How to Make a Murder: Writing Your Own Murder Mystery Party with Abi Inman

In this five-part lecture series, Abi Inman will walk you through researching, writing, and hosting your own murder mystery party.

Nothing brings people together quite like donning period costume and trying to solve an elaborate, fictional murder by framing friends and family. Murder mystery games have been around since the early 20th century, and are infinitely adaptable; they can be made for players of all ages and take on a multitude of forms. While some are available for purchase online, they tend to be poorly written and often rely on one of a few classic, overused plots. Luckily, murder mysteries are just as fun to write as they are to play.

Over the course of five sessions, we’ll look at the history and structure of murder mysteries before creating our own. We’ll discuss what types of events and settings make good inspiration for a successful party, and which format works best for you. You’ll learn about the different pieces you need to create for each phase of the party, how to write characters that anyone can play, and what clues to put in place to ensure your murder is solvable without being obvious. By the time the course is finished, you’ll have a complete murder mystery party written and will be equipped with the tools you need to host it in person or online.