Last month I posted about four ways to roll out the welcome mat for our readers by providing easily accessible openings. And I said, if the opening is too longwinded then readers may not have time to figure out your point, or the why of the piece. Too obscure and immediately readers must decide if it’s going to be worth their precious time to figure things out. Too overused, trite, or tiresome and readers may think there are better things … Read More »

Here are some thoughts mainly (but not exclusively) meant for those who write in a close third-person or first-person point of view. We’ve all internalized the advice to stay in a consistent point of view. You know—not to see things Mr. POV can’t see (like his own face) nor to read other people’s minds. But there’s a different sense in which a writer has to think about voice, and not just in dialogue. Because each personage in a book, like … Read More »

It’s the opening of a new year. So, let’s talk about openings. You want your home to have curb appeal and your front door to be inviting—to say Welcome! as it opens. (At least most of us do.) It’s the same with a piece of writing. The last thing you want to do is to put a roadblock, or an overstuffed couch, in the way. Openings are tricky—help your reader Poet Billy Collins says, “Usually I try to create a … Read More »

A long time ago, I wrote about this topic, but now that I find myself writing cozy mysteries, I think I need to reflect on it again. Genre books should be good. Should even flirt with being “literary.” Because, let’s face it, there’s no excuse for writing bad books, no matter what kind. Laws That Never Shall Be Broken The informal definition of a genre book—whether romance, cozy, police procedural, or thriller—is that it follows certain closely constraining rules. And … Read More »

Sitting here in front of the fire (no, I’m not in Florida!) makes me think of fire-like concepts. Like intensity, burning fiercely. Emotional intensity that leaves you physically limp. Intense suspense, so gripping you can’t put the book down. Hilarity that has you holding your sides while tears roll down your cheeks. These are the virtuous extremes that make a book unforgettable, unputdownable. They melt us onto them like a hot pan set down on a plastic lid. Now, it … Read More »

I’ve reflected before on the power of surprise in novels. But I’d like to share a few thoughts now about a certain kind of surprise—perhaps the most heart-wrenching kind, because it’s so relatable. That is, the “good” character who turns out to be bad, or the “bad” one who finally shows himself to be good(ish). The Good Are Bad It’s true, of course, that no human being is fully good or bad, and our fictional personages should reflect that. But … Read More »