Guide to Writing the Mystery Novel: Lots of Examples, Plus Dead Bodies

For those who want to know how to write a mystery novel and want some common writing problems explained in an easy-to-understand manner, Guide to Writing the Mystery Novel provides lots of examples and also humor.

As she was writing her second mystery novel, Sound Proof, the author encountered particular problems. Thinking about how to solve these problems, she began to keep notes on the process. She drew diagrams and made charts. By the time she finished her mystery novel, she had solved her writing problems - and from her notes, charts, and diagrams she wrote this accessible how-to book, Guide to Writing the Mystery Novel.

Talking about her experiences in a heart-to-heart way, the author aims at helping others with their own writing problems. Problems such as:

- what to do with patterns of suspicion when the villain is a major character
- what to do with patterns of suspicion when the villain is a minor character
- how many subplots work best, and in what order should they be introduced?
- how does a writer create setting?
- what is good description writing, and what is bad?

Guide to Writing the Mystery Novel is a solid how-to book, easy to use, and enjoyable to read.