You Can Write a Mystery
- Book Review,
by Gillian Roberts
From Booklist
Roberts, author of the Amanda Pepper mystery series, delivers a solid overview of the genre for aspiring crime writers. Unlike many authors of how-to-write guides, she largely avoids aphorisms, sticking instead to concrete details. She is particularly good on how to structure a crime story ("What has to happen before the rest can happen?") and how to build a plot through false leads. Her discussion of character development is also helpful, particularly her tips on creating a history for the people in your story: "A character can do anything you like, if he has a reason and the reason comes out of his history." Along with analysis of the literary aspects of mystery writing, Roberts also surveys such practical matters as grammar, punctuation, and how to submit the manuscript. If character and setting are what distinguish the best mysteries, failed plot mechanics are invariably what derail the worst. Roberts' basic but too-often-overlooked advice will help keep your story on track. Ilene Cooper
Book Description
Have you ever thought about writing a mystery, and gave up the idea because you weren't sure how to start it? Well now is your chance to go out and write that mystery you have always dreamed of. You Can Write A Mystery, written by Gillian Roberts, author of the Anthony Award-winning Amanda Pepper Series, will help you start your mystery and guide you through to the end. "The 'rules' that govern the mystery are the rules that govern all fiction. Every novel needs suspense and drama," says Roberts. With this book you'll learn how to build your story from the grave up. Roberts focuses on what she calls the "SEVEN C'S", why you need them and how they help your story. She offers examples and exercises that will help you complete your story filled with cliffhangers, intriguing characters and hooks. This book also offers practical suggestions for handling problems likely to arise during the writing process. Along the way, Robert's will teach you: - The 15 commandments for mystery - How to design your sleuth - The Seven Cs your book can't do without - characters, conflict, causality, complications, change, crisis and closure - How to hide clue, and exploit red-herrings - Research techniques - How to develop a style, find a tone and construct a killer plot You Can Write A Mystery, offers practical guidance for the first-time writer. Its easy-to-understand format will help the most amateur to become a mystery writer. In addition to the practical writing advice supplied, Roberts also offers expert advice for editing, revising and submitting a top-notch manuscript.
About the Author
Author Gillian Roberts has written more than nine mysteries. Her books are frequently featured by the Mystery Guild Book Club. She also teaches Creative Writing at the University of San Francisco and the College of Marin.
Excerpted from You Can Write a Mystery (You Can Write It) by Gillian Roberts. Copyright © 1999. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved
THE SEVEN C'S OF MYSTERY WRITING Characters. A story happens to and because of someone, so characters are a basic ingredient. Conflict. The fundamental element of all drama is conflict, the clash between what's wanted or intended and what prevents or frustrates that desire. The basic conflict represented by the crime that moves your story engine is only one of many large and small conflicts that will be in the book. There will be both internal conflicts and conflicts of human interaction. Causality. The reason why the murder happened, why the detective is passionately involved in this case, why his actions produce still more difficulties, are examples of causality. Events simply do not happen and hang there. They happen because something else happened, and the reaction to what happened affects still more, including your detective's life. There has to be this internal logic - things happen because other things happened. Complications. These further problems are called complications. The danger the sleuth is trying to prevent grows ever more possible, its threat more serious. The evolving picture of what really happened seems to be clarifying - but the steps the sleuth take to prevent, explain or end the danger are all only partial solutions. Change. With each complication, the sleuth adds a bit of knowledge. The picture of the situation is readjusted; the opinion of the character altered. Crisis. Eventually, when the complications and changes have produced an increasingly tense situation, we reach a point where, once and for all, one side or the other is going to triumph. This is the crisis - the point of no return. Closure. And then your story is over, its question answered, and you have a sense of what the significance was. Things have changed at the end of the story from how they were at its start.
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