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Summary
Summary
Today's top mystery authors offer a comprehensive mystery writing "how-to", showing writers how to piece a perfect mystery together.
Reviews (2)
Booklist Review
Popular mystery novelist Sue Grafton has pulled together words of wisdom from other celebrated whodunit authors. The excellent suggestions include those on collaborating, establishing a writing schedule, constructing dialogue, doing research, setting the scene, pacing, and selling the finished product through an agent or directly to a publisher. Among the contributors are Bill Granger, Tony Hillerman, Sara Paretsky, Phyllis Whitney, and other members of the Mystery Writers of America. Great for budding writers or anyone interested in how mysteries are conceived and executed. ~--Denise Donavin
Library Journal Review
Like many Writer's Digest publications, this work serves as an excellent resource for the published and the would-be author. Editor Grafton, herself the successful author of the Kinsey Milhone series, orchestrates the contributions of many distinguished detective/mystery writers, including Tony Hillerman, Lawrence Block, and Ed Hock. This how-to book differs from other Writer's Digest books in that the articles move sequentially through the process from preparation to publication. The specialties section focuses on mysteries for young people and short story mysteries. A good choice for both public libraries' and writers' book shelves.-- Martin J. Hudacs, Solanco H.S., Quarryville, Pa . (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| Introduction | p. 1 |
| Part I Preparation | |
| 1. The Rules and How to Bend Them | p. 6 |
| 2. Sparks, Triggers, and Flashes | p. 13 |
| 3. On Work Schedules | p. 20 |
| 4. Writing With a Partner, or ... What Part of "No" Don't You Understand? | p. 26 |
| 5. Expertise and Research | p. 33 |
| 6. Where Do I Find a Jewish Indian? or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Research | p. 41 |
| 7. Background, Location, and Setting | p. 48 |
| Part II The Process | |
| The Beginning | |
| 8. Characterization | p. 57 |
| 9. Rounding Up Your Characters | p. 65 |
| 10. Writing a Series Character | p. 72 |
| 11. The Amateur Sleuth | p. 79 |
| 12. Vivid Villains | p. 86 |
| 13. In Search of a Novel | p. 91 |
| 14. Building Without Blueprints | p. 98 |
| 15. Outlining | p. 105 |
| 16. Perspectives on Point of View | p. 112 |
| 17. Dress for Success: Developing Your Personal Style | p. 121 |
| The Middle | |
| 18. How to Write Convincing Dialogue | p. 129 |
| 19. Pacing and Suspense | p. 139 |
| 20. Depiction of Violence | p. 148 |
| 21. Clues, Red Herrings, and Other Plot Devices | p. 160 |
| 22. The Book Stops Here | p. 166 |
| The End | |
| 23. In the Beginning Is the End | p. 173 |
| 24. Revision | p. 180 |
| 25. How to Find and Work With an Agent | p. 190 |
| 26. Dial M for Market | p. 197 |
| 27. The Mystery Novel From an Editor's Point of View | p. 205 |
| Part III Specialties | |
| 28. Writing Mysteries for Young Readers | p. 217 |
| 29. The Joys and Challenges of the Short Story | p. 224 |
| 30. The Medical Thriller | p. 233 |
| 31. Legal Thrillers | p. 240 |
| 32. Historical Mysteries: The Past Is a Foreign Country | p. 246 |
| 33. From the Cradle to the Pen: The Evolution of a True Crime Writer | p. 253 |
| 34. E-Media--Crime Fiction E-Volves | p. 262 |
| 35. The Best of the Genre and a Reference List of Books on Writing and Technical Information | p. 271 |
| About the Contributors | p. 293 |
| Index | p. 305 |