How to Write Killer Fiction: The Funhouse of Mystery & the Roller Coaster of Suspense

It takes brains to solve a mystery; it takes guts to survive suspense. Here are tips and inspiration for successful writing in either game.

Carolyn Wheat, the highly regarded creative writing teacher and author, explains the difference between mysteries (the art of the whodunit) and novels of suspense (the flight from danger) and offers tips of the trade for writing in either genre. Wheat shows how to make your book work, from the first word to the final revision.

Writing is all about creating an experience for the reader. Whether you’re giving them a brain-teasing puzzle or an adrenaline-soaked emotional roller coaster ride, this book helps you shape your fiction to create maximum enjoyment for your readers.

Now you can learn the craft of mystery writing from one of the most respected contemporary writers in the field: Carolyn Wheat, winner of multitudinous awards and nominations. Wheat knows what editors want and shows you how to reach your writing and publishing goals.

How To Write Killer Fiction also helps with the process itself. Recognizing that there are two kinds of writers, the Outliners who love and need to plan ahead, and the Blank-pagers who like to go where their Muse takes them, this book offers useful advice for both, without making a judgment about which is better. Wheat covers all aspects of writing from construction to revision to marketing. Her voice is friendly and entertaining, her grasp of the subject thorough and no-nonsense, and she offers tips and inspiration for good writing from the first word to the final period.

About the Author

Carolyn Wheat is an award-winning mystery writer, editor, and anthologist. Two of her Cass Jameson legal mysteries were nominated for Edgar awards, and she's won the Agatha, the Anthony, the Macavity and the Shamus awards for her short stories. Wheat, an attorney, worked as a public defender in Brooklyn and taught mystery writing at the New School in New York City. She currently teaches writing at the University of California, San Diego.

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Learn more about mystery writing here

Writers Workshop of Horror

Writers Workshop of Horror is a collection of articles and interviews on the craft of writing horror with some of the biggest names in the horror and dark fiction genres. The book focuses solely on honing the craft of writing horror. It includes solid advice, from professionals of every publishing level, on how to improve one’s writing skills.

Table of Contents:

* Elizabeth Massie – Once Upon a Scary Time: Creating Effective Beginnings
* Michael Laimo – Middles: The Meat of the Matter
* J.G. Gonzalez – The Grand Finale
* Gary A. Braunbeck – Connecting the DOTS
* Tim Waggoner – And Horror the Soul of the Plot
* Scott Nicholson – What’s The Point and Who’s On First: Character POV
* Thomas F. Monteleone – We don’t get too many strangers around here… Or: Using Dialogue to Tell Your Story
* G. Cameron Fuller – A Claustrophobic Locked in an Isolated Room: The Power of Setting and Description in Horror Fiction
* Rick Hautala – The Hardest Three: Tone, Style, and Voice
* Michael A. Arnzen – Stripping Away the Mask: Scene and Structure in Horror Fiction
* Jonathan Maberry – Fight And Action Scenes In Horror
* Tom Piccirilli – Exploring Personal Themes
* Mort Castle – New Fiction Blend: History, Fantasy, Horror
* Jeff Strand – Adding Humor to Your Horror
* Joe R. Lansdale – Cross Reading
* Brian Keene – Time, and How to Make It
* Deborah LeBlanc – A Face by Any Other Name
* Ramsey Campbell – The Height of Fear
* Michael Knost – The Aha! Moment
* Jason Sizemore – Be a Conformist: A Guide to Manuscript Formatting
* Lisa Morton – CUT! Or, Why Writing Horror Screenplays is REALLY Scary
* Gary Frank – It’s All About the Series: An Interview with F. Paul Wilson
* Tim Deal – It’s All About the Work: An Interview with Tom Piccirilli
* Michael Knost – It’s All About the Craft: An Interview with Ramsey Campbell
* Lucy A. Snyder – It’s All Part of the Fun: An Interview with Clive Barker
* Jack M. Haringa – The Agnotology of Horror; Or: Lies the Internet Told You
* Robert N. Lee – How Stephen King’s Writing Advice Broke My Heart and Smashed My Dreams
* Brian Yount – Top Ten Things an Editor/Publisher Hates To See


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More on writing horror here

Interview With Alan Jacobson

Bestselling author Alan Jacobson talks about writing novels, discusses the creative process, and offers advice for aspiring authors hoping to get published.

How to Write a Damn Good Mystery

Edgar award nominee James N. Frey, author of the internationally best-selling books on the craft of writing, How to Write a Damn Good Novel, How to Write a Damn Good Novel II: Advanced Techniques, and The Key: How to Write Damn Good Fiction Using the Power of Myth, has now written what is certain to become the standard "how to" book for mystery writing, How to Write a Damn Good Mystery. Frey urges writers to aim high-not to try to write a good-enough-to-get-published mystery, but a damn good mystery.

A damn good mystery is first a dramatic novel, Frey insists-a dramatic novel with living, breathing characters, and he shows his readers how to create a living, breathing, believable character who will be clever and resourceful, willful and resolute, and will be what Frey calls "the author of the plot behind the plot."Frey then shows, in his well-known, entertaining, and accessible (and often humorous) style , how the characters-the entire ensemble, including the murderer, the detective, the authorities, the victims, the suspects, the witnesses and the bystanders-create a complete and coherent world. Exploring both the on-stage action and the behind-the-scenes intrigue, Frey shows prospective writers how to build a fleshed-out, believable, and logical world. He shows them exactly which parts of that world show up in the pages of a damn good mystery-and which parts are held back just long enough to keep the reader guessing.This is an indispensable step-by-step guide for anyone who's ever dreamed of writing a damn good mystery.

About the Author:

James N. Frey is the author of internationally bestselling books on the craft of fiction writing, including How to Write a Damn Good Novel, How to Write a Damn Good Novel II: Advanced Techniques, and The Key: How to Write Damn Good Fiction Using the Power of Myth. He is also the author of nine novels, including the Edgar Award-nominated The Long Way to Die. He has taught at the University of California, Berkeley, Extension, the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, and the Oregon Writers' Colony, and he is a featured speaker at writers' conferences throughout the United States and Europe. Former students include recent Anthony award-nominees Betty Winkleman and Cara Black, and many best-selling authors including Marjorie Reynolds, Melba Beals, and April Sinclair.

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How to Land (and Keep) a Literary Agent (e-Book)

Many books have been written about how to get published. But few have been written by literary agents, who receive thousands of submissions each year and who grapple with them on a daily basis. Even fewer have been written by active literary agents who are willing to write from the trenches and offer their perspective on why they reject manuscripts, and why they accept them. And no books have been written from an agent's perspective on what it's like, step by step, to work with an agent on a daily basis, and on how to assure that you maintain a long, happy working relationship with your agent.

How to Land (and Keep) a Literary Agent is the first book written from an active literary agent's perspective that teaches authors why agents reject or accept manuscripts; why they decide to represent certain authors and not represent others; the best way to approach agents; the best way to work with an agent on a daily basis; and that offers them dozens of specific resources to make the difference in their finally finding the perfect agents for their work.

New York literary agent Noah Lukeman, President of Lukeman Literary Management Ltd, has represented multiple New York Times bestsellers, winners of the Pulitzer Prize and American Book Award, National Book Award Finalists, and has himself written three critically-acclaimed books on the craft of writing, The First Five Pages, The Plot Thickens, and A Dash of Style. During his last 13 years as a literary agent he has read thousands of manuscripts and represented hundreds of book deals, and in this book he shares his insider's perspective, offers insight and practical tips about what works and what doesn’t.

How to Land (and Keep) a Literary Agent is a must-read for any author serious about getting published. Geared for a broad range of authors, its subject matter is relevant to authors of fiction and non-fiction, screenwriters, poets--any serious author--offering principles that will help lead to success no matter what your craft. Practical and engaging, filled with exercises, anecdotes and sidebars, this 200 plus page book takes you on a journey, and will bring you that much closer to finally landing a literary agent.

How to Land (and Keep) a Literary Agent includes:

* 10 Reasons Why You Need an Agent
* 9 Steps to Building Your Bio (for Fiction)
* 8 Ways to Build Your Non-Fiction Platform
* 13 Factors to Consider When Evaluating an Agent
* 24 Free Resources for Researching Agents
* 11 Fee-Based Resources for Researching Agents
* The 4 Musts of Submitting
* 4 Keys to Successful Follow Up
* 3 Resources to Protect you from Agent Scams
* 5 Ways an Agent Can Take Advantage of You
* To Use a Book Doctor?
* 7 Ways to Protect Yourself in an Agency Agreement
* To Hire an Attorney?
* What it’s Like to Work With an Agent (a Step-by-Step Timeline)
* A Publication Timeline Chart
* 15 Ways to Assure a Great Relationship With Your Agent
* 6 Reasons to Drop Your Agent
* To Self Publish?

The advice in How to Land (and Keep) a Literary Agent has been tried and tested over many years: Noah Lukeman has dispensed it to thousands of authors around the world, and has heard back from many that it was directly responsible for their finally being able to land an agent. It will work for you, too, if you are prepared to truly study and apply its principles. They are simple—but then again, the most effective principles always are.

More info on this ebook here

Holly Lisle's Create A Character Clinic

How to create and write better, more compelling fictional characters. Features examples, exercises, charts, techniques and more.

Editors reject most books because the characters fall flat. Full-time professional novelist Holly Lisle offers her method for creating and writing compelling fictional characters that sell to editors ... and readers.

Includes:

* What makes a character interesting (and what doesn't)
* Techniques for giving your characters compelling needs that resonate with readers
* How to use the seven critical areas of character development to prevent "cardboard characters" and address areas of your characters' lives you've never considered before
* Techniques for developing characters' individual voices
* Three ways of presenting your character, with proven techniques in each
* Fifteen deadly sins writers commit with their characters, and how you can avoid them -- or better yet, turn them to your advantage and use them to surprise, excite, and delight your readers.

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More on character development here

New Mystery Novel by Stephen J. Cannell, On The Grind

New Mystery Novel by Stephen J. Cannell, On The Grind from Michael Allen on Vimeo.

Make a Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time

In Make a Scene, author Jordan E. Rosenfeld takes you through the fundamentals of strong scene construction and explains how other essential fiction-writing techniques, such as character, plot, and dramatic tension, must function within the framework of individual scenes in order to provide substance and structure to the overall story. You'll learn how to:

* Craft an opening scene that hooks readers and foreshadows supporting scenes
* Develop various scene types--from the suspenseful to the dramatic to the contemplative--that are distinct and layered
* Tailor character and plot around specific scene types to better convey the nuances of your storyline
* Create resonating climactic and final scenes that stay with readers long after they've finished your work

About the Author:

Jordan E. Rosenfeld is a contributing editor to Writer's Digest magazine, and a freelance writer and author. Her articles, essays, and reviews have appeared in numerous publications, including AlterNet.org, the St. Petersburg Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and The Writer, and her book reviews are regularly featured on NPR affiliate KQED radio's The California Report. She's co-founder of Write Free, a method to help people attract a creative life, which has spawned the book Write Free: Attracting the Creative Life (with Rebecca Lawton) and a monthly newsletter.

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Writer's Guide To Everyday Life in Regency and Victorian England

In this timesaving reference book, respected author and historian Kristine Hughes brings 19th century England to life as she leads you through the details that characterize this fascinating era. From slice-of-life facts, anecdotes and firsthand accounts, to sweeping timelines and major historical events, this guide presents the delightful and often surprising daily realities of Regency and Victorian England. With it, you'll craft a vibrant story as you learn: What people ate, from pigeon pie and turtle dinners to syllabub and milk punch. Where a prisoner would go if he were remanded to the "hulks." The four coats a gentleman must have in his wardrobe, and other fashion requirements of the era. The rules honored by decent society, from the proper way to promenade to the polite hours to "call." How couples married and divorced, through churching, wife-selling, and other practices. What people did for work, from cottagers and climbing boys to milkmaids and manservants. The meaning of common slang words like mawleys and moleskins. What Cook's Tours were like and where they could take the adventurous. Trends in entertainment, such as dandies, panoramas, and more.

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More on writing historical fiction here

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

A splendid combination of Zen wisdom and down-to-earth advice about writing.

Join Natalie Goldberg & Julia Cameron, these two legends of the writer’s craft as they open the door to the writer’s world for everybody – not just a chosen few. Edgy, surprising, and useful for its hard-won advice, The Writing Life is an invitation to a life-transforming act that requires no more than a pen, some paper, and the will to get started.

About the Authors:

Natalie Goldberg is a poet, teacher, writer, and painter. A student of Zen Buddhism for 25 years, she is ordained in the lineage of Katagiri Roshi. Natalie Goldberg teaches writing workshops based on the methods present in her national bestseller Writing Down the Bones. Her other books include Thunder and Lightning, Wild Mind, Long Quiet Highway, Banana Rose, and Living Color.

Julia Cameron is an award-winning playwright, poet, filmmaker, fiction writer, and author of the national bestsellers The Artist’s Way (over one million copies in print) and The Vein of Gold. Her latest book is The Right to Write.

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Telling Lies For Fun and Profit

Characters refusing to talk? Plot plodding along? Where do good ideas come from anyway? In this wonderfully practical volume, two-time Edgar Award-winning novelist Lawrence Block takes an inside look at writing as a craft and as a career.

From studying the market, to mastering self-discipline and "creative procrastination," through coping with rejections, Telling Lies for Fun & Profit is an invaluable sourcebook of information. It is a must read for anyone serious about writing or understanding how the process works.

About the Author

Lawrence Block is one of the most widely recognized names in the mystery genre. He has been named a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America and is a four-time winner of the prestigious Edgar and Shamus awards, as well as a recipient of prizes in France, Germany, and Japan. He received the Diamond Dagger from the British Crime Writers' Association, only the third American to be given this award. He is a prolific author, having written more than fifty books and numerous short stories, and is a devoted New Yorker and enthusiastic global traveler.

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So, Is It Done?

If you are doing any kind of writing, you will need to revise. Whether you are earning a degree, writing on your own after the kids go to sleep, or fulfilling a retirement dream, chances are you’ll be unhappy with your first draft. Revision can involve the writer taking risks with structure, or re-envisioning character, plot, or setting. For your work to live up to its potential, you’ll need both internal and external insight; you’ll need your creative instinct, your conscious critic, and readers you trust. You may seek these insights many times, over many drafts.

Acclaimed writer and teacher of writing Janet Burroway, and the featured authors on this DVD, present five rounds of revision that you can try on your own or with a group or class.

"So, Is It Done? demystifies the writing process without denying the mystery involved. I learned a lot myself, and my students finally understand what I've been telling them all along."
—Paul Noble
Creative Writing Teacher, Oak Park River Forest H.S., Oak Park, IL

“In the wake of her indispensable textbook, Janet Burroway now offers a splendid and concise guide to the thorny task of revision. Writers, young and old, will feel encouraged and enlightened by this excellent DVD which offers a wonderful range of specific advice and suggestive comments from a group of experienced and thoughtful writers.”
—Margot Livesey
Author of Banishing Verona, Eva Moves the Furniture, and others.
She is Writer-in-Residence at Emerson College

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More on writing novels here

Fitzgerald Did It: The Writer's Guide to Mastering the Screenplay

A one-of-a-kind guide to help writers translate their literary talents to the big screen.

This is a book for all writers, be they published or unpublished, novelists or journalists, who want to write for the movies. Meg Wolitzer, who has transformed herself from novelist to novelist/screenwriter, shows writers how they, too, can use their grasp of story, language, and character to write great screenplays. Wolitzer discusses those aspects of screenwriting that can stymie even the most seasoned of writers. Her topics include:

* getting started
* the essential three-act structure
* how writers can use what they already know about writing
* why write a treatment and how to do it
* how to write visually instead of verbally
* creating for the market

Wolitzer also advises on shedding obstructive writing habits and adapting one's own work and the work of others for the big screen. Level-headed, encouraging, and always delightful, Fitzgerald Did It is a must for every writer's bookshelf.

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The Big Thrill

The thriller novel is one of the most consistently popular genres of popular fiction because it blends faced-paced action with a set of believable characters, often reflecting current political controversy and tense political situations. The nature of this kind of fiction demands a writer adept at research and with an ear for crisp dialogue, making this type of novel the most cinematic found on bookshelves today.

HOW TO WRITE A THRILLER is a how-to book aimed at aspiring thriller authors, to help them write thrilling and exciting stories that will draw the eye of publishers and readers alike. The book offers insights on how to craft exciting storylines, create interesting characters, generate pace and tension and approach the right publisher or literary agent.


This book is designed to give writers the best chance of getting their work published and into the bookshops. "Thrillers" have become the number one genre in commercial fiction, with millions of potential readers across the world - learn how you can become a part of it.

CONTENTS:
1. Introduction
2. Beginnings
3. The Idea
4. The Plot
5. Character
6. Impact
7. Language, style and dialogue
8. Going the distance
9. Getting it out there
An exclusive interview with author Lee Child
Glossary
Appendix 1
-Useful books and publications
Appendix 2 Thrillers to read and see
Appendix 3 literary agents and publishers


About the Author

Scott Mariani grew up in St Andrews, Scotland. He studied Modern Languages at Oxford University and went on to work as a translator, a professional musician, a pistol shooting instructor and a freelance journalist before becoming a full-time writer. After spending several years in Italy and France, Scott discovered his secluded writer’s haven in the wilds of west Wales, an 1830s country house complete with rambling woodland and a secret passage! When he isn’t writing, Scott enjoys jazz, movies, classic motorcycles and astronomy.

Scott is an active member of International Thriller Writers (ITW), whose members include some of the biggest names in the world of thrillers.

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The Villian Drives The Plot

Gayle Lynds, bestselling novelist, shows you how to spin yarns of high adventure and great passion, and how to engage the reader not only on an intellectual level but on an emotional level as well. This writing course applies not only to thrillers but to other kinds of fiction and nonfiction. The villain's job is to challenge the hero. When constructing a plot you have to navigate the dangerous terrain of story, and when confronted by a dozen possible choices, you must choose the path that's most dramatic, interesting, and logical.

More on writing characters here

Dead Reckoning: The Art of Forensic Detection

Dead Reckoning: The Art of Forensic Detection is an innovative educational tool for forensic scientists. Dr. Jon Nordby's case presentations are as fascinating as they are informative. The author's extensive background in forensic scientific investigation provides an excellent vehicle for the presentation of a captivating admixture of practical experience and technical knowledge.

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More on forensics here

Blood at the Source: Research Tips for Mystery Writers By Barbara Fister

This selective guide is more about how to get the most out of libraries and the Web than about specific sources. Blood at the Source is arranged as a single page, but the contents should help you find what you need quickly. Or use your browser's "find" command to seek out a particular word or phrase. Check it out here

Find more research guide here

The Mystery Writer's Forum

The Mystery Writer's Forum has a links page with resources for writers here

Thanks, But This Isn't for Us: A (Sort of) Compassionate Guide to Why Your Writing is Being Rejected

All great works of fiction and memoir are unique—but most bad novels, stories, and memoirs have a lot in common. From clunky dialogue to poorly sketchedout characters, sagging pacing to exaggerated prose, these beginners’ mistakes drive any agent or editor to their stock rejection letter, telling the aspiring writer “Thanks, but this isn’t for us,” and leaving many to wonder what exactly it is that they’re doing wrong.

Veteran writing coach, developmental editor, and writing instructor Jessica Page Morrell will fill in the gaps in every rejection letter you’ve ever received. In Thanks, But This Isn’t for Us, Morrell uses her years of experience to isolate the specific errors beginners make, including the pitfalls of unrealistic dialogue, failing to “show, not tell,” and over-the-top plot twists. These are just a few of the problems that keep writers from breaking through with their work. Sympathetic and humane, but pulling no punches, Thanks, But This Isn’t for Us shows writers precisely where they’ve gone wrong and how to get on the right track. In sixteen to-the-point chapters, with checklists, exercises, takeaway tips, and a glossary, Morrell helps readers transcend these mistakes so that they don’t have to learn the hard way: with another rejection letter.

About the Author:

Jessica Page Morrell is the author of Bullies, Bastards & Bitches: How to Write the Bad Guys in Fiction and The Writer’s I Ching: Wisdom for the Creative Life. She works as a developmental editor and was formerly the writing expert at an online magazine. She has contributed articles to The Writer and Writer’s Digest magazines, as well as several newspapers. Morrell teaches writing at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, and leads a series of workshops in the Northwest.

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Sell Your Novel

The writing's finished, now what do you do? The writing was the easy part, what comes next is hard. Here are some guides to help you through the process:

The Sell Your Novel Tool kit

How to sell your novel by eHow

How to Write & Sell Your First Novel

Marketing Your Novel

Sell Your Book on Amazon

Selling Your Book Online

How to Publish, Promote, & Sell Your Own Book

Blogging to sell your book

Find more here