For mysteries, however, it crucial to plan out the crime and the clues. I figure out who gets murdered then develop a roster of suspects and motives.
'Butt in chair.' In other words, show up to write and treat it like a real job, not just a hobby. My mother used to repeat that quote that 90% of success is just showing up, and that’s very true when it comes to writing.
On Wednesday April 24th, I was honoured to be the first in a series of author events at the Warkworth Public Library.
The funny thing about history is that for all the reports of the standard mores of behavior, there were always outliers, women who explored Africa, who went on hunger strikes, who spied for the government.
Short stories are challenging because you always have to think up a new beginning, a new character, a new plot. Novels are slightly easier as you have something that you settle in with -- something larger to explore and study.
Here’s to letting the characters take the lead! You never know what will happen.
Read widely and extensively. Good writing should inspire you.
The Dame Was Trouble is noir at its best - and the women are in charge.
Levison skilfully depicts the nostalgia of summers spent by the lake, and juxtaposes this with the horror of murder. Drawing a connection between the recent crime and her family’s experiences in the Holocaust, *The Crate* is a sensitive portrayal of the effects of violence and the importance of remembrance.
Over the years we have noticed trends in what is being published in the mystery genre. Some years we seem to have an abundance of books around the theme of kidnappings, other years it is psychological thrillers or serial killers. Police procedurals and historical mysteries continue to be huge sellers.
I tend to write with the notion of a 'narrative dare' and to see what appears out of the murk once I have changed the bedrock ground rules of society.
