What does a mystery clue map look like?
An original murder mystery, Low Water, written for this page. The morning after the yacht club’s annual dinner, harbourmaster Ivo Brandt is found drowned inside the marina’s locked boathouse. Four guests left the dinner before midnight. The tide table, a bar tab and a sailing knot decide who did it.
- Red herring
- Suspect
- Nell Brandt, his daughter
- Motive
- He was about to sell the marina she has run for ten years
- Opportunity
- Left the dinner early, at 10:40, after an argument
- Clue
- Her muddy boots by the boathouse door
- Where it is planted
- Opening scene: she is first at the body
- Payoff
- The mud is from the dawn low tide, when she went looking for him, not from the night
- Culprit
- Suspect
- Corin Vale, club treasurer
- Motive
- Brandt had found money missing from the club accounts
- Opportunity
- Says he drove home at 10:30
- Clue
- A bar receipt for his tab, stamped 11:05
- Where it is planted
- Midpoint: the barman empties the till in the background of an interview
- Payoff
- Proves he was still on site after his alibi, and near the key hook
- Red herring
- Suspect
- Maud Okafor, rival boatyard owner
- Motive
- Brandt blocked her mooring licence twice
- Opportunity
- Her boat was tied up beside the boathouse all night
- Clue
- The rope on the boathouse door is tied in her signature knot
- Where it is planted
- Act One: she ties the same knot while being questioned
- Payoff
- Every member who took the club sailing course learns that knot, and Vale teaches it
- Red herring
- Suspect
- Theo Lunn, the barman
- Motive
- Brandt fired him in front of the guests that night
- Opportunity
- Closed the bar alone until midnight
- Clue
- The boathouse key is missing from the hook behind the bar
- Where it is planted
- Act One: the empty hook is in the frame when he pours a drink
- Payoff
- He never left the bar; the only guest who came behind it was Vale, paying his tab
| Suspect | Motive | Opportunity | Clue | Where it is planted | Payoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nell Brandt, his daughterRed herring | He was about to sell the marina she has run for ten years | Left the dinner early, at 10:40, after an argument | Her muddy boots by the boathouse door | Opening scene: she is first at the body | The mud is from the dawn low tide, when she went looking for him, not from the night |
| Corin Vale, club treasurerCulprit | Brandt had found money missing from the club accounts | Says he drove home at 10:30 | A bar receipt for his tab, stamped 11:05 | Midpoint: the barman empties the till in the background of an interview | Proves he was still on site after his alibi, and near the key hook |
| Maud Okafor, rival boatyard ownerRed herring | Brandt blocked her mooring licence twice | Her boat was tied up beside the boathouse all night | The rope on the boathouse door is tied in her signature knot | Act One: she ties the same knot while being questioned | Every member who took the club sailing course learns that knot, and Vale teaches it |
| Theo Lunn, the barmanRed herring | Brandt fired him in front of the guests that night | Closed the bar alone until midnight | The boathouse key is missing from the hook behind the bar | Act One: the empty hook is in the frame when he pours a drink | He never left the bar; the only guest who came behind it was Vale, paying his tab |
Solution: Corin Vale, the club treasurer, took the boathouse key while settling his bar tab at 11:05, met Brandt at high tide and held him under. His alibi says he left at 10:30; the bar receipt says otherwise. Every clue that proves it is on screen before the reveal.
Mystery clue tracker
One row per suspect or clue. Print it, or download a spreadsheet. Nothing leaves your browser.
Need a crime to solve? Browse the crime and thriller movie ideas, build the suspects with the character profile template, and plan the turns with the beat sheet calculator.
How to use it
- 1
Write the crime from the killer’s side first: who, why, how and when, minute by minute.
- 2
Give three or four suspects a motive, an opportunity and a secret that is not the murder.
- 3
List the clues that prove the truth, then decide where each one is planted on the page.
- 4
Add red herrings that point to innocent suspects, each with its own innocent explanation.
- 5
Plan the reveal so the detective explains it using only clues the audience has already seen.
- 6
Track every suspect, clue and payoff in the clue tracker so nothing is left dangling.
How do you write a mystery that plays fair?
Fair play means the audience gets the same clues as the detective, early enough to solve it. The trick is not to hide the clue but to hide its meaning: show it during a busy scene, give it an innocent explanation, or place it next to something more eye catching.
A simple test: when the reveal comes, can a reader flip back and point to every clue that proved it? If the solution depends on information the detective kept to themselves, it will feel like a cheat.
How do you write a red herring?
A red herring is a clue that points to the wrong answer, and it only works if it is as well made as the real thing. Give an innocent suspect a real motive and a real secret, so that the suspicion is earned. Then pay it off: when the herring is cleared, the explanation should be satisfying on its own.
Avoid herrings that simply vanish. Each false lead should close with a reason, ideally one that also teaches the detective something that helps solve the case.
How do you structure a murder mystery?
Most murder mysteries move through the same broad stages: the crime or its discovery, the investigation and the suspects, a midpoint turn such as a second death or a broken alibi, a low point where the detective is wrong, and the reveal. On screen the body often appears in the first ten to fifteen pages; in a novel it can come a little later, but the question should be posed early.
Keep the investigation active. Every scene should either add a clue, remove a suspect or raise the stakes for the detective.
How do you write the reveal of a mystery?
Build it from earlier pieces. The best reveals reframe something the audience already saw, such as a time, an object or a line of dialogue, so the solution clicks rather than arrives. Keep the explanation short on screen: show the key moments again rather than talking through all of them.
Then give the culprit a human reason. A motive the audience understands, even if they cannot forgive it, makes the ending stay with them.
How is a mystery screenplay different from a mystery novel?
A novel can live inside the detective’s head and let readers linger over a clue. A screenplay has to show it, usually in a moment the camera can hold for a second or two, and it moves at the speed of the film. On screen, planting a clue is a framing and editing choice, so write it as action the director can see.
Prose can carry more suspects and a longer middle. A feature screenplay usually works better with fewer suspects, each with a clear visual identity.
Questions writers ask
How do you write a mystery?
Decide the solution first, then plant every clue the audience needs in plain sight, add believable red herrings and build to a reveal that uses only what has been shown.
How do you write a murder mystery?
Plan the murder from the killer’s side, give each suspect a motive and an opportunity, track every clue and its payoff, and let the detective solve it with evidence the audience saw.
How many suspects should a mystery have?
There is no fixed number. Three to five is a manageable range for a feature screenplay, and novels can carry more.
What is a fair play mystery?
One where the audience is given every clue the detective uses, so the puzzle can in principle be solved before the reveal.
What is a red herring in a mystery?
A clue or suspect that points the audience to the wrong answer, which is later explained in a way that makes sense.