How to Write a Damn Good Mystery

A Practical Step-by-Step Guide from Inspiration to Finished Manuscript


Cover of the book How to Write a Damn Good Mystery by James N. Frey, St. Martin's Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: James N. Frey ISBN: 9781429974134
Publisher: St. Martin's Press Publication: April 1, 2007
Imprint: St. Martin's Press Language: English
Author: James N. Frey
ISBN: 9781429974134
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication: April 1, 2007
Imprint: St. Martin's Press
Language: English

Edgar award nominee James N. Frey, author of the internationally best-selling books on the craft of writing, How to Write a Damn Good Novel, How to Write a Damn Good Novel II: Advanced Techniques, and The Key: How to Write Damn Good Fiction Using the Power of Myth, has now written what is certain to become the standard "how to" book for mystery writing, How to Write a Damn Good Mystery.

Frey urges writers to aim high-not to try to write a good-enough-to-get-published mystery, but a damn good mystery. A damn good mystery is first a dramatic novel, Frey insists-a dramatic novel with living, breathing characters-and he shows his readers how to create a living, breathing, believable character who will be clever and resourceful, willful and resolute, and will be what Frey calls "the author of the plot behind the plot."

Frey then shows, in his well-known, entertaining, and accessible (and often humorous) style , how the characters-the entire ensemble, including the murderer, the detective, the authorities, the victims, the suspects, the witnesses and the bystanders-create a complete and coherent world.

Exploring both the on-stage action and the behind-the-scenes intrigue, Frey shows prospective writers how to build a fleshed-out, believable, and logical world. He shows them exactly which parts of that world show up in the pages of a damn good mystery-and which parts are held back just long enough to keep the reader guessing.

This is an indispensable step-by-step guide for anyone who's ever dreamed of writing a damn good mystery.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Edgar award nominee James N. Frey, author of the internationally best-selling books on the craft of writing, How to Write a Damn Good Novel, How to Write a Damn Good Novel II: Advanced Techniques, and The Key: How to Write Damn Good Fiction Using the Power of Myth, has now written what is certain to become the standard "how to" book for mystery writing, How to Write a Damn Good Mystery.

Frey urges writers to aim high-not to try to write a good-enough-to-get-published mystery, but a damn good mystery. A damn good mystery is first a dramatic novel, Frey insists-a dramatic novel with living, breathing characters-and he shows his readers how to create a living, breathing, believable character who will be clever and resourceful, willful and resolute, and will be what Frey calls "the author of the plot behind the plot."

Frey then shows, in his well-known, entertaining, and accessible (and often humorous) style , how the characters-the entire ensemble, including the murderer, the detective, the authorities, the victims, the suspects, the witnesses and the bystanders-create a complete and coherent world.

Exploring both the on-stage action and the behind-the-scenes intrigue, Frey shows prospective writers how to build a fleshed-out, believable, and logical world. He shows them exactly which parts of that world show up in the pages of a damn good mystery-and which parts are held back just long enough to keep the reader guessing.

This is an indispensable step-by-step guide for anyone who's ever dreamed of writing a damn good mystery.

More books from St. Martin's Press

Cover of the book The Invitation by James N. Frey
Cover of the book Thin Is the New Happy by James N. Frey
Cover of the book A Gathering of Wonders by James N. Frey
Cover of the book No Rain in the Amazon by James N. Frey
Cover of the book Wink of an Eye by James N. Frey
Cover of the book The Devil's Ribbon by James N. Frey
Cover of the book Fierce by James N. Frey
Cover of the book Sweet Valley High, Books 1-12 by James N. Frey
Cover of the book Wives and Sisters by James N. Frey
Cover of the book Thistle and Twigg by James N. Frey
Cover of the book Green: Your Place in the New Energy Revolution by James N. Frey
Cover of the book The Riddle of the Deplorable Dandy by James N. Frey
Cover of the book An Animated Death In Burbank by James N. Frey
Cover of the book Ashes of Heaven by James N. Frey
Cover of the book Fatal Majesty by James N. Frey
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy