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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 808.3872
EAN num: 9781582973760
ISBN number: 1582973768
Label: Writers Digest Books
Manufacturer: Writers Digest Books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 256
Printing Date: September 01, 2005
Publishing house: Writers Digest Books
Sale Popularity Level: 94513
Studio: Writers Digest Books
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Product Description:
How to write a page-turner is no mystery with this thorough and authoritative guide. Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel: Features comprehensive instruction, exercises, and worksheets for mystery writers of all levels Addresses all subgenres of mystery from hardboiled crimes to romantic thrillers and medical mysteries Covers how to grab readers from the very first chapter; how to construct effective plots, and how to revise and submit mystery novels to publishers The author takes the mystery out of the writing process, making it less daunting for beginners and more efficient for experienced writers.
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Rated by buyers 
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I bought this book because I recently had an idea for a historical romance with a strong mystery/suspense plot. I've never tried to write a full-on mystery before and I felt intimidated. The idea of having multiple suspects and subplots and dropping (and hiding clues) felt overwhelming to me.
When I looked through the books offered on Amazon for mystery writing, I saw many reviews that said the books were less about mystery writing and more about writing in general, which was not what I wanted. I already own books on writing and I've studied writing, so I just wanted a book to explain the particulars of the mystery genre. This book was perfect.
The book is divided into four main sections: Planning, Writing, Revising, and Selling Your Mystery Novel. Each section includes several chapters. The very first section covers the basics: The premise, the sleuth, the villain, the crime, the suspects, etc. The Writing Section explains dialogue, point-of-view (POV), how to insert clues and make them seem unimportant subsequent to blue herring clues. There is also a chapter on how to write the action/suspense scenes.
As other reviewers have stated, this book contains a lot of exercises. Some of the exercises relate to using examples from your own work-in-progress and some exercises are based on excerpts from other books that Ephron presents and you have to continue the dialogue or write another version of the scene.
I enjoyed this book because it broke things down in a way that was easy for me to understand. I found Chapter 17, Writing Investigation: Clues, Red Herrings, and Misdirection, to be very helpful. Page 157-158 in my edition explain how to distract the reader from realizing the significance of a clue. The chapter on the villain is basic, but useful. One important question it asks is: is the crime appropriate for the villain? Is the villain strong enough, smart enough, dumb enough for this crime? What kind of villain would commit this type of crime? Why would he or she choose this method?
There is also some useful stuff on POV: examining the way different characters talk and using tone and sentence structure to highlight the difference between characters.
One of the things that came through clearly in this book is that no one ever writes a brilliant very first draft. There is always going to be something that has to be layered in or re-worked later. It was a relief to me to really understand this. I mean, I have done it (completely reworked a plot or a scene after writing a very first draft), but somehow, I forgot that during this process of planning out my historical mystery.
Ephron is very thorough and includes information on picking out agents, publishers, critique partners, and even book doctors. She even includes a checklist to see if a small press publisher is reputable, which is useful for the novice writer. Writers who have been around a while or who are active in writers groups may already know some of this information, but it's useful if you're new to writing or new to mystery writing.
There is also an example of a query letter and cover page and what formatting is required. This is a selling point in my opinion because when I very first started writing, I found that many books gave you advice on how to write but not on proper submission formatting. Where should your contact information be on the title page? What font or spacing should you use? The only thing that would have made it better would have been an example of a synopsis.
This is an excellent book because it gives a lot of advice for 248 pages and if you only have money to buy one book on mystery writing, I think this is a great one to start with.
Rated by buyers -
I am writing a romatic suspense novel, and I've found this book to be a fantastic resource for developing a deep understanding of my own characters. Now I feel like I know exactly how each of my point of view characters would act, feel, and speak in each situation I throw them in (or they throw themselves into as they've now taken on a life of their own!!). I've also really appreciated the exercises on structuring the plot to keep the readers guessing--how to structure suspect analysis (motive, lies, secrets, etc) and the supporting cast.
If you're serious about structuring a good mystery (even if it's a subplot like my own), this will be a great resource.
Rated by buyers 
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If you don't know how to write, this book won't teach you; however, it is an excellent review, a good pattern, a genre-description. If you're a writer and you're WONDERING if you can write mysteries, this would be a good book for you to read.
Rated by buyers -
I undertook this book among with a few other "craft" books after completing the second draft of a mystery novel, to help clear my head and clarify what I would need to accomplish in the third draft. I found it among the most useful craft books I've ever encountered. Clear, concise, clever, and accurate. Ephron writes from experience and respects writers willing to give novel-writing a go; she does not talk down to her readers or fill her pages with useless advice such as "don't forget to do XYZ, but don't do it too much." The exercises and instructions she includes will not write a book for you, but they will help you understand what you will need to successfully accomplish to write a book of your own. I find most craft books barely more useful than doorstops - thinly veiled memoirs, for the most part - but this is a true gem among the huge number of "how to write a mystery" books you could choose from.
Rated by buyers -
Excellent way to get going on that mystery novel. The exercises direct your thinking about your plot and characters. Answering her questions makes the characters especially come alive and the story takes off from there!!!
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