A Blog for Readers and Writers of Mystery, Crime, and Suspense Fiction
There is more than one way to write a book, or better stated, to conceive a book. However, outlining is often given a harsh shake of the head. Not creative enough. Constraining.
Recently I asked a number of writers why they felt this way. More to the point, I asked them what they meant by outlining.
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Law in Faction: Factish or Fictiony – A Lawyer’s Review
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Words on the page. Most writers agree that this is the key ingredient to shift from wanting to be a writer to being a writer. It is certainly key to seeing your book in print. NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) was created with this in mind: words on the page. Fifty thousand words, ideally.
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One of my professors in graduate school asked the question–Did Lady MacBeth have children?–to illustrate the fact that fictional characters[…]
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Maybe it’s just me, but I’m constantly having to look up genre conventions. Traditional mystery? High concept? Thriller? Suspense? Domestic Suspense? Cozy? We’re told we need to stick to the rules of our genre, and read widely in it so we know what to do. But there are so many sub genres! I’m ALWAYS getting lost.
(this is not inclusive, and I’m sure I missed some. But I tried)
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Right now, I’m soaking in the sights and sounds and tastes of the United Kingdom. Traveling outside my day-to-day routine means more chances to observe and to be inspired.
With that on my mind, here are a few tips to travel like a writer.
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In In Place of Fear, we meet Helen Crowther the day before she begins her new job – her first job. She’s steeling herself, deciding what to wear, and still trying to persuade her parents that she’s not making a big mistake, biting off more than she can chew.
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Fellow Miss Demeanors, where do you turn for a book recommendation?
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Later this summer I set sail across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary II, the perfect place for a locked room mystery! While much larger than Agatha Christie’s vessel in Death on the Nile, it has a common essential element – no one can come on or off. If you aren’t familiar with the idea of a locked room mystery, here are a few essentials and a confession.
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I’ve been thinking about EASTER EGGS recently–and not the kind hidden by the Easter bunny. In fiction, Easter eggs are cultural, literary, or personal references embedded in the text that only a few readers will understand–little gifts for those who find them.
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