A Blog for Readers and Writers of Mystery, Crime, and Suspense Fiction
The term Save the Cat was coined by Blake Snyder as a reference to a pivotal moment early in a play or novel in which the protagonist does something admirable, thereby winning the audience’s loyalty and admiration. Engaging your readers’ emotions is a powerful tool, but does it apply only to the good guys? Can the technique be used to create more complex and believable bad guys as well?
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Fiction writing, like all creative endeavors, involves a lifelong process of learning and growing. It’s a journey. That’s certainly been true for me. What has changed? I learned a few things from Ira Glass and Neil Gaiman. Read on to find out what they are….
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I wonder what five things Shakespeare would say he needed in order to write—or Jane Austen or Edgar Allen Poe? They’d probably narrow it down to a pen and a brain. Allowing for changing tastes in literature, the craft of writing is much the same as it’s always been, but the mechanics of it have changed so dramatically I suspect the writers of the past, seeing my writing space, would be speechless. I’m speechless, imagining what it would be like to write a whole novel by hand with a quill pen. I’m glad I’m writing in the modern world. With that in mind, here are five things I need in order to write:
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Every Thanksgiving I remember The Great Turkey Soup Fiasco because life really is the best place to mine for plots.
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Can an author do his or her own editing? The short answer is no.
Unless you can literally step out of your own head, you will never have the perspective necessary to see your work in its true light. Writers need editor because although we have many of the necessary skills, we don’t have the one irreplaceable skill—distance.
With that said, can an author revise his or her manuscript so that editing is a pleasant rather than traumatic experience? The good news is yes, we can. Here are my Top Ten Tips for preparing your manuscript for professional editing.
How risky is it to kill off a main character? I’ll never forget the day Helen Clyde died.
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A few years ago, Laura Jensen Walker and I discovered that we both have roots in Racine, Wisconsin’s Danish community. In fact, we were born in the same hospital, St. Luke’s–but not at the same time! Our friendship was sealed when we discovered a common passion for Danish Kringle and the British Isles. What more could one ask for?
Laura and I finally met in person last year at Left Coast Crime, and I had the privilege of reading an ARC of her latest novel, Death of a Flying Nightingale. The novel is a departure for her. Welcome to Miss Demeanors, Laura!
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“Never judge a book by its cover” is advice most of us heard as children. It’s a metaphor, meaning we shouldn’t make assumptions based on appearances alone. It’s excellent advice where people are concerned. Judging someone by their physical appearance is both unfair and unwise. But what about books?
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“Doesn’t pay attention in class.”
That was a common remark on my school report cards, along with “tends to daydream,” and “head in the clouds.” I know because my mom was a saver, and I still have a box of those early evaluations. To her credit, I don’t remember a single time she berated me for not coming home with all A’s.
USA Today and Amazon bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s[…]
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