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

CREATING A NOVEL THAT MAKES SENSE . . .

We're typing away this month!

CREATING A NOVEL THAT MAKES SENSE

BLOG SESSION

July 2017

Writers, Authors, Novelists, Poets, Journalists, Mystery Writers, and Project Writers ~ We are back here on the Blog to discuss something that I think everyone will enjoy, and that's this:  CREATING A NOVEL THAT MAKES SENSE.

By now, if you are participating online during the month of July in Camp NaNoWriMo to work on your Novel or Writing Project, then you will have much to share with your friends about how many words you've written thus far.  The goal is 50,000 words in a month.  This month you have an extra day, so you have 31 days to complete your Novel.

Not only should you have at least 25,000 words written to be on target since we are half-way through the month, but you should also have an Excerpt to share, as well as a Synopsis.  If you aren't quite to that point, not to fear ~ there is still time, and the goal can be reached.

I'm going to be adding in more Chapters to my Novel in Camp online this weekend.  I've been working on my research for the Novel that I am writing in Camp entitled, "And, yet I say ~ I SEE."

My Novel is a Mystery Novel.  For the Authors and Writers who are following along here on the Blog, I'd like to share a little about Mystery Novels with you all.

The Mystery Genre is a type of fiction in which a detective, or other professional solves a crime or a series of crimes.  It can take the form of a Novel or a short story.  This genre may also be called Detective or Crime Novels.

How do you go about writing a Mystery Novel?

This is a good question for the writers who are writing a Mystery Novel for the first time.  To give you just a little background on mystery novels, just know that mystery novels have been spooking children as well as adults for many years.  There are haunted houses, crimes, ghosts, and many other details that will keep the reader turning the pages of your Mystery Novel should you choose to write a good one.  In the end, it will still be a mystery whatever the case may be that you are writing about.  If you have ever been involved in a mystery yourself, or you love reading mystery novels, then you may want to consider writing a mystery novel.

Writing a Mystery Novel takes time and a great deal of effort on the Author or Writer's part.  You must consider your schedule, and also carve out time to really do a good job working on your mystery novel.

The first thing you need to do if you are going to write a mystery novel is decide what kind of mystery you will be writing.  This means that you will have to think about whether you will be writing a ghost story or a crime novel.  Will you have a creepy haunted house in your mystery novel, or a murder scene?  The decision you make will be the focal point that you will spring from when it comes to writing your mystery novel.

The most important thing about writing any type of Novel is that it must make sense.

Make sure you have Character descriptions.  You should include the following details (as an example) . . .

Name:  Carter Royal

Age:  76

Height:  6"5

Weight:  220 pounds

Role in the story:  Lead Detective

Eye Color:  Hazel

Hair Color:  Golden Brown

Skin Tone:  Caramel complexion

Habits:  Chain smoker

Identifying Feature:  Large tattoo on the left arm

Past History:  Former Police Officer, married twice, no

                              children   

Present History:  Lead Detective, married to Paula

Future Goals:  Retire soon

Theme Song:  In the Air tonight by Phil Collins

After you have written your Character Descriptions, you should start roughing out all of your cast of characters.  Your characters are the foundation of your Novel.  You'll need to have a protagonist, an antagonist, sub-characters, and background for each character.  The number of details that you include will depend upon how many times the specific character appears in your storyline.  If the lady in the retail store only comes into the Novel one time to say a few words, there is no need to detail her much, simply give a brief description of her -- such as a name, and her job title.

However, for your main character, you will need to include details to the point of the time that he/she normally smokes their cigarette and drinks their coffee, and how many times a day.

Next, you'll need to rough out a Plot.  There are Plot Outlines and Plot Diagrams that you can use to help you rough your Plot out . . .

Plot Diagram

Plot Outline

Search online for Plot sources that will help you in this area of your Novel.

You'll want to rough out your plot, and if you think it is feasible for you, then center your plot around your characters.  Or you can do it the other way around, and base your characters around your plot.

A strong plot has a beginning, middle and end.  The beginning should be an introduction to future events and the life of your main character.  The middle should point to the problem that your character must face, and should also have a high point where an important decision must be made (or in other words, a climax).  The end should be a cool down that wraps up all the loose ends and leaves the readers hungry for the next great work!

Mystery Novel Tips

• If you get stuck on finding a plot, read some of your favorite mystery novels to get ideas.  Also, keep your eyes and ears open for new ideas and topics to write about.
• Use a system of ten scenes to map out your plot.  Write each scene separately and connect them with pages in between.  Scene one should be an opening scene.  Two through four should be complications, and five should be point of no return complication.  Six through ten should be solutions and wrap ups.

Hopefully, you have written these notes in your Journal so that you may come back to them when needed.  We will return with further Mystery Novel Writing Tips in our next Blog Session.

Friends, until our next Blog Session . . .

Keep at it!

Peace, Love & Light,

René

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