Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22978 in Books
• Published on: 1997-12-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Customer Reviews

A breath of fresh air
This is an encouraging book about writing a mystery. The style is very engaging.The first sentence is "The world of mystery is a vibrant and exciting place." They certainly capture your imagination to start you off. Mystery novel is in direct line with the Dragon or the Holy Grail of the myths and legends. The modern killer is the old dragon which disturbs the order in society. He must be made to pay for unsettling conditions for a peaceful life and terrorising people.As much as The Knight on horseback is the hero that will tackle the task to re-etablish the status quo, so is the sleuth. You are the one to endow him with all powers for him to devise the best tactics to defeat the killer.

How does this guide help you? by asking you questions: about the villain, the detective, the victim, and so on. With your own replies, you are in the process of building your own story that will really suit you, because it will come from your own heart.
One of their title is "having fun with writing". The authors want you to indulge in creation. They take you step-by-step, so your "indulgence" is fruitful too.
52 weekends to write a mystery! Reading this book provoked my thoughts into wanting to write more than just during the 52 week-ends. I am stimulated by their ideas, their questioning, their comparisons.

If you feel a bit sluggish, lacking a bit of confidence perhaps; or if you feel you want guidelines that will spur you on, then this is exactly the book that will fire your imagination, and fuel your energy to write. Yet it is gentle enough, not patronizing. By reading this, you know that they know, and you also know that they delight in telling you what they know, you are part of the wonderful creative process.

Buy this with the assurance that you will be on the right track of writing an excellent mystery.You will enjoy doing it too! Buy it and enjoy being a writer of mystery!

It opens the door to plotting, planning and writing The Nove
I've attended dozens of creative writing classes and have the certificates to prove it. But no one, no one, has ever shown me the nuts and bolts of how to write a novel. Until I found The Weekend Novelist. I've written several children's novels to 25,000 words and have found that they sink in the middle, that I've forgoten what colour a character's hair is by the time I get to chapter 20, and that they wrap up all too quickly and shallowly. By sticking to the format of this book, I've found how to write stronger action, better dialogue and believable scenes, all contained in a book with beginning, middle and end. Friends have said it sounds too practical, with no heart. Wrong! Ray gets you to write creatively but with the bonus of a strong supporting structure. Great stuff. I went all the way to the USA to buy this. That was before we went on-line and sicovered Amazon which is a slightly cheaper way to buy books than travelling several thousand miles!

A review of The Weekend Novelist Writes A Mystery
Most aspiring and accomplished writers own at least a modest collection of how-to-write books. The majority of these books are inspirational with a smattering of tips and techniques thrown in.

The Weekend Novelist Writes a Mystery is different.

Step-by-step methods for constructing a tight mystery novel plot with compelling and convincing characters fill every page. Examples of the authors' own novel process along with those of other masters such as Agatha Christie, Martin Cruz Smith, Sue Grafton, and Raymond Chandler illustrate each step.

There are no timid suggestions in vague jargon here. The authors have taken great pains to make sure each and every facet of their combined writing and teaching expertise is explained thoroughly and usefully.

The importance of a solid "backstory" is the focus of early chapters, giving the writer a solid view of their story before moving on to the writing itself. The far too common problem of writing oneself to a standstill is virtually impossible if the plot and characterization techniques are followed. The remainder of the book contains a treasure trove of specific techniques for creating scenes, convincing dialogue, and "real" settings. The reader will learn how to group their scenes into logical "acts", control the story's pace, and use the language to set tone and resonance.

While structured specifically for the mystery writer, the techniques can be applied to other genres with relative ease. Any novelist, whether still aspiring or already accomplished, will find a wealth of insight into the plotting and characterization process. The beginner searching for one all-around USEFUL how-to-write book would do well to pick this one.

This is no-nonsense book crammed with useful, week-by-week projects which will lead the writer to the successful creation of a well-written, satisfying mystery.

The Weekend Novelist Writes a Mystery puts the "HOW" back into the how-to-write book market.