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