Mystery Novels

We're still typing away!

BLOG SESSION

July 2017

Good Morning everyone ~ We're back for another fabulous Blog Session about Mystery Novels.  In our last Blog Session we discussed a little about what a Mystery Novel is, and your making a decision to write one.  We also discussed character descriptions, Plot Outlines and Plot Diagrams.  At the end of our Session, there were Mystery Novel Tips given out for you to add to your Journal notes.

For those Blog Readers who have been following along in our Sessions, many of you have already started on your Novels for Camp NaNoWriMo which is going on this month.  There are many wonderful genres to choose from, and many genres have been shared here on the Blog.  We've discussed everything from Fiction to Romance to Memoirs and more. Whatever genre you have decided to take on will be just perfect for you.

If you have missed any of our Blog Sessions, just scroll down to see some of the previous Sessions, or you may find them in our Blog Archive in the right-hand column.

You'll need to grab your Journal at this point, because we're about to take more notes about writing a Mystery Novel.

Journal Notes

Picking back up where we left off, the next thing you'll need to do after you've worked on your Plot and your Scenes, is to plant some clues.  It doesn't matter if you are writing crime or ghost stories, you will still need clues as to what is actually happening in your story.

In Crime Novels, your clues should be very subtle, for example a hair bow left at a crime scene, or a misplaced item that cannot be easily moved.

In a Ghost Story, your clues should be shocking -- like the sudden disappearance of a person in the dark or a ghostly hand touching someone's face.

To help you out with your clues, be sure to read some real life accounts of crime scenes to find out what the little things are that give people away.

It's a good idea for you to write a First Draft.  Your first draft doesn't have to be perfect, but it does serve as a vital tool for the creation of the backbone of your story.  Therefore, knowing that a first draft serves a vital purpose for many Writers, you should take your first draft seriously in the sense that it will make life a lot easier for you as you work on your Novel.  You can always go back and add more to your first draft  later.  For now, as you write your first draft, just focus on the solid bones of your story.  Worry about the flesh, skin and eyeballs later.

Another tip for all Novel Writers is to let your writing come easily, don't try to filter it.  Let your spirit flow freely as you write.  You'll be amazed at what comes out!

SPECIAL TIPS

TIP:  Get an index card holder, and a pack of multi-colored index cards with a set of dividers.  You can use numbered dividers or alpha dividers.  Your dividers can be multi-colored or not.  You may also like to try an index card flip-board.  You can use these index cards for many different purposes . . .

Index Card Box with Alpha Dividers

Multi-Colored Index Cards

Multi-Colored Dividers

Alpha Colored Dividers

Numbered Dividers

Flip-Style Index Card Holder

What can I use the index cards for?

1)  Writing your ideas down and categorizing them, i.e.,

      a)  Character connections to other characters in your story

      b)  Various scenes and/or locations in your story

      c)   Background information on each character

      d)   Ideas for various transitions in your story

2)  Plot Schematics

3)  Chapter Storylines

4)  Edits

5)  An array of  various endings or scenes

6)  Research Notes - Helpful Websites

Be creative with your index cards.  Think of some good uses for them to spice up your Novel.

We can't forget a very important part of writing your Novel, and that is Editing...

Get your red pen or pencil out for editing purposes.

Make sure that you look over your work and rewrite what needs fixing.  Rewrite until you get it right.  Make sure that you fix your Novel with edits to make it the best that you can, and also be prepared for the next step, which is publishing.

Once you are comfortable with your edits, send your Manuscript out to be published.  Be prepared for a "No". Not everyone gets their first Mystery Novel published.  It takes time and effort.  Try again and again if you receive "No" as your response.  After about four "No" responses, make some changes and try again.

Rejection is not the end.  It is only a hurdle.  Plenty of famous Authors have been rejected numerous times.  You'll find some of their names, including Stephen King in one of our previous Blog Sessions.

Until our next Blog Session,

Stay Inspired!

Peace, Love & Light,

René

© Copyright - René Allen - JULY 2017 - All Rights Reserved