How to write a mystery : a handbook from Mystery Writers of America

Title:

ISBN:

9781982149444

Edition:

First Scribner trade paperback edition.

Physical Description:

ix, 326 pages ; 22 cm.

General Note:

Includes index.

Contents:

The rules and genres. The rules and when to break them / Carolyn Hart ; Keeping it thrilling / Beth Amos ; Insider, outsider: the amateur sleuth / Lindsey Davis ; Finding Lou: the police procedural / Linwood Barclay ; The mindset of darkness: writing noir / Hank Phillippi Ryan ; Crossing the genres / Kate White ; The historical mystery / Suzanne Chazin ; The medical thriller / Gigi Pandian ; Researching the spy thriller / Stephanie Kane -- Other mysteries. Mysteries for children: an introduction / S. M. Surrisi ; Unleash your inner child ; Chris Grabenstein ; Elizabeth Sims ; The young adult mystery / Pat Gallant Weich ; Graphic novels / Dag Öhrlund ; The short mystery / Charles Salzberg ; Ten stupid questions about true crime / Carold Buggé -- The writing. On style / Steve Hockensmith ; Always outline! / Rob Hart ; Hallie Ephron ; Never outline! / Shelly Frome ; The art of the rewrite / Rae Franklin James ; Leslie Budewitz ; Plot and the bones of a mystery / Tim Maleeny ; Robert Lopresti ; Diversity in crime fiction / Elaine Viets ; The protagonist / Stephanie Kay Bendel ; The villain of the piece / Kris Neri ; Supporting characters / Gay Toltl Kinman ; Writing the talk / Bradley Harper ; Stephen Ross ; Setting / Thomas B. Sawyer ; Humor in crime fiction / James W. Ziskin ; Writing in partnership / Bradley Harper ; Tie-ins and continuing a character / Hal Bodner -- After the writing. Secrets of a book critic / Marilyn Stasio ; Self-publishing / Nancy J. Cohen ; Authors online / Mysti Berry ; Building your community / Bev Vincent ; Legal considerations

Subject Term:

Detective and mystery stories -- Authorship.

Detective and mystery stories -- Technique.

Genre:

Handbooks and manuals.

Added Author:

Child, Lee

King, Laurie R.

Added Corporate Author:

Mystery Writers of America,

Summary:

"From some of the most successful mystery writers in the business, an invaluable guide to crafting mysteries, from character development and plot to procedurals and thrillers." --

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake)	808.3872 HOW	Searching... Unknown
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	808.3872 HOW	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Wildwood Library (Mahtomedi)	808.3872 HOW	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

From 70 of the most successful mystery writers in the business, an invaluable guide to crafting mysteries--from character development and plot to procedurals and thrillers--"this is a writing guide that readers and writers will turn to again and again" ( Booklist , starred review).

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.

Author Notes

Lee Child is one of the world's leading thriller writers. His Jack Reacher novels consistently achieve the number one slot on bestseller lists around the world and have sold more than one hundred million copies. He is the recipient of many awards, most recently Author of the Year at the 2019 British Book Awards.
Laurie R. King is the bestselling author of twenty-nine novels and other works, including the Mary Russell-Sherlock Holmes series. She has won the Edgar and Agatha Awards, a John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger, and the Nero Award, among other honors.

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

More is less in this uneven anthology for the aspiring mystery writer, edited by Child (the Jack Reacher series) and featuring contributions from over 50 authors. "Mystery writers," Child writes, "is a noble and evocative term, but we shouldn't think it limits us," and the entries that follow are a mixed bag of quick hits and worthy advice. Marilyn Stasio's "How Not to Get Reviewed," for example, is a single sentence offering: "Send multiple copies of your book to the reviewer's home and keep bugging her by email." Louise Penny's "Building Your Community," on the other hand, is a standout. In it, she recounts how she built an audience by opening up to her fans, prompted by advice to promote herself because if readers "like you, they'll probably buy your book, and will probably like it." Jeffery Deaver's "Always Outline" urges against "pansters" who "write by the seat of their pants," while Child follows with a plea to "Never Outline." The most valuable insights come on the craft level: Jacqueline Winspear's tips on setting mysteries in the past and Catriona McPherson's on incorporating humor, for example, hit as practical and insightful. Budding authors looking for pro tips will find some useful tidbits, but this is ground mostly covered. (Apr.)

Kirkus Review

Everything you wanted to know about how to plan, draft, write, revise, publish, and market a mystery, courtesy of the cheerleaders from the Mystery Writers of America. In a marketplace crowded with how-to-write titles, the big selling point of this one is the variety of voices behind more than 30 full-length chapters covering everything from mystery subgenres (Neil Nyren) to publishing law (Daniel Stevens), punctuated with a variety of shorter interpolations. A few of them are more pointed than the longer chapters--e.g., when Rob Hart advises, "Allow yourself the space to forget things," Tim Maleeny says, "Love your characters, but treat them like dirt," or C.M. Surrisi notes, "If you're writing a mystery for kids, remember that your protagonist can't drive and has a curfew, and no one will believe them or let them be involved." The contributors vary in their approaches, from businesslike (Dale W. Berry and Gary Phillips on the process of creating graphic novels, Liliana Hart on self-publishing, Maddee James on cultivating an online presence) to personal (Frankie Y. Bailey on creating diverse characters, Chris Grabenstein on writing for middle schoolers, Catriona McPherson on deploying humor) to autobiographical (Rachel Howzell Hall on creating a Black female detective, Louise Penny on building a community of followers) to frankly self-promoting (T. Jefferson Parker on creating villains, Max Allan Collins on continuing someone else's franchise). Although many familiar bromides are recycled--"All stories are character-driven," writes Allison Brennan, and Jacqueline Winspear, Gayle Lynds, and Daniel Stashower all urge the paramount importance of research--the most entertaining moments are the inevitable disagreements that crop up, especially between Jeffery Deaver ("Always Outline!") and editor Child ("Never Outline!"), with Deaver getting the better of the argument. Other contributors include Alex Segura, William Kent Krueger, Tess Gerritsen, and Hallie Ephron. A chorus of encouraging voices that mix do-this instruction with companionable inspiration. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

Featuring a powerhouse list of contributors (Jeffery Deaver, Linwood Barclay, Lee Child, Deborah Crombie, Meg Gardiner, Charlaine Harris, T. Jefferson Parker, and many more), this collection of essays from Mystery Writers of America offers a comprehensive and highly informative guide to writing crime fiction. The contributors discuss amateur sleuthing, the mechanics of the thriller, the differences between noir and hard-boiled detective stories, historical mysteries, true crime, graphic novels, YA stories, medical thrillers, the spy novel, and even novelizations. Recurring themes: doing the necessary research, getting the small details right, and creating characters with depth and a real human presence. It's just a wonderful book, a seminar in genre writing conducted by some of the genre's most accomplished practitioners. Especially interesting are the varying points of view on some subjects (Deaver says outlining is essential; Child says never mind the outline); readers soon learn that there is no one right way to go about writing crime fiction, and that the goal should be to find the process that works best for them. This is a writing guide that readers and writers will turn to again and again.

Lee ChildCarolyn HartBeth AmosLindsey DavisLinwood BarclayHank Phillippi RyanKate WhiteSuzanne ChazinGige PandianStephanie KaneC. M. SurrisiElizabeth SimsPat Gallant WeighDag ÖhrlundCharles SalzbergCarole BuggeSteve HockensmithRob HartShelly FromeRae Franklin JamesTim MaleenyElaine VietsStephanie Kay BendelKris NeriGay Toltl KinmanBradley HarperThomas B. SawyerJames W. ZiskinBradley HarperHal BodnerMarilyn StasioNancy J. CohenMysti BerryBev Vincent

Introduction	p. 1
The Rules and Genres
Neil Nyren-The Rules-and When to Break Them	p. 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?	p. 12
Meg Gardiner-Keeping It Thrilling	p. 13
Nine things your thriller needs to be lean, mean, and exhilarating.	p. 22
Naomi Hirahara-Insider, Outsider: The Amateur Sleuth	p. 23
Thepoint, and point of view, of your accidental detective.	p. 33
Rachel Howzell Hall-Finding Lou: The Police Procedural	p. 34
Are you a cop, or do you just play one on the page?	p. 39
Alex Segura-The Mindset of Darkness: Writing Noir	p. 40
It's about character: the flawed protagonist and letting your characters fail.	p. 46
Charlaine Harris-Crossing the Genres	p. 48
Mixing your mystery with a vampire, a talking cow, or a love interest?	p. 51
Jacqueline Winspear-The Historical Mystery	p. 52
Time, place, and the past.	p. 58
Tess Gerritsen-The Medical Thriller	p. 59
Playing on the reader's real-life fears and hunger for insider knowledge.	p. 66
Gayle Lynds-Researching the Spy Thriller	p. 67
Or: Why can't I just make it all up?	p. 75
Other Mysteries
Susan Vaught-Mysteries for Children: An Introduction	p. 79
The kids' mystery, from picture books to YA-expectations and some hints.	p. 83
Chris Grabenstein-Unleash Your Inner Child	p. 84
Middle-grade mysteries: you, too, can become a rock star for ten-year-olds.	p. 91
Kelley Armstrong-The Young Adult Mystery	p. 92
Complex, authentic stories for the young adult-emphasis on adult.	p. 101
Dale W. Berry and Gary Phillips-Graphic Novels	p. 103
The mystery within the panels: your conversation with words and pictures.	p. 113
Art Taylor-The Short Mystery	p. 114
What do the characters (and readers) want in your mystery short story?	p. 121
Daniel Stashower-Ten Stupid Questions about True Crime	p. 122
Building a vivid page-turner, out of nothing but facts.	p. 129
The Writing
Lyndsay Faye-On Style	p. 133
The writer's voice, or, cooking with cadence, rhythm, and audacity.	p. 142
Jeffery Deaver-Always Outline!	p. 143
The why and the how of planning it out first.	p. 150
Hallie Ephron	p. 151
Lee Child-Never Outline!	p. 152
The argument for spontaneity.	p. 156
Laurie R. King-The Art of the Rewrite	p. 157
Turning your raw first draft into a clear, compelling story.	p. 164
Leslie Budewitz	p. 165
Deborah Crombie-Plot and the Bones of a Mystery	p. 166
Bringing together all the elements of your novel so it stands strong.	p. 172
Robert Lopresti	p. 173
Frankie Y. Bailey-Diversity in Crime Fiction	p. 174
Enriching your novel by writing characters, not categories.	p. 183
Allison Brennan-The Protagonist	p. 184
Your hero: the one we relate to, the one who drives the story.	p. 191
T. Jefferson Parker-The Villain of the Piece	p. 192
Your hero in reverse: the forces that create a vivid villain.	p. 198
Craig Johnson-Supporting Characters	p. 199
The chorus of voices that backs up your protagonist	p. 204
Greg Herren-Writing the Talk	p. 205
Dialogue that sounds true, reveals character, and draws in the reader.	p. 212
Stephen Ross	p. 213
William Kent Krueger-Setting	p. 214
Your most versatile element: backdrop, player, and the all-pervading sense of place.	p. 222
Catriona McPherson-Humor in Crime Fiction	p. 223
Funny mystery, or mystery with fun: why, how, and when to stop?	p. 231
Caroline & Charles Todd-Writing in Partnership	p. 232
Two writers with one voice: how we learned to collaborate.	p. 237
Max Allan Collins-Tie-Ins and Continuing a Character	p. 238
Playing in someone else's sandbox.	p. 245
After the Writing
Oline H. Cogdill-Secrets of a Book Critic	p. 249
Reviews and reviewers: what to learn from them, and what to ignore.	p. 257
Liliana Hart-Self-Publishing	p. 258
How to flourish as an independently published writer.	p. 266
Maddee James-Authors Online	p. 267
Building your author identity and reaching out to readers, online.	p. 275
Louise Penny-Building Your Community	p. 276
It's the writer, not the book: finding a home in the virtual village.	p. 284
Daniel Steven-Legal Considerations	p. 285
What every mystery writer needs to know about publishing law.
About the Contributors	p. 291
Contributor Permissions	p. 309
Index	p. 315

Available:*

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Kirkus Review

Booklist Review

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