Author, Compulsively Readable Thrillers
First off, many thanks (I think) to my good friend Stacy Juba for inviting me into “The Writing Process” blog tour. It just so happens I’m about to start a new project, so I’m thinking a lot about my process. Next week, Sujata Massey, Lenny Kleinfeld, and Christine Kling will post their responses to the questions … Read more
A couple of months ago, I was honored to be included in the “Mystery Marathon”, an entire weekend of mystery shows sponsored by WYCC, a Chicago public station. Over the weekend they interviewed me during some of the breaks between the shows. I’ve tried to edit out the pledge parts, so what remains is about 20 minutes of a … Read more
POV is sometimes called “head-hopping,” and it’s probably the most common mistake new writers make. It means you can only be in one person’s head during a scene. Sometimes that means just a subtle difference, but it’s important.If you do it incorrectly too many times, it will stop a reader and take them out of the … Read more
The Rouses were the model suburban family. Father Bruce, a self-made man who built his fortune starting with a couple of gas stations and expanded into cable TV and real estate, built a 13 room mansion in Libertyville, an affluent suburb on Chicago’s North Shore. Wife Darlene was a member of all the right clubs … Read more
That first sentence (or two) is critical. They must make the reader keep reading because they HAVE to know what’s going on. That means starting “in media res,” in the middle of things. Like these: “The man with ten minutes to live was laughing.” The Fist of God by Frederick Forsyth “The small boys came … Read more
People don’t speak with perfect grammar (except for your fourth grade teacher). So feel free to make your dialogue as colloquial as the character’s education and background dictates. Narrative, however, should always follow the rules. You might wonder whether that includes a character’s thought process (ie his/her internalizing or thinking, but not dialogue). The answer … Read more
Here is where I sound like your fourth grade teacher. Grammar IS important. But it’s not rocket science. You can learn all those pesky rules (and English has more rules than most languages). Why? Because knowing the rules will make you a better writer. When you know proper grammar, it’s easier to eliminate dangling participles, … Read more
Some of you know I write a column for Women’s Voices Magazine. Happily, it’s in their “Enjoy” section, which means I get to write about books and movies I’ve loved — every month. Usually they’re not new films or books, but they are centered on a theme. Recently, I wrote about Movie Musicals. Since April … Read more
So we did it — the Top Suspense Group (of which I’m a member) conducted our first Google Hangout On air last night. All in all, I think it went pretty well. We tried to focus on techniques of suspense (imagine that), although we got side-tracked a lot. But it was fun. I hope you … Read more
She would cringe to hear me say that, but it’s true: the Georgia Davis books now have new covers. I don’t know about you, but the process of designing a book cover and then seeing the reality is one of the most satisfying parts of indie publishing. And just in time for the holidays, too. … Read more