ONLINE The MYSTERY BONES METHOD Workshop: Plot a Murder Mystery in 8 Weeks
8 Weeks | Thursdays | Begins February 19, 2026
5pm-7pm PT | 6pm-8pm MT | 7pm-9pm CT | 8pm-10pm ET | 9pm-11pm AT
Instructor: Juanita Rose Violini
MEMBER PRICE: $320.00
NON-MEMBER PRICE: $425.00
Forget passive learning in this interactive, hands-on, mystery writing workshop. Bring your notebook, your imagination and roll up your sleeves.
Using The Mystery Bones Method, you’ll uncover the underlying structure that makes every great whodunnit tick … and apply it directly to your own story idea. You’ll work through a proven visual system that takes the chaos out of plotting and replaces it with clarity and momentum. Using clear diagrams and insider techniques, you'll be building your own mystery plot, complete with a corpse, a cast of suspects, and clues that would make Agatha Christie proud. Every lesson propels your story forward.
At the end of the classes you’ll have
- A plotted murder mystery
- Diagrams that map your story’s structure
- A stronger grasp of clues and misdirection
- The confidence to plot mysteries faster and smarter
- A repeatable process
- Zero patience for badly plotted mystery books & shows
Whether you have a desire to learn, a spark of an idea or a manuscript at any stage of the process – this course if for you. No prior writing experience required.
Participants are encouraged to email in the short weekly assignments, which may be used as examples in class, and their questions—whether from the course material or their own creative challenges—to ensure everyone gets the answers they are looking for.
This class takes place online using Zoom.
Juanita Rose Violini has been creating interactive murder mystery entertainment for over 35 years. Her scripts—performed everywhere from luxury hotels in Canada to schools in Australia, wineries in Texas, and pubs in Great Britain—have been sold worldwide through MysteryFactory.com, especially popular for fundraisers, community theatre, and special events.
She is the creator of the Mystery Bones Method, a step-by-step plotting system that helps writers untangle complex stories using clear diagrams and a one-step-at-a-time approach. Juanita shares this in her books CLUETRAIL and The Mystery Bones Method DIAGRAMS, through online classes, and at writers’ festivals—her recent session Cluezilla vs The Red Herring explored the art of misdirection. She works as a plot consultant to to writers, screenwriters, game designers, and YouTubers worldwide.
Juanita is a member of Crime Writers of Canada and Sisters in Crime (Canada West and International). She served as a judge for the 2025 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence and sits on the Bouchercon Calgary 2026 Anthology Committee.
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We are a community that thrives on support and encouragement. Based on the philosophy of "no writer left behind", the J. Michael Fay Subsidy Program is available to anyone who finds themselves in financial need but really wants or needs to participate in one our programs are classes. Click link above for more details and to apply.
