The Detective Metaphysic: The metaphysical journey of the detective. Purpose of the protagonist. Evolution of the protagonist.
Character Development: Protagonist vs. antagonist. Revealing characters. Believability. Consistency.
Plot and Story Structure: Plot—desire/obstruction. Structure—beginning/middle/end. Breaking through the wall. Outlining.
Narrative Hook: What is a hook? Begin at the end. Begin in the middle. Begin in the beginning. Enticers—evocative description, interesting character, archival hooks.
Suspense: The question and answer. Intention and anticipation. Inevitability. Authorial integrity.
Clue Mechanics: What's a clue. Subgenre differences. Fair play.
Villains: Do you need a villain? Purposes of villains. Creating a good villain.
Scene Construction: Analysis of scene construction. Types of scenes.
Scene of the Crime: Evidence. From a police detective perspective. From a private detective's perspective.
Reading as a Writer: Reading nonfiction. Reading fiction. The pain and pleasure of reading as a writer.
Note: Content may vary among individual classes.
