Book
How to write a mystery : a handbook from Mystery Writers of America / edited by Lee Child with Laurie R. King.
From some of the most successful mystery writers in the business, an invaluable guide to crafting mysteries, from character development and plot to procedurals and thrillers.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781982149437
- ISBN: 1982149434
- ISBN: 9781982149444
- ISBN: 1982149442
- Physical Description: ix, 326 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
- Edition: First Scribner hardcover edition.
- Publisher: New York : Scribner, 2021.
Content descriptions
| General Note: | Publisher, publishing date and paging may vary Includes index. |
| Formatted Contents Note: | Introduction / by Lee Child -- The rules and genres -- Other mysteries -- The writing -- After the writing. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Detective and mystery stories > Authorship. Detective and mystery stories > Technique. |
Available copies
- 12 of 13 copies available at Missouri Evergreen. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at North Kansas City.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 13 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Kansas City Public Library | 808.3872 CHILD 2021 (Text) | 0001002446761 | Nonfiction | Available | - |
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How to Write a Mystery : A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America
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Table of Contents
How to Write a Mystery : A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America
| Section | Section Description | Page Number |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction Lee Child | p. 1 | |
| The Rules and Genres | ||
| The Rules-and When to Break Them Neil Nyren | p. 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 | p. 12 | |
| Keeping It Thrilling Meg Gardiner | p. 13 | |
| Nine things your thriller needs to be lean, mean, and exhilarating. | ||
| Beth Amos | p. 22 | |
| Insider, Outsider: The Amateur Sleuth Naomi Hirahara | p. 23 | |
| The point, and point of view, of your accidental detective. | ||
| Lindsey Davis | p. 33 | |
| Finding Lou: The Police Procedural Rachel Howzell Hall | p. 34 | |
| Are you a cop, or do you just play one on the page? | ||
| Linwood Barclay | p. 39 | |
| The Mindset of Darkness: Writing Noir Alex Segura | p. 40 | |
| It's about character: the flawed protagonist and letting your characters fail. | ||
| Hank Phillippi Ryan | p. 46 | |
| Crossing the Genres Charlaine Harris | p. 48 | |
| Mixing your mystery with a vampire, a talking cow, or a love interest? | ||
| Kate White | p. 51 | |
| The Historical Mystery Jacqueline Winspear | p. 52 | |
| Time, place, and the past. | ||
| Suzanne Chazin | p. 58 | |
| The Medical Thriller Tess Gerritsen | p. 59 | |
| Playing on the reader's real-life fears and hunger for insider knowledge. | ||
| Gigi Pandian | p. 66 | |
| Researching the Spy Thriller Gayle Lynds | p. 67 | |
| Or: Why can't I just make it all up? | ||
| Stephanie Kane | p. 75 | |
| Other Mysteries | ||
| Mysteries for Children: An Introduction Susan Vaught | p. 79 | |
| The kids' mystery, from picture books to YA-expectations and some hints. | ||
| C. M. Surrisi | p. 83 | |
| Unleash Your Inner Child Chris Grabenstein | p. 84 | |
| Middle-grade mysteries: you, too, can become a rock star for ten-year-olds. | ||
| Elizabeth Sims | p. 91 | |
| The Young Adult Mystery Kelley Armstrong | p. 92 | |
| Complex, authentic stories for the young adult-emphasis on adult. | ||
| Pat Gallant Weich | p. 101 | |
| Graphic Novels Dale W. Berry and Gary Phillips | p. 103 | |
| The mystery within the panels: your conversation with words and pictures. | ||
| Dag Öhrlund | p. 113 | |
| The Short Mystery Art Taylor | p. 114 | |
| What do the characters (and readers) want in your mystery short story? | ||
| Charles Salzberg | p. 121 | |
| Ten Stupid Questions about True Crime Daniel Stashower | p. 122 | |
| Building a vivid page-turner, out of nothing but facts. | ||
| Carole Buggé | p. 129 | |
| The Writing | ||
| On Style Lyndsay Faye | p. 133 | |
| The writer's voice, or, cooking with cadence, rhythm, and audacity. | ||
| Steve Hockensmith | p. 142 | |
| Always Outline! Jeffery Deaver | p. 143 | |
| The why and the how of planning it out first. | ||
| Rob Hart | p. 150 | |
| Hallie Ephron | p. 151 | |
| Never Outline! Lee Child | p. 152 | |
| The argument for spontaneity. | ||
| Shelly Frome | p. 156 | |
| The Art of the Rewrite Laurie R. King | p. 157 | |
| Turning your raw first draft into a clear, compelling story. | ||
| Rae Franklin James | p. 164 | |
| Leslie Budewitz | p. 165 | |
| Plot and the Bones of a Mystery Deborah Crombie | p. 166 | |
| Bringing together all the elements of your novel so it stands strong. | ||
| Tim Maleeny | p. 172 | |
| Robert Lopresti | p. 173 | |
| Diversity in Crime Fiction Frankie Y. Bailey | p. 174 | |
| Enriching your novel by writing characters, not categories. | ||
| Elaine Viets | p. 183 | |
| The Protagonist Allison Brennan | p. 184 | |
| Your hero: the one we relate to, the one who drives the story. | ||
| Stephanie Kay Bendel | p. 191 | |
| The Villain of the Piece T. Jefferson Parker | p. 192 | |
| Your hero in reverse: the forces that create a vivid villain. | ||
| Kris Neri | p. 198 | |
| Supporting Characters Craig Johnson | p. 199 | |
| The chorus of voices that backs up your protagonist. | ||
| Gay Toltl Kinman | p. 204 | |
| Writing the Talk Greg Herren | p. 205 | |
| Dialogue that sounds true, reveals character, and draws in the reader. | ||
| Bradley Harper | p. 212 | |
| Stephen Ross | p. 213 | |
| Setting William Kent Krueger | p. 214 | |
| Your most versatile element: backdrop, player, and the all-pervading sense of place. | ||
| Thomas B. Sawyer | p. 222 | |
| Humor in Crime Fiction Catriona McPherson | p. 223 | |
| Funny mystery, or mystery with fun: why, how, and when to stop? | ||
| James W. Ziskin | p. 231 | |
| Writing in Partnership Caroline and Charles Todd | p. 232 | |
| Two writers with one voice: how we learned to collaborate. | ||
| Bradley Harper | p. 237 | |
| Tie-Ins and Continuing a Character Max Allan Collins | p. 238 | |
| Playing in someone else's sandbox. | ||
| Hal Bodner | p. 245 | |
| After the Writing | ||
| Secrets of a Book Critic Oline H. Cogdill | p. 249 | |
| Reviews and reviewers: what to learn from them, and what to ignore. | ||
| Marilyn Stasio | p. 257 | |
| Self-Publishing Liliana Hart | p. 258 | |
| How to flourish as an independently published writer. | ||
| Nancy J. Cohen | p. 266 | |
| Authors Online Maddee James | p. 267 | |
| Building your author identity and reaching out to readers, online. | ||
| Mysti Berry | p. 275 | |
| Building Your Community Louise Penny | p. 276 | |
| It's the writer, not the book: finding a home in the virtual village. | ||
| Bev Vincent | p. 284 | |
| Legal Considerations Daniel Steven | p. 285 | |
| What every mystery writer needs to know about publishing law. | ||
| About the Contributors | p. 291 | |
| Contributor Permissions | p. 309 | |
| Index | p. 315 |
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