The 4 Real Reasons for Murder | Choosing a Motive for Your Mystery

You're writing a mystery and you want to surprise the readers with a great motive--but there are only a few real motives for murder. We're going to
* look at the four possible motives
* examine them from different angles
* talk about how to construct a plot that keeps the true motive a secret
I love writing cozy mysteries! Check them out here: smile.amazon.com/Jane-Kalmes/...
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//////////////////// CREDITS ////////////////////
This video includes video clips from:
And Then There Were None
Psycho
Monk

Пікірлер: 86

  • @janekalmes
    @janekalmes3 жыл бұрын

    Ready to write a cozy mystery series? I can help! kzread.info/head/PL3KL6Jqx65DjZcAKroahZ3eP5mo-D2u1S

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    2 жыл бұрын

    Hmm, really interesting breakdown!

  • @jillstarlight
    @jillstarlight3 жыл бұрын

    At first when I started listening I thought to myself "there have to be more than 4 reasons" until I understood you were breaking them into sub-categories under the categories. That opens it up a great deal more!

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    3 жыл бұрын

    Yeah, I feel like using the categories was the first thing that really helped me get a handle on the whole “motive” question.

  • @pastureexpectationsfarm6412

    @pastureexpectationsfarm6412

    Жыл бұрын

    Well, I have a few more...

  • @foxglove-woods
    @foxglove-woods2 жыл бұрын

    Currently trying to think of a motive before i write my murderer Thanks for the helpful video!

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    2 жыл бұрын

    You’re so welcome!

  • @SleepSootheAndStorytelling
    @SleepSootheAndStorytelling2 жыл бұрын

    How does this not have more views?! This is absolutely perfect. Thanks so much for the information and things to think about.

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    2 жыл бұрын

    You’re so welcome, thanks for the kind words!

  • @thesmugroup
    @thesmugroup3 жыл бұрын

    Monk is probably one of my husband’s, my son’s, and my favorite shows!! The last part of your lesson reminds me of the British mystery show, Death in Paradise. There are always three suspects who couldn’t possibly have done it. So the Detective Inspector and his crew have to figure out why the victim was killed to then figure out who did it. The reason is always a surprise. One of these days, I might actually figure out plotting enough to attempt a mystery. I focus on character arcs in romance, but am starting to add in a bit more suspense...

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    3 жыл бұрын

    I love me some romantic suspense! If you love Monk, you might enjoy my series on “Howdunits,” mysteries where we know who did it and why, but not how they accomplished the crime.

  • @davidcashin1894
    @davidcashin18942 жыл бұрын

    Nothing new here. Not a criticism :-) What I love is your organization!! Plus I really love that you get straight to your points and show them in tables etc. I have been so concerned that the story needed to spring to life in one shot in my brain. You have really shown me that I can organize and sort and then get to work, and then do the work editing. Thanks for this whole series!

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    2 жыл бұрын

    I’m so glad you like it! I do believe that your story can be built up gradually into something magnificent.

  • @heroprovolone
    @heroprovolone2 жыл бұрын

    The amount of work you put into this, purely to inspire and educate others, is impressive. I feel incredibly inspired and no longer stuck in the weeds. Thank you!!

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    2 жыл бұрын

    Wow, that is awesome to hear! Thank you!

  • @lastoreoandmilk4997
    @lastoreoandmilk49972 жыл бұрын

    Thanks very much for the time you have put together for this series. I am a first time writer in fantasy and one of my side plots that takes place is a whydunnit so this is very helpful. I hope one day to have a finished story just like you 😀

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    2 жыл бұрын

    Yay, I am so glad you are finding it helpful! good luck with your book!

  • @judyshinohara
    @judyshinohara3 жыл бұрын

    Great content! Thank you for breaking everything down into specific examples. I never realized how much variety there could be in a murder mystery!

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you, Judith, I’m glad you liked it!

  • @PeachyLofi
    @PeachyLofi6 ай бұрын

    This video was super helpful!! Much appreciated!!

  • @marienbad2
    @marienbad22 ай бұрын

    These are the best writing videos on youtube! Honestly, you get to the information and have so much and such great ideas. Thank you for these videos, I am learning so much.

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    2 ай бұрын

    Thank you so much! I am glad you’re finding them helpful!

  • @JillMaurer
    @JillMaurer3 жыл бұрын

    Always love your videos!

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much, Jill!

  • @SybilWard
    @SybilWard3 жыл бұрын

    Really well done, Jane, as usual. Thanks for the motive menu. :-)

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    3 жыл бұрын

    You’re so welcome, Sybil! Glad it was helpful!

  • @trembyle
    @trembyle3 жыл бұрын

    Your clear and practical vids are extremely helpful for wannabe mystery writers like myself

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    3 жыл бұрын

    I am so happy to hear that, Mark! Thank you!

  • @JohnKusters
    @JohnKusters2 жыл бұрын

    I’ve just stumbled upon this video and this series, and I must say these are very thought-provoking and enlightening. Thank you!

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    2 жыл бұрын

    You’re so welcome!

  • @tannerstrelecky8446
    @tannerstrelecky84462 жыл бұрын

    Great videos! They are helping me piece together my scattered thoughts!

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    2 жыл бұрын

    I’m so glad!

  • @TheCrazyFrancky
    @TheCrazyFrancky Жыл бұрын

    So interesting! Thank you so much for this mystery theory lesson, it was very enriching!

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    Жыл бұрын

    So glad it was helpful!

  • @flutterflutter5500
    @flutterflutter55003 ай бұрын

    i was stuck with my worldbuilding for way to long and you just solved my life thank you so so much i was overcomplicating everything in my head but the answer is always murder mystery thank you!

  • @musickel3718
    @musickel3718 Жыл бұрын

    thank you so much for the depth of analysis in this video! I've been stuck on the motive in my latest wip, and this gave so many great ideas. This is exactly what I needed!

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    Жыл бұрын

    I'm so glad to hear that!

  • @52andattitude48
    @52andattitude482 жыл бұрын

    What an excellent video Jane! I knew the 4 basic motives already, but you introduced me to more possibilities of how those 4 motives can be expressed in a million different ways. Subscribed! Can’t wait to binge your other videos

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    2 жыл бұрын

    Welcome to the channel, I’m so glad you’re liking it!

  • @kalmes23
    @kalmes233 жыл бұрын

    A lot of good ideas here!

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much!

  • @ilikeminecraftgaming9331
    @ilikeminecraftgaming9331 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you!This helped me out with my murder mystery fanfiction!Ready and excited to write it!

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    Жыл бұрын

    So awesome to hear!

  • @darkpoetik5375
    @darkpoetik5375 Жыл бұрын

    Hey Jane, I hope you are well...I finished typing up mystery today...I had let it sit for three months; the one i wrote during winter...Nice thing about getting somethig typed, it's easier to edit....I would be honored if you would read it 🙂 Thanks for all your help and inspiration....

  • @brrryan2908
    @brrryan2908 Жыл бұрын

    Great info and killer presentation. ;)

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @Iwasonceanonionwithnolayers
    @Iwasonceanonionwithnolayers Жыл бұрын

    Unrelated but, you talked about Gone to Dust in a video about methods, I think. I was intrigued and read it. 10/10. I ALWAYS guess whodunit within the first 3rd of a book, which has gotten very old. This book actually fooled me! 😃 I liked the writing and the themes and the characters and the voice. It was also a very clever mystery. I just wanted to say thanks for the recommendation. I've been in a reading slump and it was quite refreshing to read something I enjoyed!

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    Жыл бұрын

    Glad you liked it! I really enjoyed that whole series.

  • @janehousham8033
    @janehousham8033 Жыл бұрын

    Really great film, highly inspiring

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @faydreamsmystic4
    @faydreamsmystic42 жыл бұрын

    Okay.... Are you telling me that Monk aired an episode with basically the same plot of a Scooby Doo Episode called "The Unnatural" a few months after? Scooby Doo March 22, 2003 and Monk July 11, 2003. Holy cow! That's neat. Hahahahaha. Great video but I couldn't help but point out that little fact. Just so no one gets me wrong, I'm a fan of both shows but I missed this episode of Monk some how.

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    2 жыл бұрын

    Haha, that's not something I realized!

  • @sherrylalonde5719
    @sherrylalonde5719 Жыл бұрын

    This was super helpful, thanks! I'd love to know more about Fear as a motive, particularly Exposure. I'm trying to come up with a solid reason for someone to kill a reporter character in my book. I know its to protect a secret that could involve shame/past crime of some kind but I'm stumped. So many of the 'old fashion' reasons for murder just don't apply nowadays, LOL!

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    Жыл бұрын

    Ok, interesting! I’ll noodle on this…

  • @farahamri2658
    @farahamri26583 жыл бұрын

    This video came at the right time (for me) can't wait for the other videos on this series! 😍 are you gonna do one on red herrings?

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    3 жыл бұрын

    I definitely want to do one! Any particular things you'd like to know about them?

  • @farahamri2658

    @farahamri2658

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@janekalmes yay, thank you! I'm actually pretty clueless about this, but I'd like to know mainly how do I do them properly, and how do we make sure that I'm not overdoing it 🙈

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    3 жыл бұрын

    Ok, thanks! This gives me some ideas...

  • @snacksandroadmaps9076

    @snacksandroadmaps9076

    3 жыл бұрын

    I'd like to see a video on types of red herrings and how to often and when to add them into your story. I'm pretty clueless about them too. So I will take any information if you do decide to do a video about them.

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@snacksandroadmaps9076 I recorded it this morning! It won’t be up for a couple of weeks, but I hope it will help!

  • @jendjoyce
    @jendjoyce2 жыл бұрын

    Woah! After listening to this I feel somethings wrong with me. In real life, I have someone I truly hate. Hell is not bad enough for her. Frankly, I never want to see her again. I only hope her behavior comes back on her. I am using all my pure raw hatred as I write her character. How she is murdered and her case is never solved. It's both a way to channel emotions. She is so evil irl I can't help but to use her as a character. Don't worry, the bad guy gets his due. On a different note, thank you for these videos. They inform without filler. Well done.

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    2 жыл бұрын

    I'm glad you enjoy the videos, Dean. I'm praying for you to find relief from these feelings of hatred, as I know they can be very painful. Be well.

  • @jendjoyce

    @jendjoyce

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@janekalmes Thank you ever so much. If I am frank with myself, I can say I'm over it as much as one can be. I've lived an unique life. In doing so I've met interesting people. I use and channel strong emotions while I write. In many ways it helps my writing.

  • Жыл бұрын

    What about the killer of And Then There Were None? I couldn’t put their motive on any of these categories. (I tried not to give any spoilers.😇)

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks, Erzan! I'll include a small spoiler: the Villain describes their motive as sadism, which to me, fits squarely into Power!

  • @blitz4704
    @blitz47042 жыл бұрын

    Don't mind me, just commenting to get my free heart and reply from Jane. For real tho, really useful video thanks.

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    2 жыл бұрын

    Any time! Glad you liked the video!

  • @jimmydroid7838
    @jimmydroid78389 ай бұрын

    Knives Out was brilliant. The second one, not so much.

  • @FloridasYesteryear
    @FloridasYesteryear Жыл бұрын

    Still working on it but the motive is love. A woman kills her husband for cheating on her and she frames the divorced woman who lives in the neighborhood. So I guess that would be a twist and a natural place in the plot where my sleuth realizes she got everything wrong.

  • @Jafoon_Rothschild
    @Jafoon_Rothschild2 жыл бұрын

    This is genius

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    2 жыл бұрын

    I’m glad you liked it!

  • @beebuzz959
    @beebuzz959 Жыл бұрын

    What about anger and accident? Sometimes rage draws people to kill, and there are accidental ones too. Usually neither are planned, though.

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    Жыл бұрын

    Great question! Anger is generally about one of the four motives. Even a fight between two guys in a bar will usually come down to a dispute over Power, even if it’s just of the “you can’t say that to me and get away with it” variety. As for accidents… well, if it’s truly accidental, then there’s no motive! Could be difficult for a sleuth to puzzle out…

  • @beebuzz959

    @beebuzz959

    Жыл бұрын

    @@janekalmes Thanks so much for the response! I've never had anyone get back to me on a response I've made to an old video, so I really appreciate your attention! you're right, an accident doesn't warrant a motive, but I guess I'm thinking if someone threatens another with a gun or something, not intending to kill them, and accidentally shoots them, or something. It could still give them reason to try and cover it up, so a detective might still run into that. But no, that's not a motive to kill, just to threaten... in my very awkward assumption of how someone might end up dead.

  • @Paul12345671
    @Paul1234567111 ай бұрын

    In my game, one Vampire kills another Vampire because of religious/philosophical differences. I guess this would fall under the "power murder" category.

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    10 ай бұрын

    That's where I put murders that are committed in order to enforce a particular moral order. We all want others to do the things we think they should, but some of us want it a little more than others!

  • @blessedormessy6336
    @blessedormessy63363 жыл бұрын

    Awww $$$ Murders 😃

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    3 жыл бұрын

    They make up quite a few of the murders in fiction, at least!

  • @melissajohnson4881
    @melissajohnson4881 Жыл бұрын

    Ny y ÿyyy

  • @ShhBrad1984
    @ShhBrad19842 жыл бұрын

    This woman is so friggin' hot. Great content, too!

  • @janekalmes

    @janekalmes

    2 жыл бұрын

    Glad you’re enjoying the content!

  • @melissajohnson4881
    @melissajohnson4881 Жыл бұрын

    Y y y77 y

  • @Pals_Place
    @Pals_Place4 ай бұрын