Demystifying the process of bringing your story to the page in this full day craft intensive.

Every story has something to solve—a hook that pulls readers in, a plot that keeps moving, characters complicated enough to stay with you after the last page. In this full-day workshop, bestselling author Patricia Crisafulli draws on the mystery genre’s sharpest craft tools to help you strengthen any work of fiction, whatever genre you’re writing in.

Mystery writers have figured out some things the rest of us can steal. Their stories depend on momentum—on readers who can’t stop turning pages—so they’ve developed precise tools for creating hooks that grab, characters who feel genuinely complicated, and plots that accelerate and breathe at exactly the right moments. None of that is exclusive to the mystery genre. It’s just good fiction craft.

In It’s a Mystery!, Patricia Crisafulli will guide you through the foundational elements of compelling storytelling: the inciting incident that ignites your story and tells readers why this moment matters; how to build protagonists and antagonists who carry real complexity; how to pace a plot so tension builds without exhausting your reader; how to manage subplots so they deepen rather than distract; and how to make strategic decisions about scenes—when to go cinematic and when to step back. The day closes with a roundtable “stuck points” session, where participants can bring their real challenges to the group for honest, generative conversation.

This is a hands-on day. You’ll write, discuss, and leave with tools you can use immediately—whether your manuscript is a mystery, a literary novel, a fantasy, or something in between.

What You’ll Get
-The inciting incident framework that tells you whether your hook is sharp enough—and how to sharpen it if it isn’t
-Tools for building protagonists and antagonists who feel complex and human, not just good or bad
-A pacing approach that creates tension and release—so your reader stays engaged without burning out
-Techniques for weaving subplots into your main storyline so they deepen rather than distract
-The craft distinction between cinematic scenes and summary—and how to choose deliberately
-A roundtable “stuck points” session to brainstorm your specific challenges with the group
-Writing exercises throughout the day to apply everything in real time

This Class Is for You If…
-You’re writing a mystery, thriller, or any other work of fiction—and you want your story to actually move
-You’ve started drafts but keep losing momentum somewhere in the middle
-Your plot has subplots you’re not sure how to manage
-You can feel that something’s off in a scene but can’t name what it is
-You want a focused, full-day dive into craft alongside other writers who are in it with you
-You write in any genre—this workshop draws on mystery as a lens, but the tools apply everywhere

What to Bring
A work-in-progress (at any stage) or a story idea you’ve been developing. Not required, but having something in hand will make the exercises richer.

About Patricia Crisafulli
Patricia Crisafulli is a New York Times bestselling author and MFA graduate of Northwestern University, where she received the Distinguished Thesis Award in Creative Writing. She’s the author of the Ohnita Harbor Mystery Series—The Secrets of Ohnita Harbor, The Secrets of Still Waters Chasm, and The Secrets of the Old Post Cemetery—and has been recognized with a grand prize for fiction from TallGrass Writers Guild and a Pushcart Prize nomination.

Patricia teaches from the inside out: her approach to craft is grounded in the real decisions writers face on the page, not a checklist of rules. She’s genuinely interested in your work—and in helping you find your way through it.

Date: Saturday, November 21, 2026

Time: 10 am-5 pm

Location: Wordcrafters Studio 436 Charnelton St. Ste. 100, Eugene, OR 97401

Price: $199
Pricing info: Our classes and events are priced at their actual cost to run.

If paying the full price would keep you from joining us, use the code ACCESS at checkout to reduce your registration amount by 20%—no questions asked. If you’re a Wordcrafters member, use code MEMBERACCESS.

If the full price is within your means, please leave the ACCESS code for those who truly need it.

If you’re able, you can add a donation during registration to support our scholarship fund.

Scholarship info: We want everyone to have access to our writing programs. If you need additional support, please complete our scholarship request form: https://wordcrafters.org/scholarships/

Your instructor
Patricia Crisafulli (she/her) is an award winning, New York Times best-selling author. Her latest novel is The Secrets of the Old Post Cemetery, released fall 2025 from Woodhall Press. Her debut novel, The Secrets of Ohnita Harbor, published in 2022, followed by The Secrets of Still Waters Chasm in 2023 (both from Woodhall Press).