The Pinocchio Process by Warren Moore I’ve been writing since before I knew how to write – no, really. There are reel-to-reel tapes of a three-year-old me reciting songs and stories. My dad asks, “Did you make that up?” I say I did, and he says, “Pretty weird, kid.” It really hasn’t changed too much […]
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How I Chose My Imaginary Best Friend by Carolyn Mulford When I write my Show Me mysteries, I spend many more hours with my characters than with anyone else. I choose them carefully, for they have to entertain me through a series. Unlike some writers, I don’t write about people I know. I prefer creating
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Making It Personal by Susan Van Kirk Have you ever wondered whether books you read have names, places, or events that are personal to the author? It’s like thinking about songs you love and wondering how they came to be written or what they mean to the composer. My Endurance mysteries do have personal associations,
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Finding the Ending by Susan Oleksiw I recently finished a mystery novel that was hard to end, not because I wanted to keep working on the story but because I couldn’t seem to understand where the characters would end up and how they would feel about the change in their lives. The plot suggested several
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How to Write a Novel by Bill Crider I’m sure you’re read Somerset Maugham’s wise words about novel writing before, but they bear repeating, mainly because I’m going to elaborate on them for a bit. Here they are: “There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” My first
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“Far-Flung Family Ties” by Nancy J. Cohen As we approach the holidays, we begin planning our family celebrations. These may not always be the joyous occasions we’d like. Disagreements, envy, cultural gaps with married partners, and secrets can keep families apart. In PERIL BY PONYTAIL, my recent release and #12 in the Bad Hair Day
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THE STORY OF A STORY OF A STORY by Jim Cort “Before I Wake” had its genesis in my desire to try a story entirely in dialog. A few experiments were enough to convince me that some compromise would have to be made, and I wound up producing a story composed of documents and letters and
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The Artist Turns Detective by John Scherber A lot of people would like to paint, and I’m no exception. In high school I had a close friend who painted, and I always wondered how well he did with it later in life. I took a run at it myself in those days and bombed badly.
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Why Research is the Extra Element in Writing by Teresa Inge I grew up in North Carolina reading Nancy Drew mysteries. Combining my love of reading mysteries and writing professional articles led to writing short fiction and a novel. I also love it when I research a new story I am writing. Most of the
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Before You Hire a Freelance Editor, Read These Tips By Barb Goffman Everyone can always use a second pair of eyes. That’s where I come in. I’ve been editing fiction for several years as a co-editor of the Chesapeake Crimes anthology series. (Stories in the series have won nearly every major crime-fiction award—check ’em out
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