TIL writing a mystery plot backwards saves hours of fixing plot holes

I spent like 6 hours last Tuesday trying to untangle a clue chain in my short story and it just kept breaking. The big reveal made no sense because I wrote it forward and forgot to plant the evidence early enough. A buddy told me to start with the solution first and work backwards step by step. So I wrote the last chapter, then the second to last, all the way back to page one. Took about 3 hours total for a 5,000 word story and every clue lines up perfect now. Has anyone else tried this method or do you just outline and hope for the best?

2 comments

2 Comments

martin.felix4d ago

@butler.finley I get your point but for me a notepad doc would miss the connective tissue between clues. Writing backwards forces you to see exactly how each piece fits into the next one.

butler.finley4d ago

6 hours on a short story? Honestly that sounds like overkill to me. I write short stuff too and I just keep a notepad doc on my phone with bullet points of what needs to happen and where. Like if the killer leaves a glove at the scene I just jot down "glove chapter 3" and move on. Works fine for me and I never spend more than an hour on plot issues. But I get that some people get really into the puzzle box stuff.