Terry Shames's Blog: 7 Criminal Minds, page 80

A force of nature

Do you use weather in your books to create atmosphere or mood? Talk to us about meteorology.

by Dietrich

Weather and the wrath of nature can certainly add realism, heighten a story’s tension, rack up the pace, or act as an ominous character. It makes me think of some favorite novels like John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, Charles Dickens’ Bleak House, Wild by Cheryl Strayed, and The Tin Roof Blowdown by James Lee Burke. 

Just for fun (along with a touch of self-promotion), I dug up a few lines f...

What Price Murder?

 

Terry here: We had the choice of two questions this week, and I chose to write about this one: 
 We crime writers write about murder and violence. What are your thoughts about profiting—however meagerly—from the tragedy of others, even if it’s fictional?
 More years ago than I care to admit to, I heard a talk by then budding writer Sue Grafton. She admonished the writers in her audience to take crime seriously. She reminded us that the crimes we write about, usually murder, can be devastating. T...

Whether or Not Weather by Stephen Mack Jones

 

Do you use weather in your books to create atmosphere or mood?

        Living, as I do, in the “Mitten” state, the physical, mental and spiritual impact of Michigan’s often schizophrenic weather often makes its way into my writing, e.g., Dead of Winter. The seasons here (of which there are truly only three—Fall, Winter and 93-Degrees-with Humidity) have been known to have a profoundly distinctive and predictive effect on a single personality.

        For example, during Michigan’s insufferably l...

Through Rain or Sleet or Snow ...

Do you use weather in your books to create atmosphere or mood? Talk to us about meteorology.

Brenda starting off the week.

We Canadians love to talk about the weather. Meet a stranger at the bus stop and one is likely to comment, "It's a cold morning. Will it ever stop raining?" to which the other replies,"Sunny tomorrow if you can believe the forecast." (Comments vary depending on the day.) Yup, the weather is our number one preoccupation and the best conversation starter, no matter the situation...

Rules For Writing Crime Fiction by Josh Stallings

 "Actually, it's more of a guideline than a rule..." - Ghostbusters

Teen age meQ: We crime writers write about murder and violence. What are your thoughts about profiting—however meagerly—from the tragedy of others, even if it’s fictional?

A: This question stirred up a lot of thoughts. First, I grew up with a certain amount of violence and criminality. I don’t want to dance around it or glorify it. My parents were social activists, non violent protesters who when pushed hard enough would get viole...

Cain kills Abel and we're off to the races, by Catriona

Q:  We crime writers write about murder and violence. What are your thoughts about profiting—however meagerly—from the tragedy of others, even if it’s fictional?

My conscience is clear. People have always composed tales of wrong-doing where innocent victims get in some degree of trouble. And it helps that I've never written anything "ripped from the headlines", I think. Plus I don't write much on-the-page depravity anyway. Or if I do, I write it from a moral perspective, where the depraved get ...

The joy of having written - a NEW book! WOOT! by Cathy Ace

Do you love writing or having written? Is the process enjoyable or a necessary chore to get to where you want to be?

I think of writing as being a specific part of the overall “getting a book published” process: for me, it’s the pure joy of writing the first draft, based upon my plotting, research, backstory creation, outlining, and chapter planning. Yes, I do all of that before I sit down to “write the book”. Then I literally settle my bum into the chair and type…making sure I hit the marks in ...

A Very Personal Response

 Q: We crime writers write about murder and violence. What are your thoughts about profiting—however meagerly—from the tragedy of others, even if it’s fictional?

 

-from Susan

 

I’m approaching this topic on tiptoe because it’s something that I think about a lot and because gun tragedy has touched my life and my family’s lives. As a writer, I struggle with similar violence and murder to avoid getting anywhere near the experience we had. As a reader, I’ve found myself slamming a book shut when I real...

Saints or Sinners?

 Which side of the fence are you most comfortable writing from, the good, the bad, or the ugly? Do you consider one side or the other more marketable?

by Abir

 

Now this is a good question! It’s one that is making me think, and as you know, I’m not the sort of person who likes doing that.

 

My first four books in the Wyndham and Banerjee series are all written in the first person, from Captain Sam Wyndham’s point of view. Book five, The Shadows of Men, while again written in the first person, is told...

Superman or Batman? from James W. Ziskin

Which side of the fence are you most comfortable writing from, the good, the bad, or the ugly? Do you consider one side or the other more marketable?

My Long Fiction

In my books, I’ve always written from the side of good. Ellie Stone is a good person, even if she smokes and drinks too much and occasionally falls into bed with the wrong guy. Despite her flaws, she remains a deeply moral person with a strong sense of right and wrong. She’s mentally tough, but I wouldn’t put my money on her in any co...