Evolving from a Pantser to a Plotter
Please welcome Melissa Westemeier, who will tell us about her change of habit as she publishes the first in her[…]
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Month: April 2025
High concept
Recently I spent four days leading a workshop at the NY Write to Pitch Conference. As the members of my[…]
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The Art of the Plot Twist
From the early childhood game of Peek-a-Boo to an unexpected bouquet of roses after a hard day at work, the pay-off, neuroscientists tell us, is a rush of dopamine, intensifying our emotions by as much as four hundred percent. How do we use this human affinity for surprise in our mystery fiction? No mystery there. Overturning the expectations of readers, surprising them, is called a “plot twist,” that moment when everything the reader has been led to believe turns out to be wrong.
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The Faux Gothic Castle that Started It All
Today, April 17th, is the publication day for my eighth historical thriller, The Versailles Formula. Seeing my novel out in[…]
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It’s Showtime! Tips for Moderating Author Panels
I was starstruck the first time I moderated a panel of writers at a local library. I hadn’t finished the[…]
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Fiction vs. Nonfiction: 5 Differences in an Author’s Eye
As an author of fiction and nonfiction, I’m often asked which I prefer to write. It’s not that easy a[…]
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Buried Treasure: Easter Eggs and Red Herrings
Easter eggs and red herrings are the buried treasure of crime fiction. One enlightens and the other obscures. Both reward the sharp-eyed reader.
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The Mystery of Desire in Writing
And how to structure it As I continue to writhe in the throes of my edit (YES, still editing the[…]
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