3 days agoWhy Would Someone Want to Kill Your Mystery VictimThe victim is a major character in your mystery. Your mystery victim may be dead, but their background powers the puzzle in your mystery. The more you know about the victim in your mystery, the easier time you’ll have creating clues and suspects for your detective to discover. Without the…How To Write A Mystery4 min read
Sep 209 Great Benefits of Writing A Mystery SeriesYour author career will be enhanced when you write a series. You will gain a lot more benefits and become more effective in your marketing. Benefits to Your Writing When you write new novels for a series, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. In fact, you will be laying the foundation for the…Mystery Writing4 min read
Sep 13Storytelling: The Art of Engaging Your ReaderFor mystery writers, the audience is your reader. One reader. The one who is reading your story right now. You can structure your plot, build strong characters, illustrate the settings, create imaginative twists, and hide the villain until the end. But you must also bring your reader into the story…Storytelling3 min read
Sep 6Your Detective’s Inside Story: To Character Arc or NotWhile many genres work best when the protagonist has an emotional arc, a mystery novel does not require an arc for the protagonist detective. In fact, in most detective mysteries, the protagonist has what is called a flat arc. Recently a new author in an online writing group was struggling…Mystery Writing3 min read
Aug 29How to Create A Mystery Puzzle Readers Will LoveA successful mystery novel keeps the reader guessing. As an author, you create a puzzle that doesn’t work until the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle fits in. That final piece is the reveal of the villain, the one who committed the crime, usually a murder. Between the discovery of…Amwritingmystery3 min read
Aug 222 Great Ways to Introduce Your Mystery’s Detective So Your Reader CaresAt the beginning of your mystery story, along with wanting your reader to wonder, What will happen next? you want to get your reader to care about your sleuth. The emotional connection bonds your reader to your protagonist. …Amwritingmystery5 min read
Aug 15Setting: How To Make Your Reader Feel Like They’re ThereYou know you want your reader to connect with your protagonist sleuth. One of the best ways to make that connection is to paint a picture of how your protagonist responds to the world around them-the setting in the scene. Your protagonist may be in the midst of a big…Settings4 min read
Aug 2Author Support from Other Writers: A Writing WinYour Best Writing Support You don’t need to go it alone as a writer. Other writers understand your process. …Mystery Writing4 min read
Jul 26Conflict or Menace? Which Drives Your Mystery Story?Get Your Sleuth in Trouble Readers love conflict. It keeps them wondering how the story will turn out. What will the hero do next? How will she get out of this one? Good storytelling needs conflict. Conflict builds suspense by creating tension. For a reader, tension raises the question of what will happen next. …Story Conflict3 min read
Jul 18A Surefire Way to Get Back Into Your Story: Be Like Your DetectiveIt’s not unusual to stall when writing your mystery novel. For most writers, that sag happens somewhere after the middle to about three-quarters through the story. Not only do setbacks happen to writers, but setbacks are also a normal part of the writing process. …Mystery Writing3 min read
