When I was 19, I started writing my first novel. I’d written fan fiction as a young teen, but my original works were rarely longer than a few pages. I was an avid reader, though, and I’d been told I was a prodigious writer. I thought that was all I needed to write. This was the first year I studied writing formally. I’d decided in high school that I wouldn’t...

Many of us are in the thick of National Novel Writing Month, commonly known as NaNoWriMo, and hope to have most or all of the rough draft of a book finished by the end of the month. Even if you’re not, you probably have a manuscript lying around in some stage of completion that you’ve been avoiding. And most writers do. Revising after that initial dump of creativity is hard,...

In our final installment of how to ruin your mystery, we have bundled our greatest collection of examples from actual books we have tried to read. They showcase the utter nonsense, the ridiculous, the inane, and downright contrived ploys that authors have used to propel their story, only to have merely lost us along the way. A seemingly all-American, wholesome girl is murdered. But it turns out she led a...

U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser said that titles “…represent the hand you extend in friendship toward your reader.” He was talking about titles of poems, but his words apply to titling your book as well. Yes, people buy books because they’re interested in the concept, but just as important is their assessment of the cover. So, titling your book is a huge marketing decision. A title tells people what to think about...

Many tools tell you how to construct a mesmerizing mystery with intriguing characters, interesting storylines, and enough red herrings to keep you guessing till the end.  Since we represent the readers you write for, we would like to share with you all the ways you can ruin a potentially good story and cause us to put down your book and ban you from our reading list forever. Don’t waste time...

As a “serious” writer for only a few years, there’s much I still need to learn. I’m hoping to be traditionally published, which comes with its own suite of exciting and nerve-wracking challenges. Though I’ve only queried two books, I’ve learned several (painful) lessons about querying too early. Every writer’s path differs, but I’d like to share what I’ve learned in hopes it will help someone else. Below, I’m sharing...

We are voracious readers, each devouring several mystery books every week. We cheer the protagonists with laudable qualities; we love to tickle our sleuthing abilities in complex whodunnits; and we feel fulfilled by satisfying endings. Murder mysteries are simply the most energizing genre. When done right. Here are nine scenarios that ruin the plausibility and consistency of your novel. Such situations grind your readers to a halt, focusing on the ridiculousness...

Writer’s block. Just thinking those words can give a writer nightmares, but we’ve all been plagued by this inevitable phenomenon at some point. It can take days, months, or even years to get past this dreaded obstacle, and there’s no one-size-fits-all method for dealing with it. However, there are some techniques I’ve found to be useful over the years, and though this is by no means an exhaustive list, I’d like...