Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel

Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel By Maeve Maddox Some novelists like to begin with a blank page and see where their thoughts take them. This approach may be good enough to get started, but if its a mystery you want to write, sooner or later youll need a plan. Before you get too far, you may want to check out Hallie Ephrons Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel: How to Knock em DEAD with Style. The creator of forensic psychologist, Dr. Peter Zak (Delusion, Amnesia, Addiction, and Obsessed) Ephron lays out a four-part approach to the essentials of planning, writing, and selling a mystery novel: Part I: Planning Part 2: Writing Part 3: Revising Part 4: Selling In addition, an appendix of resources includes lists of authors groups, agents, and contests. Part 1 leads the writer through the steps of setting up the premise, devising the plot, and establishing the cast of characters. Specially designed forms simplify the process of working out characters and their relationships to each other and to the crime. To Outline or Not to Outline? Ive heard writers insist they never outline their novels, but just let the characters take over. Ephron says she wishes her characters would take over, but they never do, so she outlines. An outline neednt be that kind of horror with Roman numerals and neatly-balanced sub-topics that the English teachers of my youth were so fond of. Ephrons outlines are for her eyes only. She numbers each scenearabic numerals are just fineand briefly notes the following: time of day setting characters in the scene what happens which character has the point of view Part 2 addresses such writing techniques as how to write a dramatic opening, how to introduce characters, how to dramatize scenes, and how to write suspense. Part 3 provides a practical, easy-to-follow plan for revision. This section warns the writer against beginning revision with a word tweaking approach: Its tempting to open up your document and start editing, tweaking word choices and punching up sentences. Instead, Ephron recommends these three techniques: Reread from start to finish, examining the main plot and central character. Create a scene-by-scene outline and analyze the chronology and pacing. Take multiple selective read-throughs, leapfrogging through your manuscript looking at subplots and characters. The suggestions for marketing the finished mystery in Part Four are gleaned from Ephrons personal experience as the author of the Dr. Zak mysteries. She tells how to target agents and how to put together a query packet. She includes a sample query letter and sample summaries. Finally, Ephron acknowledges the truth that the effort to sell a book can be as much of an endurance test as writing one, but urges persistence: The race goes not to the clever or swift but the bullheaded and persistent who dont know enough to give up. You can find the book on Amazon.com Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Book Reviews category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Exquisite AdjectivesIs There a Reason â€Å"the Reason Why† Is Considered Wrong?Threw and Through