Whether you are writing your first mystery/thriller or have become a seasoned veteran, one thing remains true. Writing in this genre is hard! It’s work. That’s also why it so satisfying. According to the old adage, if it were easy, everyone would do it. Statistics tell us that many people have a desire to write a novel but doing it can be more elusive. Mysteries and thrillers can be doubly hard to write.
Here’s a look at why.
A story without a mystery element can go any direction based on the character’s choices. A mystery/thriller, however, enters the world of deceiving, convincing, and fooling, running parallel with the story. As the author, you must both engage and outsmart your worthy opponent. No, it’s not the villain. It’s the reader! Too easy, and you’re judged as not challenging for the discerning sleuth who bought the book. Too hard or not plausible, and you’re deemed as esoteric and unrealistic. You have to find your Goldilocks moment and get it “just right.”
More hard work?
You are tasked with becoming an expert about things you probably know very little about. Speak in the voice of a medical specialist? Sure. A government bureaucrat, a judge, a forensic pathologist? All on your plate. Temptations abound. You may be tempted to overshare based on your research simply to impress your readers. Your brain is muddled with anguish, wondering if that red herring is too obvious or oblivious. Will no one figure it out?
Will everyone figure it out?
If your book turns into a series, even more is asked of this world you have created as a basis for mystery, suspense, and thrills. Your characters start to have expectations beyond what you’ve envisioned—instead, your readers call for actions based on their interpretation of the characters. The challenge grows while giving enough background information for a newbie to your series while not boring your existing readers. Because of boredom and a desire to do something outrageous, you can be tempted to cause things to happen. Your readers aren’t having it! They demand your people stay “in character,” or you have to good a darn good reason why this or that was allowed to happen.
While every novelist’s goal is to move a story forward, mystery/thriller/suspense writers know that each scene is a piece of a maze of detection in addition to the baseline story. Bottom line? You’ve chosen to write in a genre that often asks you for double duty.
So, yes. Writing a mystery/thriller/suspense novel is hard. But really, why does anyone do it? If it’s your thing, you already have an answer. There’s that moment when reader feedback lets you know they didn’t see that twist or turn coming, they couldn’t put the book down, and they were surprised by the ending. Getting it just right is a very satisfying goal. Those Goldilocks moments are priceless—enough to make you go out and do it again.
Michele Olson writes stories set on Mackinac Island in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan filled with suspense, romance, friendship, faith, and quirky characters. A top seller in Mackinac Island Fiction to the million people who make a trip to the island every year to experience life with no cars, amazing scenery, and the glorious Grand Hotel, she enjoys opening up this incredible island to even more visitors. Incorporating her work as an artist and a voice professional into her writing whenever she can, she enjoys creative endeavors of all genres and fueling faith with fiction.
Michele lives in the shadow of Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI with her husband and thoroughly enjoys being a wife, mom, and “Gee Gee” to two adorable grandsons.
Outside of studying the necessary and ever-increasing number of how-to books on writing, character building, plotting, showing and telling, or conflict and suspense, there is another step in the learning process. Reading.
What does a suspense writer gain by reading novels in the mystery, suspense, and thriller genre? You’ll connect with the character and feel what she feels in a gripping scene, experience an awkward moment between characters, or feel the pause in action. You will discover how well those situations work within a story. Does it present the unexpected and capture your attention? Are you drawn deeper into the plot? Does the heroine react naturally?
Learn the differences in these genres by purposely reading novels in these categories. As Lisa Betz states in her article on the Almost an Author blog from May 31, 2018, a mystery is about solving a crime or puzzle, a suspense novel is about suspense, and a thriller is about action and danger.
Make time to read and purposely take notes. Referring to them when questions arise could be beneficial and less time-consuming.
Write a review. Authors appreciate positive reviews, and the exercise may help you learn how to write a back-cover blurb.
Writing skills have the potential to grow stronger when reading becomes a priority. Reading helps you:
Increase your imagination.
Gain ideas on characters’ reactions to stressful conditions.
Discover how authors describe internal conflicts in their heroine, hero, and villains.
Learn proper application of tag lines.
Get familiar with realistic dialog.
Understand the value of consistent point-of-view
Where does one go to find well-written books? There is an endless supply of fabulous mystery, suspense, and thriller authors. You won’t go wrong delving into the depths of novels written by these authors or many, many others on the market.
Jerusha Agen
Christy Barritt
Lynn Huggins Blackburn
Patricia Bradley
Robin Carroll
Colleen Coble
Ted Dekker
Rachel Dylan
Lynette Eason
Elizabeth Goddard
Ronie Kendig
Dana R. Lynn
DiAnn Mills
Dani Pettrey
Shannon Redmon
Susan Sleeman
Darlene L. Turner
Virginia Vaughan
Natalie Walters
Susan May Warren
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Christian Book Distributors, and many of your local bookstores carry novels written by these authors. Christmas is the perfect time to request a suspenseful book as a gift and start the New Year, digging into the art of writing through reading.
Quote: “Can I be blunt on this subject? If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”
Stephen King
Loretta Eidson writes romantic suspense. She has won and been a finalist in several writing contests, including first place in romantic suspense in the Foundations Awards at the 2018 Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference, a finalist in ACFW’s 2018 Genesis, was a finalist in the 2018 Fabulous Five, and a double finalist in the 2017 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence.
Loretta lives in North Mississippi with her husband Kenneth, a retired Memphis Police Captain. She loves salted caramel lava cake, dark chocolate, and caramel Frappuccinos.
How do mystery, suspense, and thriller writers produce an authentic novel and achieve believability?
Consider the seven “R’s”.
Ready an
organizational system for the material you gather, whether it be an online file
or old-school file folders. Utilize whatever makes sense to you.
Restrain from spending too much time on research.We’re fiction
writers, not Ph.D. candidates working on dissertations.
Restrict your focus. Is your setting real or
fictional? Is it set in the city or country, suburban or rural, present-day or
historical? Determine key locations and the world beyond.
Readers bring no preconceptions to a fictional site. The author
breathes life into the narrative by creating everything. Customs,
history, climate, natural surroundings, people, food, the hobbies and jobs of the
characters, maps, and even language must emerge from your imagination.
If your setting is a real place and
you’ve failed to do the work, an agent, editor, or a reader who knows the area
may label your book as implausible. Or worse, toss it onto the rejection pile.
“Stories set in real locations, then, demand detailed local knowledge and/or meticulous research of the setting.”
Harvey Chapman
Read magazines, journals,
and books on your subject and in your genre. Learn the occupations of your
characters. Dig into past events, the natural surroundings, and the latest news
from the area. Make your backdrop as familiar as your own living room. Make the
details as accurate as an FBI manual.
Utilize the resources of libraries,
colleges and universities, museums, or law enforcement. Maps give us direction
and perspective, and the placement of landmarks, roads, stores, houses,
schools, and cemeteries. Data from contracts, marriage and birth licenses, and
census records add authenticity.
Record observations. Watch others who are similar to your characters to
see how they talk and behave. Visit places that serve the same food your
characters would eat and places they might frequent.
Often a visual image will spark ideas. Watch videos on YouTube,
catch documentaries, or even cruise Pinterest for ideas, inspiration, and
information.
Road trip.
The journey may be as close as the local library, or as far away as a
long-distance car ride or flight. If you’ve never been to your novel’s
location, consider discovering the area with a hands-on approach.
Notice details as you travel. These can contribute
to your characters’ motives and choices.
Once there, talk to the locals. Discover
the area’s activities, customs, traditions, where people shop, eat, go to
school, and even select where your characters might live.
Walk the area and feel the ambiance. Use your senses. Find out what things taste like, smell
like, feel like, sound like.
Research for my latest WIP required an
eleven-hour road trip. Even though I was familiar with the area, I hadn’t
visited in years. The lonely two-lane highway leading to my destination was now
bustling with oil-field trucks, pump-jacks, new refineries and hotels, and
clouds of grey haze. But fortunately, my ideal locale was as I remembered––
craggy mountains graced by long stretches of prickly pear cactus and mesquite
scrub, remote and raw. Perfect for a mystery or suspense.
Once there, I bee-lined to the local
diner and feasted on the house special, green chili burgers and thick-cut fries.
I chatted with the owner and her employee. (Yes, just one.) They shared how the
clear night sky bursts into sparkles of light, where one gets mail and
supplies, and how chili cook-offs and cow patty throwing contests are a
‘thing.’ Of course, Elizabeth and Debbie will find a place in my book’s
acknowledgments!
Roadblocks. No one likes a data dump. Weave your discoveries into
the novel and never let it rise above the plot, characters, and setting. A bit of true-life
flavor goes a long way
Don’t use fact-finding as a means to delay writing.
Complete your searches ahead of time. If you need to add a detail
later make a note, but keep the writing flowing.
Let research inform the story, not smother it. Do the work. It may be the difference between a book contract and a rejection letter.
“Though we invent tales that didn’t really happen, we drape them over a framework of real-life facts.”
PJ Gover encourages her readers to live the thrill…one story at a time,
whether through her devotionals or thrillers. She has received ten writing
awards including first place in American Christian Fiction Writer’s First
Impressions contest, the North Carolina Christian Writers, and the
Write-to-Publish contest. Her one-year devotional book, Celebrate Thee Date, can be found at 4homestore .
A ranch in Texas
serves as home base where she is currently working on a suspense novel. Offer her Mexican food or anything gluten-free and you’ll
have a friend for life. Jim Hart of Hartline Literary Agency represents PJ.
Should I worry about
trends? Do I write what I want and hope it sells? Is the mystery, suspense,
thriller genre still marketable?
“When we look at the NYT and USA Today bestseller lists, one genre that has surged in popularity is mystery and suspense/thriller.”
Jennifer Silverwood, NQD (Book Designs), 4.25.19
“Psychological Thrillers and True Crime are Taking Over Not Only Literature, but: Movies, Podcasts and TV Shows.”
Columbia.edu. 3.5.19
As of late September
2019, Goodreads.com reports two of their top five bestsellers are in the
mystery, suspense, thriller genre. Amazon.com boasts two thrillers in the top
six of their bestsellers.
Our genre continues to
shine in the big leagues, encouraging news for those of us crafting puzzling
mysteries, intriguing suspense, and fast-paced thrills.
Even though our genre remains desirable and marketable, awareness of specific trends in our industry guides us as writers.
Before we draft one
word, trends help us select our book’s premise and plot, driving the attention we
receive from agents and editors. Eventually, it aids in determining our success
in book sales. Don’t waste time pouring our hearts into dead trends like
vampires, so popular years ago.
Basic interaction
between parent and child, man and woman, humans and natural elements doesn’t
change, but specific circumstances do. Instead of placing teenage angst in the
midst of vampires and werewolves, repackage the drama in an updated scenario.
Remember, “…the universal theme of “good versus evil” will always be a draw.”
Bestselling author M.J. Rose
If we write based on what’s popular now, our book’s thrust might be irrelevant when our work comes into print, often a year after a negotiated contract with a publisher.
“My suggestion when it comes to writing what you “want” to write is don’t narrow yourself to such a small hook. Authors who fall in love with a genre and then continually explore new and different ideas to write in that genre are far more successful than those who narrow their writing to one simple subject matter.”
Literary Agent Jessica Faust, 8.13.19
What about specifics
for your novel?
In perusing top-sellers
in our genre, recent ones utilize family drama as their core focus––missing spouse,
child, or teens, unexplained illness of a child, domestic violence.
Interpersonal trauma informs the plot of other recent bestsellers––disappearance
after an internet-arranged date, an avenging sociopath, an apartment complex
killer, a corporate killer at a team-building retreat.
What common threads
continue in our genre? Great surprises, and good twists and turns keep the
reader guessing. Interesting settings, and in some, the location serves as much
of a character as the protagonist. Themes rooted in psychological pain,
betrayal, and intrigue where no one is who they seem inhabit recent
best-sellers.
In fact, one of the
most publishable genres today is the psychological suspense thriller.
“Thrillers, by definition, are escapism. There’s a suspension of reality that the reader expects and which allows them to immerse themselves in the thrilling aspects of the story. To leave their troubles for a little while and enjoy the ride. And thankfully, that never gets old.”
Liz Berry
As always, a
well-crafted plot with unique premises keeps readers riveted to the page.
What about our
industry’s trends as a whole?
According to The Independent Publishing Magazine,
people still want paper-in-hand traditional books versus e-books, which as of
early 2019, were purported to be on the decline. Good news for those of us who
yearn to see our book on the shelves of book stores and libraries. However, we
live in a digital age and e-books are here to stay. We do well to offer our
books in both print and digital format.
As audiobooks gain in popularity, the Big Five Publishing Houses
see them becoming a large part of their digital revenue. For both traditional
and independent publishers, the big investment pays off.
Marketing and self-promotion
are also a reality. Even if traditionally published, a strong social media
presence is vital. Agents and publishers not only note the number of likes our
posts receive, but also our level of engagement. Social media includes blogging and podcasting,
even for those beginning a writing career.
Promoting
is not just about the book, but about you as the author. Be certain what’s on
your social media is who and what you want to represent as a writer.
“People follow you, then your book.”
Scott Mathews
A well-written book will find an audience, but research market trends before recording your first word.
Write well, my friends.
PJ Gover encourages her readers to live the thrill…one story at a time,
whether through her devotionals or thrillers. She has received eight writing
awards including first place in American Christian Fiction Writer’s First
Impressions contest and the first place Tar Heel Award
from the North Carolina Christian Writers. Write to Publish recognized her
second novel with their first place Blue Seal Award. Her one-year devotional
book, Celebrate Thee Date, can be found at 4homestore.com. She is represented
by Jim Hart of Hartline Literary Agency.
A ranch in Texas
serves as home base where she is currently working on a suspense novel set in
west Texas. Offer her Mexican food or anything gluten-free and you’ll have a
friend for life.
What’s the secret to
creating a book worthy of catching an agent’s eye? Worthy of turning an
acquisition editor’s head? Worthy of securing a publishing contract?
Pacing.
The speed at which the action takes place in our story is one of a myriad of literary devices that informs all writing including our mystery, thriller, and suspense novels. Correct pacing can drive our story to the next level, to the top of the pile.
How do I handle my
story’s action?
The hare demands
pounding hearts, stolen breaths, and jacked-up pulses at every turn. Throw in
scenes with car chases, a killer stalking our hero through darkened alleyways,
or a bomb disabled at the last second. For good measure include the click of
the action sliding back on a Glock, the creak of a wooden staircase, or the
gurgle of a faucet running in an abandoned cottage. Add a cup of tea laced with
strychnine, a virus released into the air ducts, or a poisonous needle prick on
a crowded subway.
“If you’re writing a thriller, mystery…you’d better keep things moving rapidly for the reader. Quick pacing is vital in certain genres. It hooks readers, creates tension, deepens the drama, and speeds things along.”
We want the reader
gripping the edges of our book, turning page after page into the wee hours of
the morning.
But the tortoise whispers, “Slow
down.” Give our protagonist time for processing clues. Whether it be with a
trusted confidant, behind a microscope, in front of an evidence board, or
beside a crackling fire in the drawing room. Who are the suspects? What is the
motive? When did the offense occur? Where do the clues lead? Why murder? How
was the crime committed?
Which pacing is better, the tortoise or the hare?
Pacing is all about balance. Correct balance provides variety and keeps the reader hooked. It involves more than racing hearts and tingling spines versus strolling through daisy-dotted fields.
According to Healthline.com, adrenaline makes the heart beat faster, increases blood flow to
the brain and muscles, and stimulates the body to make sugar for fuel. The body
responds so fast that you might not fully process what is happening.
While that may please
the writer in us, constant action might prevent the reader from fully processing
and delighting in our well-plotted story. We don’t want our reader dozing off, but
we can let them breathe.
Pacing depends on the
story you’re telling. Suspense and thrillers tend toward fast-paced, mysteries
come in at a slower pace––think Sherlock Holmes.
Our question becomes not the tortoise or the hare, but rather how do we join both voices to create a satisfying read where dangling threads are knotted and setups are paid off.
What is your story’s
goal? What does your genre require?
Read best-selling
authors in your genre and analyze how they pace their story. Create a template
of the plot. You’ll find they spread out the fast-paced action with more mundane
activities.
Your reader’s adrenaline surges with shorter sentences and chapters. Short sentences tighten the action. Short chapters heighten the pace. Keep the action quick and physical. Pick concrete words and active voice. Call on machine-gun dialogue. Crank up the tension with hard consonants, such as: crashed into the cold night. Action-packed cliffhangers keep the pages turning.
Longer chapters and
sentences let the reader bask in the ebb and flow
of our prose, the nuances of our story, and the witty repartee between characters.
If action is more cerebral––analyzing clues, pondering results, consulting
colleagues––the reader can drop those shoulders, sip hot coffee, and enjoy the read. Flowery descriptions utilizing present
participles and gerunds slow the reading experience as well as the action. Dialogue
reflecting the slower pace employs complex sentences and longer action beats. Soft
consonants––gentle breezes on a summer morn––lighten the mood and invite the
reader to saunter, rather than rush, through the story. A slower pace doesn’t
mean anesthetizing the reader. We still want hanging cliffs and turning pages.
The tortoise and hare must work together, but one or the other will claim center stage depending on your genre. Correct pacing keeps our readers entertained, turning pages, and coming back for more. That’s what we all want.
Write well, my friends.
PJ Gover encourages her readers to live the thrill…one story at a time,
whether through her devotionals or thrillers. She has received eight writing
awards including first place in American Christian Fiction Writer’s First
Impressions contest and the first place Tar Heel Award
from the North Carolina Christian Writers. Write to Publish recognized her
second novel with their first place Blue Seal Award. Her one-year devotional
book, Celebrate Thee Date, can be found at 4homestore.com. She is
represented by Jim Hart of Hartline Literary Agency.
A ranch in Texas
serves as home base where she is currently working on a suspense novel set in
west Texas. Offer her Mexican food or anything gluten-free and you’ll have a
friend for life.
Do they have dark, piercing eyes, a snarly grin, crooked-yellowed teeth, knobby fingers, an evil laugh? Or is there more to it than that? The antagonist can be the hardest character to write but also the most fun. How can we be successful at it? Here are some tips I’ve learned along the way.
Make them appear human – nobody likes a pure evil villain. They need to be likable or they fall flat. Give them a redeeming quality. Maybe we even want to cheer for them. Think Hannibal Lector or the Blacklist’s Raymond Reddington. Yes, they are evil but still have amiable qualities. We find ourselves applauding them.
Give them a clear motivation for their actions – we need to know why they’re doing their evil deeds. Their motives need to feel fair and just in their minds. Start with the basic reasons for their crime. Passion, greed, jealousy, but give it an added kick. Let’s place ourselves in their shoes. What makes them tick? Why do they think the way the do? In one of my stories the antagonist has a daughter who needs constant medical care for her deadly condition, so he justifies his actions to get the money to provide her with the necessary attention. This gives the reader empathy for the antagonist.
Give them flaws – we can’t make the villain’s life too easy. They need to work hard at being bad. Keep them in constant conflict, making things more difficult for them as the plot unfolds. Maybe they’re OCD and that keeps them from getting their hands dirty at a crime scene. Perhaps they’re disabled and struggle with getting around. Whatever the flaw, make it realistic.
Hide them in plain sight – don’t make the villain a klutzy moron. That robs the reader and makes them angry. We want to keep them guessing and surprised at the end of the story. Also, we can’t make the antagonist a minor character. This is cheating and doesn’t satisfy the plot. Give subtle clues as to who the criminal is, but make them the boy next door or the female everyone likes. This will give our stories plausibility.
Give your villain backstory – I like to do a full character sketch on the antagonist just like I do for my protagonist. Don’t cheat them in the development stage of your story. Get to know them. Sit down with them for coffee and ask some poignant questions. What are their dislikes? Loves? What is their deepest fear? What were they doing at the age of fifteen? We need to know them inside and out in order to make them come alive.
Fit their behavior appropriately – plant seeds along the way so when they commit a crime it doesn’t come out in left field. For example, if your villain is about to strangle someone give him big hands. Perhaps he works out to pump up his muscles. Or if he’s building a bomb, give him a military background or one in science. Remember, it needs to be realistic.
Creating villains can be fun. Study your favorite and then design yours to be believable and one that will keep your reader turning the pages!
Darlene L. Turner writes romantic suspense and won the 2017 Genesis award in the Romantic suspense category and was a 2018 finalist. She was a finalist in the 2017 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense contest and won in 2016 (Inspirational Unpublished). She’s represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.
Have you ridden a roller coaster and felt the exhilaration or fear of being tossed about while your feet dangled in the air? If so, then you’ve experienced some emotional elements beneficial to writing suspense. Readers don’t physically step into a metal seat and strap themselves in when selecting a suspense novel, but they still expect an adventure in which their emotions become attached to the heroine and the struggle she’s facing.
The opening sentence must capture the attention of your audience, but that’s not all. The story must continue to build with conflict and suspense, teasing your reader’s senses and emotions, and keep them wondering what will happen next.
Raise the stakes. Put your character in a situation where danger lurks and the threat of death hangs in the balance. How will your character handle imminent danger or death?
Allow your audience to feel your character’s uncertainty and fear.
Her car breaks down on a deserted road.
Imagine the bone-chilling emotion that grips her when a man’s silouette it appears across her window.
What about the horror of hanging on a ledge, fingers slipping, muscles cramping, and all hope of survival fading? Will she plummet to her death on the rocks below? Is certain death her only option or will the hero find her in time to save her?
As Lisa Betz stated in her 2018 December article for Almost an Author, “You must add tension by stretching the moment.”
Long moments of intensity builds readers’ emotions and sets their desire to keep turning the page.
Well-written suspense secures the audience’s attention and keeps them on the edge of their seats.
Unresolved tension keeps readers intrigued.
James Scott Bell states in his book Conflict & Suspense that there is more than one type of death that can happen in our novels.
Physicaldeath. Make sure your heroine wins in her conflict if she is going to die. Dragging your characters through a quagmire of near-death experiences may pique the reader’s emotions more than physical death. Some readers feel cheated when the main character dies. Physical death is not a requirement for mysteries, suspense, and thrillers. Sometimes other types of death are more frightening.
Professionaldeath. Your heroine may fail the test for her promised promotion and is fired instead. She feels all her experience is worthless. There must be something that could make or break your character in her line of work.
Psychological death. This type of death stirs an array of emotions for your audience since human behavior can be so irrational one can never assume what might happen.
If you successfully take your readers on an emotional journey all the way through to the last page, most likely they’ll share the experience with other potential readers long after they’ve put the book down.
Loretta Eidson writes romantic suspense. She has won and been a finalist in several writing contests, including first place in romantic suspense in the Foundations Awards at the 2018 Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference, a finalist in ACFW’s 2018 Genesis, was a finalist in the 2018 Fabulous Five, and a double finalist in the 2017 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence.
Loretta lives in North Mississippi with her husband Kenneth, a retired Memphis Police Captain. She loves salted caramel lava cake, dark chocolate, and caramel Frappuccinos.
Tension is the unresolved conflict in a story that keeps a reader turning pages. All scenes need tension, from edge-of-your-seat action sequences to gentle romantic encounters. How can a writer increase tension in her scenes, especially in those without life-or-death consequences? By stretching key moments.
Slow-motion
Consider what happens when a movie suddenly switches to slow-motion. A few heartbeats of action may be stretched into agonizing minutes, forcing the audience to wait, tense with anticipation, while things slowly crawl toward a resolution. Will he catch the ball? Will she walk out the door? Will they defuse the bomb in time?
A writer can use the same concept to slow the pace by stretching the moment. How? By padding strategic moments in scenes with a few additional details that force the reader to wait just a little longer to find out what happens. How long can you stretch things? It depends on the scene. Typically the more tension already present, the more the reader is hooked, and the longer a writer can stretch out the scene.
Where to consider stretching the moment
Scenes of exterior tension
When dealing with action scenes, look for places where the scene moves rapidly from stimulus to payoff. For example, “Sarah heard a key in the lock” is a stimulus. Something new is happening. It could be good or bad, longed-for or dreaded. Whatever the situation, the stimulus of hearing of the key will lead to a payoff of some kind. Someone is about to enter the scene and do or say something that will be the payoff.
If whatever is about to happen next is postponed by a few lines it will serve to increase the tension. Compare the two examples below:
Sarah heard the key in the lock. Liam threw open the door. “Thought you could hide from me, did you?”
Sarah heard the key in the lock. Could it be Pat? Did Pat still have the spare key? But wouldn’t he be at work now? She held her breath as the lock clicked. The door jerked open and Liam strode into the room. He looked down at her with a smug smile. “Thought you could hide from me, did you?”
Scenes of interior tension
Emotional tension can be stretched as well. Look for places where a discovery or realization (stimulus) leads to a strong emotional response and stretch the moment by inserting details or inner dialogue. For example, compare the shorter and longer versions below:
Aaron saw the note on the kitchen table. “I’ve gone for a walk.” A lump of fear settled in his stomach as he grabbed his jacket and raced outside.
Aaron saw the note on the kitchen table. Large letters written with red crayon in his little brother’s distinctive shaky scrawl. “I’ve gone for a walk.” Please no. Not today. The ground was a slippery mess with all the rain and the stream would be racing. If Jonny slipped… A lump of fear settled in his stomach as he grabbed his jacket and raced outside.
Your Turn
Choose a scene and look for moments where the stimulus is followed by an immediate payoff or response. Stretch the tension by inserting two or three sentences between them.
[bctt tweet=”By adding little snippets at strategic spots, you can increase the tension in any scene. #writetips #writers” username=””]
Lisa E. Betz believes that everyone has a story to tell the world. She loves to encourage fellow writers to be intentional about their craft and courageous in sharing their words with others. Lisa shares her words through dramas, Bible studies, historical mysteries, and her blog about intentional living. You can find her on Facebook LisaEBetzWriter and Twitter @LisaEBetz
I’ve decked the halls at the Ross Ranch with all manner of Christmas splendors, adorning trees and every random corner of the house for the holidays.
I have three Christmas trees, each dressed in a different theme: The Victorian, The Woodland, and The Vintage Childhood. I love them all but am especially partial to The Vintage Childhood because it reflects my personal memories of Christmas past in my 1960s youth. Vintage ornaments from the era drape the branches, while displayed underneath are some of the actual toys I received on long ago Christmas mornings. I enjoy them more today, decades later, than at the first.
One of the treasures I found each year under the tree during my elementary school days was a new Nancy Drew Mystery Story. My collection of titles still holds a place of honor on our library shelves. I knew I could count on Santa to have a Nancy Drew mystery waiting for me on Christmas morn. The cover and frontispiece prepared me for what to expect once I started reading. I was never disappointed.
Only inspired.
I credit Nancy Drew as my earliest writing mentor. Reading her mystery adventures became more than just the absorbing of a captivating story. It stirred the latent author within me. I wanted to be able to write a book just like Carolyn Keene.
But, if Nancy Drew’s life was full of mysteries, Carolyn Keene was a mystery in and of herself. I could learn nothing about her when I was young. Other authors might be featured in magazines with photographs and details of their personal lives. But not Carolyn Keene.
When I dug a little deeper on the subject through the years, I learned that Carolyn Keene was a pen name for an anonymous writer shrouded in mystery. In fact, she had been hidden from public view since the first Nancy Drew book was written in 1929. By the time I started reading them in the mid to late 1960s, dozens of her detective adventures had been published.
But not until a court case in 1980 regarding the publishers of the series, did Nancy Drew fans learn the secret behind the mystery of how these beloved children’s books came to be written by a journalist named Mildred Augustine Wirt Benson. After some 50 years, the woman behind the whodunits finally revealed herself to almost four generations of fans eager to meet her.
The Woman Whodunit
Born in 1905, Mildred earned an English degree in three years from the University of Iowa in 1925, and in 1927 earned a master’s degree in journalism. Seeking good pay for her writing, she answered an ad in the newspaper from the Stratemeyer Syndicate seeking freelance writers.
Edward Stratemeyer knew the book industry inside and out—especially the reading demographics of prospective book buyers. He zeroed in on engaging books for young people and created a host of characters and story worlds producing over 1300 titles in children’s fiction during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Among them, Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, the Dana Girls, Bobbsey Twins, Tom Swift, and more, catapulted the Stratemeyer Syndicate to over 500 million in sales.
Alone, Stratemeyer could never have accomplished such a feat. But working within a syndicate model, he had the power to create a publishing behemoth. He sought out young, talented authors as ghostwriters and tooled them with the framework for each individual book series. Storylines, plot twists, characters, and settings were outlined and assigned to a freelance writer under a pen name. The writer’s contract required that they never reveal themselves as the author of the book for which they were paid a flat rate of $125 to $250 per book—about 3 months’ pay for a newspaper reporter of the time.
In 1929, Mildred was handed the outline for a new mystery series for girls featuring a spunky young gal named Nancy Drew. In her able hands, Nancy’s personality materialized, setting in stone the specifics of her adventurous sleuthing character and story world in 23 of the first 30 books in the series. Each became a best seller.
As a ghostwriter of the series, Mildred had no rights to her manuscripts or the famous Carolyn Keene pen name. When Stratemeyer died in 1930, his two daughters took control of the syndicate, continuing to work with Mildred on the Nancy Drew series through 1947. The books gave girls of the depression and WWII era a heroine unlike any other in their time.
Each generation since, the books have had an editorial uptick. For instance, the original 1930s-1950s Nancy Drew stories and illustrations capture that time period in fashion and setting. But the books I read in the 1960s—the same stories—possessed minor edits in the manuscript and illustrations that brought Nancy into that current time. Fast forward to the 1980s-1990s-2000s-plus—and Nancy morphed into a mirror image of the changing juvenile/youth landscape.
Unfortunately, the Nancy of 75+ years after her 1930 debut has not been well received and is analyzed to pieces by contemporary feminists and literary academia sweeping her into the maelstrom confusion of identity politics and sexualized imagery.
Tragic.
The original stories were successfully developed under the insightful pen of Mildred Wirt Benson and the editorial prowess of the Stratemeyer sisters, until their deaths in the early 1980s. The founding genius behind the girl detective gave generations of young girls a strong, confident, and resourceful role model to look up to.
In 2001, twenty years after her identity was revealed, Mildred Wirt Benson was awarded a Special Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America because of her work on Nancy Drew and contribution to the mystery genre in children’s fiction.
Though Mildred remained true to her contract anonymity behind the pen name of Carolyn Keene, she never lacked for writing under her own name. For 58 years she wrote as a weekly columnist for the Toledo Blade working until just before her death at age 96 in 2002.
In reflecting upon the popularity of Nancy Drew, Mildred once remarked, “I’m glad that I had that much influence on people.”
Her flat rate pay on those original Nancy Drew mysteries may not have been the financial windfall it had the potential to be had she written under her own name and in control of full royalties. However, taking a good paying job for the time in trade for anonymity over so many years found its lasting reward in the knowledge that she created a character and compelling stories that inspired generations of young girls.
Including me. Reading Nancy Drew cemented within my heart a passion for the written word and storytelling as a life calling.
It’s Christmas again. Fifty years after reading my first Nancy Drew mystery, I pay homage to the influence Carolyn Keene—Mildred Wirt Benson—had in my young life with a copy or two of her books tucked under my Vintage Childhood Christmas tree. Upon reflection, I am challenged to consider the humility it took to be the writer of world-famous stories and not be able to take credit for it for decades. In fact, had a court case not required it, Carolyn Keene might still be an author cloaked in mystery.
As a writer, I’ve often had to pen words for the enrichment of another with little to no financial reward and never getting the satisfaction of my own credited byline. There is a place of humility necessary to do so—a challenge to my writer’s ego to live there. But, in the end, the important thing is not who gets credit for the words written, but that the words written credit the life of another with wisdom, beauty, and inspiration.
I’d like my words to have that much influence on people.
Journal Prompt: For 50 years, Mildred kept her identity secret as the writer behind the million-dollar sales of Nancy Drew books. How did humility play a part in Mildred’s writing career? Have you ever written or done something significant but had to defer the credit to someone else? How did you learn humility with contentment in such a situation, and subsequently, grow in depth as a writer?
Writer-speaker, Kathryn Ross, ignites a love of literature and learning through Pageant Wagon Publishing. She writes and publishes homeschool enrichment and Christian living books for home, church, and school. In addition, she shepherds writers through the steps book development and production. Her passion to equip women and families in developing a Family Literacy Lifestyle, produces readers and thinkers who can engage the world from a biblical worldview. She blogs and podcasts at TheWritersReverie.com and PageantWagonPublishing.com. Connect with Miss Kathy on Facebook.
Did you know there are conferences throughout the country that focus on the mystery / suspense / thriller genre? Some are primarily writer’s conferences, others are primarily conventions designed for fans of the genre. Both types are great places to learn, network, and enjoy the latest and best of the genre.
Here are some of the biggest conferences. If you love reading or writing mystery, suspense or thriller, you might want to check one out.
The granddaddy of all mystery conventions. Named for the mystery fiction critic, editor and author Anthony Boucher, Bouchercon is the world’s largest crime fiction convention. The convention’s goal is to bring all parts of the mystery fiction community together, from readers to critics to booksellers. It features a four-day weekend of panels, keynotes, and special events. The 2018 conference will be held in Saint Petersburg, Florida in early September. Next year it will be held in Dallas, Texas at the end of October.
This annual conference is for all genres that involve mystery, thriller, or suspense writing. Held annually near Nashville, Tennessee. The four-day conference features seminars, breakout sessions, agent roundtables, a mock crime scene designed by law enforcement professionals, and more.
This annual mystery convention is held in March somewhere in the western half of North America. The 2019 location is Vancouver, British Columbia, and the 2020 location is San Diego, California. A with other fan conferences, the purpose of Left Coast Crime is to connect readers, authors, critics, librarians, publishers, and other fans of the genre. The three-day event features panels, interviews, award presentations and more.
An annual mystery fan convention held in the Washington D.C. area that focuses on tradition-style mysteries (think Agatha Christie). Book signings, award presentations, panel discussions, and other events. The 2019 conference will be May 3-5.
The largest crime fiction writers’ conference in New England. Held every year over Veteran’s Day weekend in the greater Boston area. Crime Bake is so popular it regularly sells out. Seminars, keynotes, master classes, pitch sessions, networking and more.
This conference devoted to thrillers is held each year in New York City by the International Thriller Writers (ITW) organization. ThrillerFest is a writers conference and fan convention in one, offering three paralell tracks: CraftFest offers classes for writers, PitchFest gives writers an opportunity to pitch their work to agents, and ThrillFest is a fan convention featuring both best-selling authors and not-yet-famous ones.
For writers who want a hands-on experience to better understand law enforcement, fire-fighting, EMS or forensics. This event is held at a law enforcement training academy in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It features actual police, fire, forensics, and EMS training with top instructors. If you want to write with gritty realism, this is the conference for you.
There are plenty of smaller mystery conventions around as well. In Reference to Murder has a helpful page listing upcoming conferences with links.
Hopefully there is one near you.
Lisa E. Betz believes that everyone has a story to tell the world. She loves to encourage fellow writers to be intentional about their craft and courageous in sharing their words with others. Lisa shares her words through dramas, Bible studies, historical mysteries, and her blog about intentional living. You can find her on Facebook LisaEBetzWriter and Twitter @LisaEBetz
Are you writing a mystery or a thriller? Do you know how to tell the difference between suspense, thriller and mystery subgenres?
The three categories are related and often overlap. Mysteries often have elements of suspense and a thriller may involve a mystery.
However, experts advise writers to identify the primary subgenre before pitching a manuscript. A story may be clearly in one genre, or straddle two, but it can’t be all three.
The following descriptions will help you determine which category fits best.
A mystery is about solving a crime or a puzzle. The protagonist’s goal is to uncover the clues, solve the mystery and bring the antagonist to justice. Typically, the crime happens near the beginning of the story the identity of the antagonist (murderer) is not revealed until the end. See a list of common mystery subgenres below. Examples include Agatha Christie, Murder She Wrote and Psych.
A suspense novel is about suspense. The reader knows the protagonist is endangered from the start, but the protagonist may only gradually become aware of the danger. The suspense genre covers everything from romantic suspense to psychological suspense and horror. Examples include Nora Roberts, Lynette Eason and Alfred Hitchcock movies.
A thriller is about action and danger. The protagonist’s goal is to stop the bad guy’s evil plan from succeeding. The protagonist and/or others are in danger from the start. Thrillers come in a wide variety of subgenres, including: espionage, political, legal, eco-terror, disaster, treasure, and sci-fi. Big names include Tom Clancy, John Grisham, and Clive Cussler.
Common mystery subgenres
Amateur Sleuth—the protagonist is not a P.I. or employed in law enforcement, and he or she does not get paid for solving the crime. Examples include Dorothy Sayers and the Hardy Boys.
Cozy—clever sleuthing without the gore, violence or naughty words. Miss Marple is a classic example. Modern cozies often feature a theme like cats (Lillian Jackson Braun) or cooking (Diane Mott Davidson).
Hard-boiled/Noir—crime fiction with a dark tone, plenty of gritty brutality, and tough-guy protagonists. Most definitely not cozy. Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler are classic examples.
Historical—a mystery set in the past. The sleuth may be an amateur, a PI or a policeman. Examples include Anne Perry, Elizabeth Peters, and Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.
Legal/Medical—the protagonist is a lawyer or doctor and the plot revolves around details of that profession. Usually written by medical or legal professionals. Big names include Lisa Scottoline and Robin Cook.
Police Procedural—the protagonist is a law enforcement professional, the solution involves detailed investigative techniques, and the story is more about proving guilt than discovering whodunit. Think CSI or Law and Order.
Private Investigator/Private Eye—the protagonist is a professional rather than an amateur sleuth. Like the police, solving crimes is how they earn their living. Think Sue Grafton, or The Rockford Files.
Psychological Suspense—these crime novels explore psychological issues, and typically feature a protagonist who is a psychologist or psychiatrist. Gillian Flynn and The Silence of the Lambs.
Romantic Suspense—a female protagonist is in danger, often while trying to solve a crime. In the end justice prevails and true love wins out. Authors include Terri Blackstock and Colleen Coble.
Welcome, Ace. Can you share a little about your recent book –
The Cat’s Eye came out in August and it is the first full-length novel from theIn The President’s Service series. Since Helen Meeker’s debut in The Yellow Packard, I have written and Elk Lake has released twelve short novels outlining her adventures during World War II, this book, because of its length and complicated plot, really expands the lead’s character as it combines action/adventure with a complicated whodunit and a touch of love. I’ll share the back cover blurb with you to give you a bit of a feel for this one…
The Cat’s Eye Has It All—
A Kidnapped Child, a Murdered Japanese Woman, A Secret Nazi Project
Helen Meeker is immersed in a perverse game where lives are cheap, faith is in short supply, death is a constant companion and the action never stops. A kidnapped Norwegian child, a murdered Japanese-American woman, and a secret Nazi project hidden inside a mountain build into a breathless adventure that literally spans the globe. The Cat’s Eye, Ace Collins’s first full-length novel since The Yellow Packard, finds Helen Meeker challenged to solve the perfect crime in Chicago as well as to go behind enemy lines to destroy a German super weapon. With the help of her mysterious partner Teresa Bryant and a host of colorful teammates, Meeker confronts a hitman, a gambler, a top Nazi leader, and SS officers and escapes bomb blasts, gunfire, and lethal double agents. Along the way, she employs all her athletic skills, instincts, and intelligence when confronting the brightest mind in all of Germany and the most desperate industrialist in the United States.
Why do you write? Do you have a theme, message, or goal for your books?
I was writing when I was in third grade, so storytelling is a natural part of who I am. In a very real sense, I’m just doing what my grandparents used to do as they entertained me with their stories on the front porch of their Arkansas home.
Each of my books has a theme and a lesson. In general, my novels follow the adventures of reluctant heroes — those who didn’t want to be placed in a heroic position but find themselves there in spite of their hesitancy. I think the goal of any book, mine or others, has to be to entertain the reader. Without that facet then no one is going ever learn the lessons you have placed in your storyline.
How long have you been writing? And how long did it take you to get your first major book contract?
I actually have been writing for over three decades professionally. I quit a job in public relations when I got my first contract. Thanks to a friend in the entertainment business that opportunity just came my way. It took a few years to get that second contract though so for years I substitute taught in schools and did other odd jobs as well. Also wrote about 2,000 magazine features during the lean years.
How long does it take you to write a book?
My nonfiction books can take as long as six months. There is so much research that must be done in nonfiction. I can write, edit and rewrite a full-length novel in less than three months.
What’s your writing work schedule like?
I am a night person so I am most creative later in the day. Thus, the grunt work happens before noon. I tend to write in the afternoon and early evening and edit and rewrite in the mornings.
Do you have an interesting writing quirk? If so, what is it?
I often get book ideas in church so I have a lot of church bulletins with quick novel outlines scribbled on them.
What has been your greatest joy(s) in your writing career?
No doubt it was winning The Christy for The Color of Justice. I was very proud of that book and its message and it thrilled me that others noticed as well. In nonfiction, it has been the success of all my Christmas books beginning with The Stories Behind The Best-Loved Songs of Christmas. Hitting #3 on the overall Amazon sales list was something I never expected.
What has been your darkest moment(s)?
I’m such an upbeat person, I don’t think I have one. Sure I’ve had bad reviews, but that is a matter of taste, not everyone is going to like what I create, but I really don’t recall any dark moments even when I was struggling early in my career.
Which of your books is your favorite?
I mentioned The Color Justice earlier, and it tops my personal charts, but I do love writing the In The President’s Service series. To take a character and expand her over the course of now more than 700,000 words has been both a major challenge and a joy! It is every author’s dream to create a character you can live with for a long time.
Who is your favorite author to read?
Let’s go way back to Mark Twain. Of modern authors, I like Clive Cussler’s early stuff. I also love detective novels from the 30s and 40s by Raymond Chandler and others. Most of what I read is historical or biographical.
What advice can you give aspiring writers that you wished you had gotten, or that you wished you would have listened to?
I get to give this advice when I talk to college students each semester. I tell them this…if you truly believe in an idea never give up on it. My bestselling book was rejected twenty-seven times over a decade before finding a home. Also, writing is a team sport; you are only as good as the editors and marketing folks who are a part of your team. So the success you have is because of them as much if not more than it is because of your work.
How many times in your career have you experienced rejection? How did they shape you?
As I mentioned earlier, my bestselling book was rejected twenty-seven times over a decade. I still get rejected all the time. But if you believe in what you are writing you have to keep plugging. So I never give up on something I think has potential.
Do you have a favorite character or scene in one of your books?
I like the characters that are a part of my In The President’s Service series because I have had a chance to get to really know them over fourteen books. That makes them very real to me. There was a scene in The Color of Justice where an older African-American maid, Hattie, talks about prejudice and mentions sneaking a drink from a “white only” water fountains. Her remarks and insight during that narrative blew me away. Yes, sometimes the characters write the words for you!
Where do you get your ideas?
In truth, a single phrase can lead to a whole novel as I turn it over in my mind.
Also, a lot of my ideas come from just observing life, but I also listen to a great deal of classic radio drama from the 30s and 40s. The writing style used in those programs is very similar to the rhythm and pacing I employ in my books.
What are common mistakes you see aspiring writer’s make?
Thinking their work is art and shouldn’t be altered by anyone else. We need editors to point out our holes. So writers must listen to the points of views of others and work with them in order to have a final polished product.
Where/How do you recommend writers try to break into the market?
This is a question I am asked a great deal and my answer is always the same, find a place to get your work published…even if it is initially for free. You have to have a body of work to prove you can tell a good story, so look for places to get bylines.
Amazon: The Cat’s Eye
Ace Collins. Citing his Arkansas heritage, Christy award winner Ace Collins defines himself as a storyteller. In that capacity, Collins has authored more than eighty books for 25 different publishers that have sold more than 2.5 million copies. His catalog includes novels, biographies, children’s works as well as books on history, culture, and faith. He has also been the featured speaker at the National Archives Distinguished Lecture Series, hosted a television special and been featured on every network morning TV show.
Collins’ hobbies include sports, restoring classic cars, Wurlitzer jukeboxes and running. He is married to, Dr. Kathy Collins, the Chair of the Department of Education at Ouachita Baptist University. The couple lives in Arkadelphia, Arkansas and has two grown sons
