How to Write Killer Fiction: The Funhouse of Mystery & the Roller Coaster of Suspense

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Book, esp. for Suspense/Mystery/Thriller Writers
Review: Carolyn Wheat, an accomplished mystery author, has written one of the best books about genre writing that I have ever read. Using compelling examples, she provides a clear and concise overview of the elements of effective mystery and suspense. After giving valuable information about the history of the two related genres, she devotes special attention to each and shows where and how they overlap. In addition to a strong focus upon the structure of the work, she addresses beginnings and middles, the arc of the story, genre formats, and scene and style. She gives special emphasis to effective endings for both suspense novels and mysteries. Wheat covers all the bases and takes it one step further by discussing writing process, the difference between "Outliners" and "Blank Pagers," and what to do when the piece is finished. Her three page summary of "The Writing Process: Tools to Help You Finish" is worth the price of the book. Also provided is a bibliography of useful books to learn theory, for research, or to find good examples to emulate. HOW TO WRITE KILLER FICTION is an excellent reference and how-to book. All writers who wish to infuse mystery, suspense, or simply a tighter, punchier style to their writing should get this book. ~Lori L. Lake, Midwest Book Review

Rating:
Summary: A superbly presented, 192-page, "how-to" instructional
Review: How To Write Killer Fiction: The Funhouse Of Mystery & The Roller Coaster Of Suspense by award-winning mystery writer, editor, and anthologist Carolyn Wheat is a superbly presented, 192-page, "how-to" instructional reference work about the art of creating masterful and enjoyable novels of mystery and suspense. Individual chapters address style and structure, creating satisfying endings, the logistics of creating a story arc, and more. An excellent primer by a published author who has earned the Anthony, Agatha, Macavity, and Shamus Awards, How To Write Killer Fiction is a "must" for anyone aspiring to work in this demanding and popular genre.

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous book!
Review: I read this book twice in a row just so I could fully absorb the lessons put forth by the author. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Granted, it's geared towards mystery and suspense writers, but anyone interested in writing can pick up lessons from this book. It's gotten me to look at my mystery novel in a new light and with renewed energy. If you want to write a mystery or suspense novel, you owe it to yourself to read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Read this in one night, before you start
Review: I read this the first night I got it. It answered my number one question -- howcum the mystery I wrote doesn't work? Could you ask more of a book? Well, you could for this one. It is well written, easy to understand, practical in its advice, and best of all, fairly profound on the philosophy behind the mystery writer's (or thriller writer's) craft. The only thing I would do differently, if I had the chance, is to read this BEFORE I wrote a whole book without knowing whether it was a mystery or a thriller.

Rating:
Summary: Great writing tool
Review: I was tabbing this book so much with sticky notes I gave up. Its all good and an excellent tool in writing suspense/mystery/thriller stories. Especially for those who wan tto know the differnce between mystery and suspense! I'm a published author and strongly believe we whould all go back to the basics once in a while, relearn them and hear it from a different perspective.
Recommend Goal, Motivation and Conflict, by Deb Dixon, Complete Guide to Heroes and Heroines, Tami Cowden et al, 20 Master Plots and how to build them, Ron Tobias.

Rating:
Summary: Great writing tool
Review: If you are looking for the best how to write 'whodunit' source book in the entire world, this is it. Don't walk, don't dawdle, RUN and get this book.

I haven't, to my knowledge, read any of Carolyn Wheat's books, but she has the best analytical mind when it comes to disecting what makes other author's books 'work.' She breaks down each factor, gives marvelous samples in current and ancient works (myths), and then lays out the roadmap.

If you are a struggling writer trying to write that perfect murder mystery or suspense thriller, this cookbook will teach you how to lay out the story line, point out what 'holes' you may have in your story before you write the words down, then guide you down the path to doing it 'right.'

Try this book and study it from cover to cover, then sit down and write your story, then use this book to look back over your plot to see if it fits in with the recipe. If you can't get it to work, then maybe writing isn't what you need to be doing.

I have read dozens of books on 'how to write' and after Lawrence Block's books that give great advice, I would rank this one as number one on my list. And, I intend the book to stay on my bookshelf forever!

Rating:
Summary: Killer Cookbook for Murder, Mystery & Suspense Writers
Review: If you are looking for the best how to write 'whodunit' source book in the entire world, this is it. Don't walk, don't dawdle, RUN and get this book.

I haven't, to my knowledge, read any of Carolyn Wheat's books, but she has the best analytical mind when it comes to disecting what makes other author's books 'work.' She breaks down each factor, gives marvelous samples in current and ancient works (myths), and then lays out the roadmap.

If you are a struggling writer trying to write that perfect murder mystery or suspense thriller, this cookbook will teach you how to lay out the story line, point out what 'holes' you may have in your story before you write the words down, then guide you down the path to doing it 'right.'

Try this book and study it from cover to cover, then sit down and write your story, then use this book to look back over your plot to see if it fits in with the recipe. If you can't get it to work, then maybe writing isn't what you need to be doing.

I have read dozens of books on 'how to write' and after Lawrence Block's books that give great advice, I would rank this one as number one on my list. And, I intend the book to stay on my bookshelf forever!

Rating:
Summary: A killer writing resource!
Review: Sporting perhaps the worst cover foisted off on a name author, "How to Write Killer Fiction" has a lot more going for it on the inside than the outside. Writing about a topic she knows well, Carolyn Wheat gives readers the wealth of her experience in writing mystery and suspense novels.

Broken up into three sections, Wheat examines the differences between mystery (puzzles, myth, clues, intellectual satisfaction) and suspense (nightmare, fairy tale, surprises, emotional satisfaction) in the first two and the correct way to approach penning both. She delves into the writing details of subgenres of mysteries that feature the police procedural, hardboiled detectives, and amateur sleuths, while flipping the coin to highlight the ordinariness of the heroes in suspense fiction.

Highly helpful in these two parts are the in-depth analysis of the nature of story arcs and how they should best be played out in the two genres. Wheat provides insider tips on how to establish a flow that will not jar avid fans of each genre. Also stellar is the idea that at their core these two genres mirror the heroic epics of long ago, myth and fairy tale being the basis for all writing that ultimately resonates with the reader. And fortunately for us, the essence of myth and fairy tale are condensed here for those hoping to make their own works more lasting.

Part three focuses on general writing tips and looks at the styles of the "Blank Pager" and the "Outliner" - respectively those who write not having a complete plan and those who are meticulous in their conceptions - pointing out the strengths and weakness inherent in each approach and how best to learn from the counterpart style. Editing the novel is afforded quite a bit of coverage at the end and much of the advice here runs to the spare style favored by both today's readers and their audience.

To this end, the author has written a "How To" that doesn't mince words and goes straight to the heart of how to write great mystery and suspense novels. The book moves along at a clip and is brimming with helpful advice. I don't even write in those two genres and I found myself getting quite a bit from the book.

Very good and well recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A killer writing resource!
Review: Sporting perhaps the worst cover foisted off on a name author, "How to Write Killer Fiction" has a lot more going for it on the inside than the outside. Writing about a topic she knows well, Carolyn Wheat gives readers the wealth of her experience in writing mystery and suspense novels.

Broken up into three sections, Wheat examines the differences between mystery (puzzles, myth, clues, intellectual satisfaction) and suspense (nightmare, fairy tale, surprises, emotional satisfaction) in the first two and the correct way to approach penning both. She delves into the writing details of subgenres of mysteries that feature the police procedural, hardboiled detectives, and amateur sleuths, while flipping the coin to highlight the ordinariness of the heroes in suspense fiction.

Highly helpful in these two parts are the in-depth analysis of the nature of story arcs and how they should best be played out in the two genres. Wheat provides insider tips on how to establish a flow that will not jar avid fans of each genre. Also stellar is the idea that at their core these two genres mirror the heroic epics of long ago, myth and fairy tale being the basis for all writing that ultimately resonates with the reader. And fortunately for us, the essence of myth and fairy tale are condensed here for those hoping to make their own works more lasting.

Part three focuses on general writing tips and looks at the styles of the "Blank Pager" and the "Outliner" - respectively those who write not having a complete plan and those who are meticulous in their conceptions - pointing out the strengths and weakness inherent in each approach and how best to learn from the counterpart style. Editing the novel is afforded quite a bit of coverage at the end and much of the advice here runs to the spare style favored by both today's readers and their audience.

To this end, the author has written a "How To" that doesn't mince words and goes straight to the heart of how to write great mystery and suspense novels. The book moves along at a clip and is brimming with helpful advice. I don't even write in those two genres and I found myself getting quite a bit from the book.

Very good and well recommended.