Date/Time
Date(s) - Mon 20th Oct, 2025
10:00am - 12:00pm
Finding the Plot
How do you fit the various elements of a crime novel into a coherent narrative structure? This session provides practice in identifying and deploying the key structural components of narrative, including: set-up; inciting incident; complications; crisis; climax; and resolution. The three-act structure and the five-act structure are explained, along with the function of the turning points and the critical importance of the midpoint as the fulcrum of the narrative. The correspondence between the exterior chain of incidents and the interior development of the protagonist’s personality is elucidated. We will discuss the ‘fractal’ or scalable nature of narrative structure, examining how the same structural elements operate at the level of a novel or screenplay as a whole and at the level of the individual chapter or scene. The session will conclude with a Q&A on any remaining queries you might have.
This masterclass is primarily aimed at crime writers with an intermediate or above level of experience. It will not include any writing exercises during the session. Hosted by Moniack Mhor on Zoom Pro.
Tutor
Liam McIlvanney is a Times bestselling crime writer whose awards include the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year and the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best New Zealand Crime Novel. He teaches Scottish literature and creative writing as the Stuart Professor of Scottish Studies at the University of Otago in New Zealand. He lives in Dunedin with his wife and four sons.
Fees
We are running this as a ‘pay as you can’ event. Please see our booking options below. By paying our standard price wherever possible you help us give people on lower incomes more opportunities to attend, thank you.
We have a limited number of free places for this event, if these are showing as not available and you need a free place to be able to access the event, please email a request to us on online@moniackmhor.org.uk, thank you.
Access
Please let us know in your booking form if you have any access requirements when working online so we can do our best to support you. For more information about access to our courses, please visit our Access page.
Terms and Conditions
Please read our Terms & Conditions before booking.