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How to Write a Mystery: A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America
336Overview
Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is known for providing unparalleled resources on the craft, art, and business of storytelling, helping writers of all levels improve their skills for nearly a century. Now, this handbook helps authors navigate the ever-shifting publishing landscape—from pacing, plotting, the business side of publishing, to the current demand for diversity and inclusivity across all genres, and more.
Featuring essays by a new generation of bestselling experts on various elements of the craft and shorter pieces of crowd-sourced wisdom from the MWA membership as a whole, the topics covered can be categorized as follows:
—Before Writing (rules; genres; setting; character; research; etc.)
—While Writing (outlining; the plot; dialogue; mood; etc.)
—After Writing (agents; editors; self-pub; etc.)
—Other than Novels (short stories; true crime; etc.)
—Other Considerations (diverse characters; legal questions; criticism)
Also included is a collection of essays from MWA published authors—including Jeffery Deaver, Tess Gerritsen, and Charlaine Harris—selected by bestselling authors Lee Child and Laurie King and arranged thematically answering, “What piece of writing advice do you wish you’d had at the beginning of your career?”
“Everything you wanted to know about how to plan, draft, write, revise, publish, and market a mystery” (Kirkus Reviews), this inclusive manual provides practical, current, easily digestible advice for new and established authors alike.
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Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9781982149444 |
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Publisher: | Scribner |
Publication date: | 04/12/2022 |
Pages: | 336 |
Sales rank: | 160,290 |
Product dimensions: | 5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.00(d) |
About the Author
Lee Child, previously a television director, union organizer, theater technician, and law student, was fired and on the dole when he hatched a harebrained scheme to write a bestselling novel, thus saving his family from ruin. Killing Floor went on to win worldwide acclaim. The Midnight Line, is his twenty-second Reacher novel. The hero of his series, Jack Reacher, besides being fictional, is a kindhearted soul who allows Lee lots of spare time for reading, listening to music, and watching Yankees and Aston Villa games. Lee was born in England but now lives in New York City and leaves the island of Manhattan only when required to by forces beyond his control. Visit Lee online at LeeChild.com for more information about the novels, short stories, and the movies Jack Reacher and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, starring Tom Cruise. Lee can also be found on Facebook: LeeChildOfficial, Twitter: @LeeChildReacher, and YouTube: LeeChildJackReacher.
Table of Contents
Introduction Lee Child 1
The Rules and Genres
Neil Nyren-The Rules-and When to Break Them 5
Carved in stone or gentle suggestions: what are the rules in the mystery genre, why do they matter, and when don't they matter? Carolyn Hart 12
Meg Gardiner-Keeping It Thrilling 13
Nine things your thriller needs to be lean, mean, and exhilarating. Beth Amos 22
Naomi Hirahara-Insider, Outsider: The Amateur Sleuth 23
Thepoint, and point of view, of your accidental detective. Lindsey Davis 33
Rachel Howzell Hall-Finding Lou: The Police Procedural 34
Are you a cop, or do you just play one on the page? Linwood Barclay 39
Alex Segura-The Mindset of Darkness: Writing Noir 40
It's about character: the flawed protagonist and letting your characters fail. Hank Phillippi Ryan 46
Charlaine Harris-Crossing the Genres 48
Mixing your mystery with a vampire, a talking cow, or a love interest? Kate White 51
Jacqueline Winspear-The Historical Mystery 52
Time, place, and the past. Suzanne Chazin 58
Tess Gerritsen-The Medical Thriller 59
Playing on the reader's real-life fears and hunger for insider knowledge. Gige Pandian 66
Gayle Lynds-Researching the Spy Thriller 67
Or: Why can't I just make it all up? Stephanie Kane 75
Other Mysteries
Susan Vaught-Mysteries for Children: An Introduction 79
The kids' mystery, from picture books to YA-expectations and some hints. C. M. Surrisi 83
Chris Grabenstein-Unleash Your Inner Child 84
Middle-grade mysteries: you, too, can become a rock star for ten-year-olds. Elizabeth Sims 91
Kelley Armstrong-The Young Adult Mystery 92
Complex, authentic stories for the young adult-emphasis on adult. Pat Gallant Weigh 101
Dale W. Berry and Gary Phillips-Graphic Novels 103
The mystery within the panels: your conversation with words and pictures. Dag Öhrlund 113
Art Taylor-The Short Mystery 114
What do the characters (and readers) want in your mystery short story? Charles Salzberg 121
Daniel Stashower-Ten Stupid Questions about True Crime 122
Building a vivid page-turner, out of nothing but facts. Carole Bugge 129
The Writing
Lyndsay Faye-On Style 133
The writer's voice, or, cooking with cadence, rhythm, and audacity. Steve Hockensmith 142
Jeffery Deaver-Always Outline! 143
The why and the how of planning it out first. Rob Hart 150
Hallie Ephron 151
Lee Child-Never Outline! 152
The argument for spontaneity. Shelly Frome 156
Laurie R. King-The Art of the Rewrite 157
Turning your raw first draft into a clear, compelling story. Rae Franklin James 164
Leslie Budewitz 165
Deborah Crombie-Plot and the Bones of a Mystery 166
Bringing together all the elements of your novel so it stands strong. Tim Maleeny 172
Robert Lopresti 173
Frankie Y. Bailey-Diversity in Crime Fiction 174
Enriching your novel by writing characters, not categories. Elaine Viets 183
Allison Brennan-The Protagonist 184
Your hero: the one we relate to, the one who drives the story. Stephanie Kay Bendel 191
T. Jefferson Parker-The Villain of the Piece 192
Your hero in reverse: the forces that create a vivid villain. Kris Neri 198
Craig Johnson-Supporting Characters 199
The chorus of voices that backs up your protagonist Gay Toltl Kinman 204
Greg Herren-Writing the Talk 205
Dialogue that sounds true, reveals character, and draws in the reader. Bradley Harper 212
Stephen Ross 213
William Kent Krueger-Setting 214
Your most versatile element: backdrop, player, and the all-pervading sense of place. Thomas B. Sawyer 222
Catriona McPherson-Humor in Crime Fiction 223
Funny mystery, or mystery with fun: why, how, and when to stop? James W. Ziskin 231
Caroline & Charles Todd-Writing in Partnership 232
Two writers with one voice: how we learned to collaborate. Bradley Harper 237
Max Allan Collins-Tie-Ins and Continuing a Character 238
Playing in someone else's sandbox. Hal Bodner 245
After the Writing
Oline H. Cogdill-Secrets of a Book Critic 249
Reviews and reviewers: what to learn from them, and what to ignore. Marilyn Stasio 257
Liliana Hart-Self-Publishing 258
How to flourish as an independently published writer. Nancy J. Cohen 266
Maddee James-Authors Online 267
Building your author identity and reaching out to readers, online. Mysti Berry 275
Louise Penny-Building Your Community 276
It's the writer, not the book: finding a home in the virtual village. Bev Vincent 284
Daniel Steven-Legal Considerations 285
What every mystery writer needs to know about publishing law.
About the Contributors 291
Contributor Permissions 309
Index 315