About
Reviews
Search
Submit
Home

Mystery Books for Sale

[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]


  

HOW TO WRITE KILLER FICTION
by Carolyn Wheat
Perseverance Press , May 2003
192 pages
$13.95
ISBN: 1880284626


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

³Learning the craft² takes on a new and vibrant meaning under the pen and keyboard of Carolyn Wheat in her new how-to book: How to Write Killer Fiction. Not only a manual for great writing, it makes good reading as well.

Illustrations from popular authors are showcased, but readers will find new "leads" as well. Before beginning to write our novel, the author wisely advises us to write the book we would most like to read.  Simple but sage advice. Mystery fictionıs rules and traditions are often in stark contrast to the thrillerıs roller-coaster ride across the pages. Each technique is covered in separately explained sections.

Those in a hurry to know these distinctions, turn to page 29 for the comprehensive Mystery/Suspense Checklist and your questions will be answered at a glance. Besides the technical how-to instruction--building a story arc, planting clues, cover-ups and choosing your killer ----the author backs up her instructions with knowledge aplenty! Her knowledge of authors for each category would fill a book. In fact, is has--this one!

From classic to modern, authors' works serve as illustration of the writing technique, whether you crave the village cozy or bask in the hard-boiled. She can zero in on the apt example at the drop of a blunt instrument.

Although these two novel styles are covered in their own different sections, it would benefit any writer to read this book from chapter one to the end. You can learn from both "sub-genres", and might even be tempted to try one the other side of the line. In conclusion, the writing process in general and writing ³killer fiction² in particular have got you covered in this user-friendly approach to the urge to ³tell a killer story.²

Reviewed by Tess Allegra, March 2003

This book has more than one review. Click here to show all.

[ Top ]


QUICK SEARCH:

 

Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]