This book is the first in a four book mystery series. I am half way through it, and enjoying every word.
Tag: mystery
Current Happenings
Birthday bashes, new books coming down the pike, becoming part of an association of fellow authors, and other happenings have been keeping this girl very busy. I am close to finishing book three in my Time Series, and I’m in the first part of book 4. Other writing projects include the beginning of a cozy mystery series in coming months. Right now books 3 & 4 in the Time Series takes a front seat.
I also make beaded jewelry. What does that have to do with writing? A ha! So glad you asked. In the coming couple of months I will be giving away a bracelet with purchase of a book at my book signings. These free bracelets represent the gems found in my stories. They are made with Preciosa crystals, whereas the gems in my books are real. That’s the first part of this project. For the second part, I will be making jewelry using genuine gemstones represented in my books and putting them on my table at craft shows for sale.
My jewelry name is Jewelry By Marlisa. So within that brand will be what I am calling my Time Series line of jewelry. This will link both my books and jewelry together.
Lights of Fantasy
Story Tension
Tension within a story is the sense that something ominous/foreboding is around the corner. What are some ways you can create tension within your story?
Forms of Tension
- Increase conflict between your characters.
- Make the situation worse for your character(s). Ahh, the tension of the task. Don’t make what your characters have to do easy. Don’t allow them to get what they want right away.
- There is tension in surprise. Readers like to be surprised, whether it’s good or bad. Prolong it. Keep stringing them along until just the right time.
- Create an air of mystery. We all love a mystery.
Choosing a Genre
Whether you are writing a book or reading one, you’re choosing a genre.
- Genre: The dictionary definition of genre is as follows “A class or category of artistic endeavor having a particular form, content, technique, or the like:” It involves, “a kind, category, or sort, esp. of literary or artistic work.”
Nonfiction, fiction, and poetry are the three main literary genres, but there are many subgenres within each of these three. I’m going to pick on fiction and list some of these subgenres below.
- horror
- mystery
- fantasy
- legend
- thriller
- science fiction
- crime
- romance
Let’s say you want to write a short story, but you don’t know which kind you want to write. Well, what interests you the most? If you are an avid reader of fantasy fiction, then chances are you’re familiar with that subgenre. In that case choosing fantasy would be best. But what if you wanted to challenge yourself and write in a subgenre you are not familiar with? Then choose one outside your comfort zone. If you do that, make sure you do your homework and read a few books or short stories in that unfamiliar subgenre and do some reading up on it. Trust me, they all have their particular rules one must adhere to when writing in them.
There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to choosing a genre. It really is up to you and what your goals are.
Writing That Stings
What is it about a piece of writing that keeps you glued to the pages? Is it just one particular writing element that does the job, or is it more than one? I’m currently reading a mystery thriller series by Jeff Carson. It’s the David Wolf series. If you haven’t checked out these books, I highly recommend them. In less than a week I’ve finished the first five books and am on book six right now. What is it that keeps me reading them?
- Characters–The characters are unique and lifelike. Each of them have their own set of problems, likes/dislikes, habits and quirks, etc. You don’t end up liking or disliking them because you’re supposed to. You do that because these characters are very three dimensional. They jump off the page. They are real. You want to be ‘around’ them.
- Description–The setting is richly described and also jumps off the page. The reader is able to see the environment and be a part of the story. The author does this though without being too descriptive. It doesn’t take away from the story. If you read these books, you’ll find that the descriptions add to the story and provides clues.
- The Story–YES, the story itself is extremely compelling. You’re eyes/brain will be glued to the pages. The cause and effect of the plot structure is expertly done. Everything happens for a reason, whether you the reader thinks so or not.
So, you see, drawing a reader into your story is done with various tools, not just one. But, essentially, how you do that is up to you. After all, it’s your story.
What Lies Beyond
Award Given
Applause to Indie Author Kelly Miller, our spotlight in February 2021 for book of the month. Her novel Accusing Mr. Darcy won for Romantic Suspense in Speak Up Talk Radio’s Firebird Book Awards.
We wish you continued success and many more awards to come.
Knowing
We’ve all heard the mantra ‘write what you know’. Well, what do you know? You might get stuck here, and the reason I say this is because you may not think you know enough. Trust me when I say, you do. You have a whole lifetime of experience to use in your writing. You don’t necessarily need to know anything about any one thing in order to write what you know.
In my book The Triunix of Time I have lots of real life experiences included in the story. No, I’m not going to tell you which ones (LOL). There is also included in the story dialogue from conversations I had with others; snippets. Then, the icing on the cake, embellishment. Yes, use what you know and have fun fictionalizing it and building on it.
Here’s an example:
We’ve all had at least one favorite summer; maybe more than one. What made that summer your favorite? Maybe you spent it at the beach most often and you met a new friend, or maybe you spent two weeks of it with a cousin on a farm. Yes, lets use the farm experience. Cousins are a lot of fun. If you have cousins, and I’m sure you do, you know what I’m talking about here. Let’s say you want to write a mystery, but you don’t know what to use as it pertains to setting, characters, etc. Use your experience with your cousins on their farm. Let’s say you and your cousin found a wallet in the barn while cleaning the stalls. It ended up being your uncle’s wallet. Let’s fictionalize that a bit. Maybe you and your cousins were in your early teens. Write a YA mystery involving a bag of wallets you found in a hay loft in a small barn you were both told to stay out of. You were caught by your uncle’s friend when he walked in and heard someone up in the loft. You and Johnny in your haste put the bag of wallets back in a rush and call out. “Just getting some hay for the horses’ stalls.” And on the story would go. Do you see how you could create something wonderful from one experience? By the way, feel free to steal this idea.
WRITE TIME AND AGAIN 