7 Plotting Secrets Every Writer Can Learn From Agatha Christie

In this post, we share seven plotting secrets from one of the world’s most prolific and successful mystery writers, Agatha Christie.

Whether you’re writing crime fiction or another genre entirely, these timeless techniques will help you craft stronger plots, build suspense, and create unforgettable twists.

Agatha Christie remains one of the world’s bestselling authors. Her iconic detectives, Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, have stood the test of time, inspiring generations of fictional sleuths and mystery writers. She is credited with creating the cozy mystery fiction genre.

If you want to improve your plotting, Christie is an author worth studying.

Who Was Agatha Christie?

Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie (15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English novelist, playwright, and short-story writer best known for her detective fiction.

She wrote 66 detective novels and 14 short-story collections. Her books have sold more than two billion copies worldwide, making her one of the bestselling authors of all time. If you’re new to Christie, Cards On The Table and Murder On The Orient Express are excellent places to start.

MUST-READ: Agatha Christie: Secrets Behind The Bestselling Author Of All Time

Here are seven plotting lessons every writer can learn from one of the greatest mystery novelists ever published.

7 Plotting Secrets Every Writer Can Learn From Agatha Christie

1. Start Plotting

‘There is always, of course, that terrible three weeks, or a month which you have to get through when you are trying to get started on a book. There is no agony like it.’ – Agatha Christie: An Autobiography

Beginning a story is often the hardest part of writing. Writers such as Stephen King and James Patterson have said much the same thing.

The difference between writers who finish books and those who only dream about writing is simple: they begin. Don’t wait for the perfect idea. Start plotting. Once you have a roadmap, your story becomes much easier to write.

MUST-READ: What Is A Plot? – A Writer’s Resource

2. Let Your Plot Develop

‘Walking or just washing up, a tedious process. […] Years ago I got my plots in the tub, the old-fashioned, rim kind – just sitting there, thinking, undisturbed, and lining the rim with apple cores.’ – NY Times Interview, Quiet Murders Suit Miss Christie (1966)

Every writer has a different way of finding ideas. For Agatha Christie, the best plots often emerged while she was doing everyday tasks. Many writers discover that stepping away from the desk allows ideas to connect naturally.

If you’ve found the seed of a good story, give it time to grow. Think about it while walking, gardening, cooking, or doing the dishes. Keep a notebook nearby and write down new ideas as they appear.

You can’t force creativity, but you can give your ideas room to grow.

3. Use Your Interests To Enrich Your Plot

Christie drew on her many interests, including archaeology, travel, and contract bridge, to make her stories feel authentic and memorable.

The same approach works for any writer. Use your hobbies, passions, and knowledge to enrich your plots. Familiar subjects add convincing detail and can even inspire unique conflicts or plot twists.

Readers also enjoy learning something new. The more varied your interests, the richer your stories can become. Christie, for example, made the game of contract bridge a central element of Cards On The Table.

4. Build Your Plot Around Character Flaws

Memorable characters aren’t perfect. They’re flawed, contradictory, and deeply human.

Although Hercule Poirot became one of fiction’s greatest detectives, Christie deliberately gave him irritating habits and exaggerated qualities that made him distinctive.

When creating your characters, think beyond appearance and biography. Give them weaknesses, blind spots, fears, and personal histories—even if much of that never appears on the page.

Well-developed characters naturally create stronger, more believable plots.

5. Explore Your Characters’ Potential

‘Everyone is a potential murderer. In everyone there arises from time to time the wish to kill, though not the will to kill.’ – Agatha Christie, Curtain

Every memorable plot is driven by what characters are capable of doing under pressure.

Christie understood that ordinary people can be pushed to extraordinary actions. She explored the darker side of human nature and the difficult choices people make when fear, jealousy, greed, or desperation take over.

When you’re plotting your story, ask yourself what each character is truly capable of. What secret are they hiding? What line would they never cross? What circumstances would force them to cross it?

The answers to these questions create conflict, deepen motivation, and open the door to surprising twists. The more believable your characters’ choices are, the more compelling your plot will become.

6. Let Cause And Effect Shape Your Plot

‘To get at the cause for a thing, we have to study the effect.’ – The Mysterious Mr Quin

Every event in your story should lead naturally to the next. Ask two simple questions as you plot:

1. What if?
2. What happens next?

The first generates possibilities. The second creates momentum.

Strong plots are built on cause and effect. Every decision has consequences, and every consequence creates a new problem for your characters.

This is why outlines can be especially useful for mystery or horror writers. They help ensure every clue, revelation, and twist fits logically into the chain of events.

7. Decide Whether Collaboration Works For You

‘I’ve always believed in writing without a collaborator, because where two people are writing the same book, each believes he gets all the worries and only half the royalties.’ – QI Interview, Best Quotes of ’54, ’55, ’56

Writing is often a solitary pursuit, but not every writer works the same way. Some authors, like James Patterson, collaborate with co-authors. Christie preferred to write alone.

Neither approach is right or wrong. The important thing is to discover how you do your best work. If you collaborate, make sure responsibilities, expectations, and creative control are clearly defined from the beginning.

The Last Word

Great plots don’t happen by accident. Agatha Christie shows us that they come from careful planning, believable characters, and an understanding of human nature. Whether you’re writing a mystery, a thriller, or any other genre, these seven lessons will help you build suspense, strengthen your plot, and keep readers turning the pages.

By Alex J. Coyne. Alex is a writer, proofreader, and regular card player. His features about cards, bridge, and card playing have appeared in Great Bridge Links, Gifts for Card Players, Bridge Canada Magazine, and Caribbean Compass. Get in touch at alexcoyneofficial.com.

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