Plot, Structure, and Beats
Structure, Plot, and Beats: what are they, what is the difference, and are they necessary? Asking for a friend.
Read moreA Blog for Readers and Writers of Mystery, Crime, and Suspense Fiction
Structure, Plot, and Beats: what are they, what is the difference, and are they necessary? Asking for a friend.
Read moreShe may have been born with a pen in her hand. Christine “Cis” or “Cissy” White was a natural writer,[…]
Read moreI’m on a mission to find a set of common denominators that make characters generally beloved.
Read moreWhat are we going to do when machines become better at all things creative than we are? When they dream for us?
Read moreI met the ebullient and charming Lane Stone when we both joined an Art Crimes panel for Left Coast Crime 2022. We hit it off right away and discovered we have more in common than writing for the same publisher. Which is why I’m absolutely thrilled to introduce Lane as our newest Miss Demeanor. Cue the trumpets!
Read moreWriters and readers hear terms bandied about and don’t often understand them. Beta readers was a new one to me[…]
Read moreNot spinning as in exercising on a bicycle or as in making yarn or as in weaving a tale. And[…]
Read moreWhen is my novel done? This may be the question I’m asked most frequently by my students. It’s a subject[…]
Read moreEvery story has a beginning, a middle and an end. Right? Not always. Have you ever had the bad luck[…]
Read moreWe’re heading into the homestretch of 2022. Looking back—even disregarding the politics and the pandemic—it seems like so much has[…]
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