Pitch Dictionary by pitch.dog
Exposition, information & reveals · Working

Mystery

Also called: mystery engine

ELI5

An unanswered question or hidden cause used as a story mechanism, whether or not the project belongs to the mystery genre.

Used in conversation

“Let’s track the mystery through the outline before rewriting scenes.”

Pitch context

Use this when explaining how the story works on the page or across the finished screen experience.

Why it matters: Helps describe how a story works on the page and how its dramatic parts fit together.

Connected terms

  • MysteryMystery can name a genre, or an unanswered question used as a story mechanism inside any genre.
Sources & evidence · 6

Direct term-level sources and supporting source families.