How do you plot a mystery? Ask ten different authors, and you’ll get ten different responses. Everyone’s method is unique. However, genre conventions dictate that certain reader expectations must be met. When writing cozy mysteries or traditional mysteries, readers expect a puzzle to solve, an amateur sleuth, a collection of suspects, and an exciting climax … [Read more…]
You may not write suspense novels. You may not even write mystery or thriller novels, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to add suspense to a story. Any type of book can use the spice of a little, added suspense. And all stories need at least some deadlines and ticking time bombs. There are … [Read more…]
Anyone a fan of The Maltese Falcon? How important is the Maltese Falcon in the story? Well, it’s ALL important and in the end, not important at all. The item itself turns out to have no real value to anyone—but what makes it important is it gets the characters and thus the plot moving! The … [Read more…]