With Valentine’s Day just a few days away, it’s a fitting time to take a look at love as a motive in crime fiction. Anyone who has ever been in love knows even the best relationships come with those “I dream of stabbing you with a kitchen knife” moments, so it’s no wonder that… Continue Reading Love as a Motive in Crime Fiction »
Read MorePosts Categorized: Story Telling
Finding the right length for your crime fiction novel
We’ve all read mystery novels that seem to plod along endlessly, going into explicit detail about every irrelevant fact as we slog our way through in hopes of finding out whodunnit. Then there are those thrillers that end without warning – leaving us with more questions than answers. Finding the right length for your… Continue Reading Finding the right length for your crime fiction novel »
Read MoreLove is Murder Mystery Conference
Whether you’re a fan of romance thrillers or you’re trying to break into mystery writing, you won’t want to miss this year’s Love is Murder Conference in Chicago. Just two weeks away, this annual romance thriller conference will be held this year from February 6 – 8 and offers a great setting for writers, fans,… Continue Reading Love is Murder Mystery Conference »
Read MoreOvercoming writer’s block
Whether you’re trying to come up with a topic for your next blog post or you’re trying to figure out what comes next in the Lou Mason series, it’s inevitable that a writer will eventually struggle with a bout of writer’s block. Always frustrating and sometimes downright infuriating, writer’s block can be a sign… Continue Reading Overcoming writer’s block »
Read MoreFinding the right crime fiction character name
Hercule Poirot. Sam Spade. Stephanie Plum. Lou Mason. While these familiar names roll off our tongues as if they were real people, the authors who invented them probably spent hours agonizing over every syllable. Coming up with a crime fiction character’s name may seem as hard as naming a child, and for good reason…. Continue Reading Finding the right crime fiction character name »
Read MoreNational Novel Writing Month
It’s November, and that means it’s officially is National Novel Writing Month! Whether you’re a published mystery novelist or you’re trying to break into crime fiction writing, this inspirational program is the perfect opportunity to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard!) and get writing. With plenty of organized activities and resources, this… Continue Reading National Novel Writing Month »
Read MoreBecome a better crime fiction writer
Writing a crime fiction novel – or any novel – is no easy feat, and even successful published authors work to hone their craft and improve their skills. Luckily, there are lots of resources to help, from free seminars to workshops to full-fledge classes that will help you improve everything from grammar to plot… Continue Reading Become a better crime fiction writer »
Read MoreCrime Fiction Sidekicks
Sherlock Holmes had Watson. Poirot had Captain Hastings. The crime fiction sidekick is an integral character in many of the most popular mystery series – and for good reason. Sidekicks help move the story along and serve as surrogates for readers – asking the same questions we’re wondering and offering our own theories and… Continue Reading Crime Fiction Sidekicks »
Read MoreAre There Any New Stories?
I love my pal, Kate Naylor’s guest post on machine-generated fiction. It got me thinking about a claim I’ve heard many times and which I believe. There aren’t any new stories, just new ways to tell them. To test that claim, I did what any scientific researcher would do. I googled “are there any new… Continue Reading Are There Any New Stories? »
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