How To Write A Damn Good Mystery

Author : James N. Frey
Publisher : St. Martin's Press
ISBN 13 : 1429974133
Total Pages : 286 pages
Book Rating : 4.34/5 ( download)

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Download or read book How to Write a Damn Good Mystery written by James N. Frey and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2007-04-01 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Edgar award nominee James N. Frey, author of the internationally best-selling books on the craft of writing, How to Write a Damn Good Novel, How to Write a Damn Good Novel II: Advanced Techniques, and The Key: How to Write Damn Good Fiction Using the Power of Myth, has now written what is certain to become the standard "how to" book for mystery writing, How to Write a Damn Good Mystery. Frey urges writers to aim high-not to try to write a good-enough-to-get-published mystery, but a damn good mystery. A damn good mystery is first a dramatic novel, Frey insists-a dramatic novel with living, breathing characters-and he shows his readers how to create a living, breathing, believable character who will be clever and resourceful, willful and resolute, and will be what Frey calls "the author of the plot behind the plot." Frey then shows, in his well-known, entertaining, and accessible (and often humorous) style , how the characters-the entire ensemble, including the murderer, the detective, the authorities, the victims, the suspects, the witnesses and the bystanders-create a complete and coherent world. Exploring both the on-stage action and the behind-the-scenes intrigue, Frey shows prospective writers how to build a fleshed-out, believable, and logical world. He shows them exactly which parts of that world show up in the pages of a damn good mystery-and which parts are held back just long enough to keep the reader guessing. This is an indispensable step-by-step guide for anyone who's ever dreamed of writing a damn good mystery.

Author : James N. Frey
Publisher : St. Martin's Press
ISBN 13 : 9781429913638
Total Pages : 306 pages
Book Rating : 4.30/5 ( download)

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Download or read book How to Write a Damn Good Thriller written by James N. Frey and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2010-03-30 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A quick look at any fiction bestseller list reveals that thrillers make up most of the titles at the top. HOW TO WRITE A DAMN GOOD THRILLER will help the aspiring novelist or screenwriter to design, draft, write, and polish a thriller that is sure to grab readers. Frey uses examples from both books and movies and addresses the following hot topics: *Germinal ideas *Breathing life into great thriller characters *Crafting a gripping opening *Maintaining tension *Creating obstacles and conflicts *Writing a mean, lean thriller scene *Adding surprise twists *Building a smashing climax and many more. In his trademark approachable and humorous style, Frey illuminates the building blocks of great thrillers and gives the reader the tools to write his or her own.

Author : G. Miki Hayden
Publisher : Big Earth Publishing
ISBN 13 : 9781890768638
Total Pages : 236 pages
Book Rating : 4.34/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Writing the Mystery written by G. Miki Hayden and published by Big Earth Publishing. This book was released on 2004 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Hayden then goes one step further and guides the reader through the post-writing process, explaining manuscript preparation, cover letters, acquiring an agent, and methods of successful promotion. Writing the Mystery concludes each section with in-depth exercises that put the lessons of the chapter into practice. Also included is a special collection of interviews, featuring mystery major leaguers who discuss the craft and offer their own valuable advice for the aspiring author and professionals switching to the mystery genre."--Jacket.

Author : Larry Beinhart
Publisher : Ballantine Books
ISBN 13 : 0307776050
Total Pages : 241 pages
Book Rating : 4.51/5 ( download)

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Download or read book How to Write a Mystery written by Larry Beinhart and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2010-12-01 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: WHODUNIT? YOUDUNIT! So you want to write a mystery. There's more to it than just a detective, a dead body, and Colonel Mustard in the drawing room with the candlestick. Fortunately, Larry Beinhart--Edgar Award-winning author of You Get What You Pay For, Foreign Exchange, and American Hero--has taken a break from writing smart, suspenseful thrillers to act as your guide through all the twists and turns of creating the twists and turns of a good mystery. Drawing on advice and examples from a host of the best names in mystery writing--from Raymond Chandler and Mickey Spillane to Scott Turow and Thomas Harris--plus some of his own prime plots, Larry Beinhart introduces you to your most indispensable partners in crime: *Character, plot, and procedure * The secrets to creating heroes, heroines, and villains ("All writers draw upon themselves and their experience. While the whole of yourself might not be capable of being either a serial killer or an FBI agent, there are parts in each of us that are capable of almost anything.") * The fine art of scripting the sex scene *The low-down on violence ("A crime novel without violence is like smoking pot without inhaling, sex without orgasm, or a hug without a squeeze." ) *And much more! From the opening hook to the final denouement, Larry Beinhart takes the mystery out of being a mystery writer.

Author : James N. Frey
Publisher : St. Martin's Press
ISBN 13 : 9781429997850
Total Pages : 192 pages
Book Rating : 4.50/5 ( download)

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Download or read book How to Write a Damn Good Novel written by James N. Frey and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2010-04-01 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written in a clear, crisp, accessible style, this book is perfect for beginners as well as professional writers who need a crash course in the down-to-earth basics of storytelling. Talent and inspiration can't be taught, but Frey does provide scores of helpful suggestions and sensible rules and principles. An international bestseller, How to Write a Damn Good Novel will enable all writers to face that intimidating first page, keep them on track when they falter, and help them recognize, analyze, and correct the problems in their own work.

Author : Sue Grafton
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1582971021
Total Pages : 321 pages
Book Rating : 4.25/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Writing Mysteries written by Sue Grafton and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2002-04-22 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here's your ticket to the greatest mystery-writing workshop ever! In this extraordinary compilation, more than three dozen members of the Mystery Writers of America share insights and advice that can help make your writing dreams a reality. You'll learn how to: • Develop unique ideas • Construct an airtight plot packed with intrigue and suspense • Create compelling characters and atmospheric settings • Develop a writing style all your own • Write convincing dialogue • Choose the appropriate point of view • Work with an agent • Conduct accurate research • and much, much more! You'll also find special guidelines for creating clues, dropping red herrings, and writing medical, legal, historical, true crime, and young adult mysteries. It's all the information you need to solve the mystery-writing riddle!

Author : James N. Frey
Publisher : St. Martin's Press
ISBN 13 : 1429997826
Total Pages : 176 pages
Book Rating : 4.29/5 ( download)

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Download or read book How to Write a Damn Good Novel, II written by James N. Frey and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2011-04-01 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Damn good" fiction is dramatic fiction, Frey insists, whether it is by Hemingway or Grisham, Le Carre or Ludlum, Austen or Dickens. Despite their differences, these authors' works share common elements: strong narrative lines, fascinating characters, steadily building conflicts, and satisfying conclusions. Frey's How to Write a Damn Good Novel is one of the most widely used guides ever published for aspiring authors. Here, in How to Write a Damn Good Novel, II, Frey offers powerful advanced techniques to build suspense, create fresher, more interesting characters, and achieve greater reader sympathy, empathy, and identification. How to Write a Damn Good Novel, II also warns against the pseudo-rules often inflicted upon writers, rules such as "The author must always be invisible" and "You must stick to a single viewpoint in a scene," which cramp the imagination and deaden the narrative. Frey focuses instead on promises that the author makes to the reader—promises about character, narrative voice, story type, and so on, which must be kept if the reader is to be satisfied. This book is rich, instructive, honest, and often tellingly funny about the way writers sometimes fail their readers and themselves.

Author : James N. Frey
Publisher : Macmillan
ISBN 13 : 9780312300524
Total Pages : 352 pages
Book Rating : 4.22/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Key written by James N. Frey and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2002-08-03 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offers aspiring authors of novels and screenplays advice on using the classic themes of universal folklore and mythology to structure their works, and provides examples from well-known fiction and films.

Author : Mystery Writers of America
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1982149442
Total Pages : 336 pages
Book Rating : 4.44/5 ( download)

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Download or read book How to Write a Mystery written by Mystery Writers of America and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2022-04-12 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From 70 of the most successful mystery writers in the business, an invaluable guide to crafting mysteries—from character development and plot to procedurals and thrillers—“this is a writing guide that readers and writers will turn to again and again” (Booklist, starred review). Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is known for providing unparalleled resources on the craft, art, and business of storytelling, helping writers of all levels improve their skills for nearly a century. Now, this handbook helps authors navigate the ever-shifting publishing landscape—from pacing, plotting, the business side of publishing, to the current demand for diversity and inclusivity across all genres, and more. Featuring essays by a new generation of bestselling experts on various elements of the craft and shorter pieces of crowd-sourced wisdom from the MWA membership as a whole, the topics covered can be categorized as follows: —Before Writing (rules; genres; setting; character; research; etc.) —While Writing (outlining; the plot; dialogue; mood; etc.) —After Writing (agents; editors; self-pub; etc.) —Other than Novels (short stories; true crime; etc.) —Other Considerations (diverse characters; legal questions; criticism) Also included is a collection of essays from MWA published authors—including Jeffery Deaver, Tess Gerritsen, and Charlaine Harris—selected by bestselling authors Lee Child and Laurie King and arranged thematically answering, “What piece of writing advice do you wish you’d had at the beginning of your career?” “Everything you wanted to know about how to plan, draft, write, revise, publish, and market a mystery” (Kirkus Reviews), this inclusive manual provides practical, current, easily digestible advice for new and established authors alike.

Author : Виктор Шкловский
Publisher : Dalkey Archive Press
ISBN 13 : 9780916583644
Total Pages : 244 pages
Book Rating : 4.43/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Theory of Prose written by Виктор Шкловский and published by Dalkey Archive Press. This book was released on 1991 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Viktor Shklovsky's 1925 book Theory of Prose might have become the most important work of literary criticism in the twentieth century had not two obstacles barred its way: the crackdown by the Soviet dictatorship on Shklovsky and other Russian Formalists in the 1930s, and the unavailability of an English translation. Now translated in its entirety for the first time, Theory of Prose not only anticipates structuralism and post-structuralism, but poses questions about the nature of fiction that are as provocative today as they were in the 1920s. Arguing that writers structure their material according to artistic principles rather than from attempts to imitate "reality," Shklovsky uses Cervantes, Tolstoi, Sterne, Dickens, Bely, and Rozanov to give us a new way of thinking about fiction and, in his most impassioned moments, about the world. Benjamin Sher's lucid translation will allow Shklovsky's Theory of Prose to fulfill its destiny as a major theoretical work of the twentieth century." from back cover.