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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

I requested this book to review for purely selfish reasons. No, I don't want to write the next great mystery novel. I do want to know what to look for; how to recognize what works, what doesn't; and why it works or doesn't work when I read a mystery novel for the purpose of writing a cogent review.

Carolyn Wheat begins by discussing the differences between mystery novels and novels of suspense. She compares them to a funhouse and a roller coaster. Ms. Whear, in her introduction, discusses seven major differences, with examples of each. There are differences of awareness by the reader, differences of behavior required of the hero/heroine. She provides a checklist at the end, which makes a nice reference point for writers as they decide what it is they are writing or want to write.

Part 1 is devoted to "The Funhouse of Mystery". There are four chapters. The "Welcome" chapter gives a brief overview of the history of mystery, how the old days differ from the present, and how to figure out what it is about a mystery that the writer loves.

The second chapter is devoted to Clues and Cover-ups. Short, sweet, and on the money.

The third chapter, "Build Me an Arc", is about the four-arc system for organizing a novel. Being new to this "technical" aspect of how a novel works (I always just read and enjoyed, didn't spend any time analyzing the "why" of what I was reading), I found this section very enlightening. I assume that this is not a new concept to those who study the mechanics of writing; it made a great deal of sense to me. Ms. Wheat explains how the arcs work, with examples from contemporary mystery fiction.

Chapter 4 is devoted to various endings - how they work or don't work, what to do to make them work. She talks about the "meta-novel", which is the novel formed by several novels in a series, and how the arcs need to work both within each novel and within the context of the novels in a series.

The next four chapters are devoted to "The Roller Coaster of Suspense". Again, the first chapter is a review of the history of the suspense novel, its connection to the Gothic Tradition, why Spy Fiction is part of Suspense, and so on.

The next chapter has to do with the "Hero's Journey" within the suspense novel. Ms. Wheat connects this with the myth of Psyche and her journey into Hades, and gives us examples of how every suspense novel, in some fashion, must recreate this journey. She provides a very clear outline of this journey, again a great reference point.

Chapter 7 explains the workings of the four-arc process in writing suspense. Same concept, different requirements in terms of specifics when compared with mystery novels.

Chapter 8 deals with endings, in very much the same fashion that chapter 4 did. What works, what doesn't. What lets a reader down in an ending and how to avoid that situation. Ms. Wheat explains why it is so difficult to have a series, with repeating main characters, when one writes suspense novels, and then shows how it can be done successfully.

Part 3 is even more about the nuts-and-bolts aspects of writing. Chapter 9 is "Scene and Style". A scene is not the same as a chapter. We learn what a scene is and isn't, and what a storyboard is and how to use it. She discusses narrative, which is not the same as scene.

Chapter 10 discusses the differences between writers who use outlines and writers Ms. Wheat calls "blank-pagers", those who just sit down and start writing. She explains the down sides to each method, as well as the benefits. She shows how using the opposite method can help each type of writer when that writer becomes stalled, for whatever reason. There is a 2-page reference tool given at the end of the chapter, entitiled "The Writing Process: Tools to Help You Finish."

The Epilogue deals more with the finished product. How does a writer know when a book is finished? How to get it from "finished" to published. There are very concrete suggestions in this section on how to find an agent, or an editor, or a publishing company. Ms. Wheat discusses the choices an author has to make when looking for a publishing company. I found this section to be very helpful and have recommended this book to an unpublished author for precisely this section.

The last chapter is a bibliograpy, an annotated bibliography. There is a section devoted specifically to books on writing, as well as a section just for the subject of "mystery". Ms. Wheat is also kind enough to include a list of every book she uses as an example. That list would make a great introduction to the best of mystery/suspense fiction; it has already made my TBR list even longer.

I am sure there are other books out there which speak to the needs of mystery writers. I would recommend that any writer look at several, and pick the one(s) that work for her/him. I would strongly recommend that this book be included in the list. I found it cogent, concise, and coherent. The examples used by Ms. Wheat are easily availble for closer study. I've added it to the "mystery reference book" section of my library. I've already recommended it, and expect to do so again many times.

Reviewed by P.J. Coldren, March 2003

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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