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Writing Mysteries: A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America

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Writing Mysteries: A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America

Paperback(Second Edition)

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Paperback(Second Edition)
$16.99

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Overview

Here's your ticket to the greatest mystery-writing workshop ever!

In this extraordinary compilation, more than three dozen members of the Mystery Writers of America share insights and advice that can help make your writing dreams a reality.

You'll learn how to:

• Develop unique ideas
• Construct an airtight plot packed with intrigue and suspense
• Create compelling characters and atmospheric settings
• Develop a writing style all your own
• Write convincing dialogue
• Choose the appropriate point of view
• Work with an agent
• Conduct accurate research
• and much, much more!

You'll also find special guidelines for creating clues, dropping red herrings, and writing medical, legal, historical, true crime, and young adult mysteries. It's all the information you need to solve the mystery-writing riddle!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781582971025
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/22/2002
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	733,428
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.81(d)

About the Author

Internationally bestselling author Sue Grafton (1940-2017) is recognized as one of the best modern mystery writers for the Alphabet series starring the indomitable private detective Kinsey Millhone. Originally a screenwriter, Grafton launched the Alphabet series in 1982 with A is for Alibi and continued it through Y is for Yesterday published in 2017. Her books have been published in 28 countries and have appeared on bestseller lists around the world.

Hometown:

Montecito, California and Louisville, Kentucky

Date of Birth:

April 24, 1940

Place of Birth:

Louisville, Kentucky

Education:

B.A. in English, University of Louisville, 1961

Website:

http://www.suegrafton.com/

	Introduction	1
Part I	Preparation
1.	The Rules and How to Bend Them	6
2.	Sparks, Triggers, and Flashes	13
3.	On Work Schedules	20
4.	Writing With a Partner, or ... What Part of "No" Don't You Understand?	26
5.	Expertise and Research	33
6.	Where Do I Find a Jewish Indian? or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Research	41
7.	Background, Location, and Setting	48
Part II	The Process
	The Beginning
8.	Characterization	57
9.	Rounding Up Your Characters	65
10.	Writing a Series Character	72
11.	The Amateur Sleuth	79
12.	Vivid Villains	86
13.	In Search of a Novel	91
14.	Building Without Blueprints	98
15.	Outlining	105
16.	Perspectives on Point of View	112
17.	Dress for Success: Developing Your Personal Style	121
	The Middle
18.	How to Write Convincing Dialogue	129
19.	Pacing and Suspense	139
20.	Depiction of Violence	148
21.	Clues, Red Herrings, and Other Plot Devices	160
22.	The Book Stops Here	166
	The End
23.	In the Beginning Is the End	173
24.	Revision	180
25.	How to Find and Work With an Agent	190
26.	Dial M for Market	197
27.	The Mystery Novel From an Editor's Point of View	205
Part III	Specialties
28.	Writing Mysteries for Young Readers	217
29.	The Joys and Challenges of the Short Story	224
30.	The Medical Thriller	233
31.	Legal Thrillers	240
32.	Historical Mysteries: The Past Is a Foreign Country	246
33.	From the Cradle to the Pen: The Evolution of a True Crime Writer	253
34.	E-Media--Crime Fiction E-Volves	262
35.	The Best of the Genre and a Reference List of Books on Writing and Technical Information	271
	About the Contributors	293
	Index	305

From the B&N Reads Blog

Page 1 of

Editorial Reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
Have you thought of joining the ranks of the world's top mystery writers? Sue Grafton, queen of the Alphabet Mysteries (A Is for Alibi, B Is for Burglar, and so on), and co-editors Jan Burke and Barry Zeman cover everything it takes to write a successful mystery, from preparation to specialties. The ingredients for brewing up an unforgettable plot and compelling characters, choosing a point of view, infallible structure, dialogue that works, and rippling pacing, are served up here in a host of contributions from some of the most respected writers in the genre.
The book is itself a journey through some still-uncharted territory -- the great mystery of the writer's art. It serves as a superb guide -- with shared anecdotes regarding both successful and failed attempts at various techniques -- by writers who have managed to find their niche and triumph in the genre. In the section entitled "In Search of the Novel," George C. Chesbro sums it up by recognizing "one of the greatest thrills a fiction writer can experience: discovery." The art of discovery is the true journey of writing mysteries. So, all you aspiring mystery writers -- discover, plot, craft, and most of all write, write, write. The next spellbinding mystery to hit the bookstores may be yours. (Evie Rhodes)

bn.com

Mystery writers are the magicians of fiction. We're the illusionists, working with sleight of hand in the performance of our art. With this book, we'll be taking you behind the scenes so you can see how the riddles are created and the illusions sustained.

Sue Grafton

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 .

Library Journal

A comprehensive mystery writing guide. The contributors, all members of the Mystery Writers of America, present informal essays on the special aspects and problems of writing mystery fiction, including making stories more taut, more real, more immediate, and more fraught with tension. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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Writing Mysteries: A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America

Writing Mysteries: A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America

Paperback(Second Edition)

Paperback(Second Edition)

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