Writing Mysteries

by Sue Grafton (Editor), Michael Connelly, Tess Gerritsen

Here's your ticket to the greatest mystery-writing workshop ever!In this extraordinary compilation, more than three dozen members of the Mystery Writers of America share insights and advice that can help make your writing dreams a reality.

You'll learn how to:


Develop unique ideas
Construct an airtight plot packed with intrigue and suspense
Create compelling characters and atmospheric settings
Develop a writing style all your own
Write convincing dialogue
Choose the appropriate point of view
Work with an agent
Conduct accurate research
and much, much more!
You'll also find special guidelines for creating clues, dropping red herrings, and writing medical, legal, historical, true crime, and young adult mysteries. It's all the information you need to solve the mystery-writing riddle!

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Mystery, Reference, Anthologies, How To, Female Authors

312 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Sue Grafton was a #1 New York Times bestselling author. She is best known for her “alphabet series” featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California. Prior to success with this series, she wrote screenplays for television movies. Her earlier novels include Keziah Dane (1967) and The Lolly-Madonna War (1969), both out of print. In the book Kinsey and Me she gave us stories that revealed Kinsey's origins and Sue's past.

Grafton never wanted her novels to be turned into movies or TV shows. According to her family she would never allow a ghost writer to write in her name. Because of these things, and out of respect for Sue’s wishes, the family announced the alphabet now ends at “Y”

Grafton was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, the Ross Macdonald Literary Award, three Shamus Awards, and many other honors and awards.

Grafton had three children from previous marriages and several grandchildren, including a granddaughter named Kinsey. She and her husband lived in Montecito, California, and Louisville, Kentucky.

Reviews

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read Writing Mysteries--a product of The Mystery Writers of America which contains 27 essays by 29 novelists on a range of topics--because I am currently writing a mystery--well, actually a mystery fantasy--and I thought this book might help me write one.Did it help. Did it? A little, maybe. Not much.

First, this book--or least this edition, published in 1992--is too old. It has one chapter on research that does not even mention the internet, and I suspect that its two chapters on marketing and agents are equally outdated. (You might try a newer edition. I notice that Ann Rule and Michael Connelly--not in this edition--are both listed as contributors to a more recent one.)

Second, although there are well-known names here—Block, Peretsky, the Kellermans, Chesbro, Hillerman, Grafton (who edited the book and wrote the introduction)—most of the writers are unknown to me, and. although one or two of them have a few tricks up their sleeves—many of them didn't seem all that bright and told me things that any thoughtful reader of mysteries--or any thoughtful reader--already knows.

There were, however, a few essays I liked. Jeremiah Healy's “The Rules and How to Bend Them” told me a few things I needed to know and also when to ignore them. George Chesbro's “In Search of a Novel” showed me how to develop the kernel of an idea. Tony Hillerman, who (like me), doesn't use outlines, shares some tips about how to write without one in “Building Without Blueprints,” and Lawrence Block shows you what to do when you have writer's block (which I have right now probably because I don't use outlines) in “The Book Stops Here.”

I read the whole book, but only because I wanted to review it. If I were you, I'd just read the few essays that appealed to me and skip the rest.

[Tracey · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a how-to for fledgling mystery writers, Writing Mysteries offers some solid help pertaining to the genre; the keyword here, however, is "some." Edited by Sue Grafton (who knows her stuff as a writer), this collection might have benefitted from stronger tailoring, namely, steering away from general writerly advice and sticking to discussion of mystery writing, editing, publishing, and so on. My reading got bogged down during essays about characterization, dialogue, and plotting that were not specific to mysteries; I've read other books that cover that kind of material, some of which handled it better. I could understand including this kind of general advice if the book were written two or three decades ago, but this edition is, as of this writing, ten years old.

Yet at times the book seemed older than it is: The general advice offered little that was fresh, and several essays made me wonder when they were actually written (most of them are simply listed as being copyrighted to the author, no date given). I questioned some essays' dates because they seemed so, well, dated. For instance, projections on book copies sold and estimated fee figures sounded low to me, even for ten years ago. One author insisted that a writer send a SASE for a reply, without mentioning giving the publisher an option to answer via e-mail (which was a valid option even when this book was published). Maybe part of the blame goes to the cover, which is dated, and frankly, unappealing.

People who want to write mysteries will get some good out of this book; the recommended reading lists are especially enlightening. Novice writers still learning the basics of writing would likely get the most from this book. Writers with more practice who want to break into mysteries might skim the more general essays to find the meat of what they want.

[二六 侯 · Rating 3 out of 5]

算是有趣的書，但各個作者之間年代跨度相當久，再加上國情不同，以致於本書跟歷史著作沒兩樣。最有用的就是教大家趕快寫。

[Niki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a guide which they have taken multiple mystery writers from across the country and had each writer give their "how to" ideas, writing styles and suggestions on how to write a great mystery novel/book. The book is in three parts, The preparation, process and the specialties. A few areas of coverage are in preparation; sparks, triggers and flashes, which talks to how the writer comes up with ideas, what makes them want to write about mysteries and how they hold onto those thoughts when they are unable to begin writing right away. In part two it goes on to discuss the process which covers gathering your characters, out-ling your story to pacing the suspense to name a few. Finally part three discusses more about a specific specialty in mystery writing, such as mysteries for young readers and medical thrillers. How to keep a young reader interested and how the reader becomes the main character and after reading the first few paragraphs. How the reader also turns themselves the main character after a few short sentence reads. The medical thrillers focus on a particular writer, Tess Gerritsen, who is actually a doctor who had a passion for writing love novels and how she didn't realize the amount of readers who were interested in the hospital/medical world. This began her career in writing medical thrillers. Her books are considered more creditable because she is a doctor.
Overall the book was interesting because it was covered by many authors of many books. Like a few short stories all bundled into one main topic. I learned that each writer has a different thought and writing process. That there are many ways to approach any writing and how they all can be used. How some writers manage writing, full time jobs and families. I also learned some of the key ingredients to writing a successful mystery book such as, dressing for success in word style should be crossed over for any type of writing. Which words should not be used excessively. I would suggest this writing guide to someone who was looking to being to write a mystery novel.

[Mack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring: Essays on parade hit at writing mysteries from many and often opposite points of view. I learned a lot, and it kept me writing.

[J.L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far I've written a female coming-of-age novel, a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, a time-travel book...and those are all in the same series. What's next? I think a murder mystery is on the horizon, and as a newcomer to this genre, I needed to get back to basics.

Writing Mysteries is a solid book for any new writer, though I ended up skimming certain sections that either didn't apply to me as an experience writer or didn't apply to me because I'm won't be writing, say, a medical mystery or true crime novel. Note also that this book was released in 2002, so plenty of the seasoned veterans contributing chapters make frequent mentions of typewriters and that new-fangled Internet (I might exaggerate a bit, there). Despite the dated technology and submission issues, the writing advice is fairly solid, and I do recommend this as a basic craft book to new writers who know they'll be specializing in the mystery genre.

In conclusion: I got the basics I came for, I did a good bit of highlighting, and I certainly have a much better idea of some of the dos and don'ts for this new journey I'm undertaking.

[Craig Kingsman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dated now when discussing how to submit your manuscript, but the how to write parts are well worth it.

[Ronald Wilcox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although several of the essays are dated and not helpful in today’s world, most of this collection is interesting to understand the topics as presented form each of the writers’ perspectives.

[Rebecca Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to write mystery novels or short stories. Great information even for published writers.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

An anthology of 35 essays on the craft of writing mysteries for writers by writers, each focused on a specific topic. This is not the first anthology like this published by Mystery Writers of America (MWA), I'm not sure how many there are, but the book notes the first was published in 1956. I read the 2002 edition. I also have the Mystery Writer's Handbook (revised ed) by the Mystery Writers of America, edited by Lawrence Treat and published 1976--I haven't read it--honestly, I may never read it. Flipping through, the two books seem to have the same concept, but completely different essays.

The essays are each about 7 pages long, and are divided into three parts: Preparation (inspiration, working schedule, research, etc.), Process (writing craft, including plotting, pacing, character, dialogue, etc.), and Specialties (essays on specific genres, including YA, legal thrillers, and true crime). The genre-specific essays overall seem geared toward new authors interested in starting to write in those genres. The Process essays are a mix of essays for beginners, but with a little useful advice for more experienced writers mixed in. As an essay collection, I wouldn't call this a comprehensive writing book, it's probably best as a book where you just read the essays that are interesting or relevant to the reader. (I read the whole thing--it took 5 months, but I did put it down for a few months.)

The book concludes with a reference section with recommended mysteries, as well as writing reference and craft books. This includes the list of best mysteries according to historian Howard Haycraft and Fred Dannay (half of the writing duo behind Ellery Queen) published in 1951, supplemented by more recent recommended mysteries according to some of the contributors, which is a bit haphazard as it focuses on attributing recommendations to specific authors, with some titles repeated by multiple authors.

As with any anthology, this is a mixed bag and the strongest essays will depend on the reader and what they are looking for. Published in 2002, some of the information is dated--in particular information on finding and submitting to agents, eBook and POD publishing, and research. Honestly, 2002 doesn't seem so long ago, and yet I don't believe there's a mention in here of Google or Amazon, it pre-dates Kindle and other affordable e-Readers, and it's from the end of the mailed submissions (with SASE) era.

That said, the craft of writing hasn't changed all that much. Some of these essays might give insight and inspiration to the new author. Some I found a bit rambling with little substance. The essays I thought were strongest were those with clear and succinct advice on writing craft. The standout essays to me in that regard were:
- "Characterization" by Michael Connelly
- "Pacing and Suspense" by Phyllis A. Whitney
- "Depiction of Violence" by Bill Granger
- "Clues, Red Herrings, and Other Plot Devices" by P.M. Carlson
- "Revision" by Jan Burke
- "Writing Mysteries for Young Readers" by Joan Lowry Nixon
- "From Cradle to the Pen: The Evolution of a True Crime Writer" by Ann Rule

Most of the essays I listed are ones I found myself making notes on, or would recommend to someone who wants to develop their writing craft in that area. The Connelly essay in particular is excellent. The last two (Nixon and Rule) I just found interesting as insight into specific genres. Some of the advice is applicable to genres other than mystery/suspense/crime fiction, but the book is, obviously, tailored for writers of those specific genres.

[D J Rout · Rating 4 out of 5]

The problem with books that are collection sf articles on a given subject is that they're not very systematic on how they talk about the aspects of the subject. So you end up with a collection of opinions about various aspects of, say, writing, say, mysteries. Therefore, there' smore of an onus on you to sift out the handy hints from the rest of the book. What's handy to me may not be handy to you.

The highlight 'chapter' is the last one, where the various contributors give their recommendations as to the books you ought to have to be a good mystery writer. Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases - Super 2011 Edition isn't surprising, particularly as mystery novels nowadays must be 'great' novels first and mysteries second, but I didn't even know Practical Homicide Investigation: Tactics, Procedures, and Forensic Techniques existed before reading this book.

The Thirty Six Dramatic Situations is also mentioned, and that comes in a few different5 versions according to Goodreads.

A book for dipping into for an occasional hint when you're at a bit of a loss...

[Victoria Marie Lees · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing Mysteries: A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America, edited by Sue Grafton is truly a pithy volume. Character, tension, sense of place, narration, dialogue, and backstory. All of these story elements go hand in hand with writing a solid mystery story.

A whole slew of well-known mystery writers offers the reader advice on the use amateur detectives vs. professional detectives. Police procedurals are discussed. There are tips on point of view and series writing, creating the perfect villain and playing fair with the reader in terms of actual clues and red herrings.

There are in-depth chapters on creating legal and medical thrillers and what you need to know before writing them. Edward D. Hoch discusses the challenges of creating short mystery stories for markets. Joan Lowery Nixon talks about writing mystery stories for young readers.

The essays included in this volume are clearly written and contain many examples. They are easily understandable. If you are writing mystery, Writing Mysteries: A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America, edited by Sue Grafton is a great book to study.

[Kim Megahee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. There are tons of tidbits for me, the aspiring writer. I recommend it to anyone that might, will, or has written a book that you want to get published.
I would have given it a 5-star, but the part of the book (or at least the printing that I read - 1992) about getting it published, finding an agent, etc is woefully outdated.
If you have been chasing around to find an agent and haven't had any luck, it might be that all agents are stupid. Or Maybe - just maybe - it's your manuscript. Just on the outside chance that it might be your manuscript, I suggest you read through this book and see fi there is something you might be missing. I found quite a few ways to amp up my writing and make it more marketable.
Cheers and Regards,
K

[Steven Houchin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good refresher on plotting, point of view, characterization. Also a good list of the best of mystery and detective fiction of the past - the masters to read and reread. However, the edition I read is woefully outdated, like it was written in the early days of the Web and before smartphones and e-books. On querying, it talked about sending paper queries by mail with SASE, and inferred that agent and editors don't like e-mail! Today, of course, the opposite is true.

[Moon Petrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was inspiring and helpful many ways, with such varied and knowledgeable perspectives from so many writers. I’m sure anyone could find something useful or interesting in this book. Some bits were hilariously out of date, but most of it is still perfectly usable. My favorite useless bit was the confident prediction that bookstores would soon be printing books on demand. I’m glad I read it, and I’m excited to bring elements of mystery into my own (fantasy) writing.

[Gary Chang]

推理小說有套路嗎? 從作家們的經驗傳授看來是肯定的。
個人覺得推理寫作可能文字創作領域裡最難的，原因：
1. 需要廣大且一定程度專業的背景知識涉獵，建構出來的角色與情境才能讓人信服。
2. 需要理性感性兼具，沒辦法一路抒情到底，藉角色發牢騷，也不能只顧著講理，讓文字冰冷走完它們的旅程。
3. 需要多重思路，將主軸穩定於故事中、將線索隱藏於細節中，直線的邏輯演繹搭配曲線的懸疑佈局。
4. 需要收斂結尾，有些小說劇情到最後是發散的，有可能訴求作者或讀者各自的內心戲空間，但推理小說不能，鋪陳了一整本，是該有個合理的結果。

這本書的資訊量相當大，可以當成參考書，但邏輯性不高。因為每個作者下筆的角度不同，筆觸也不同，所以各篇之間嚴格來說是沒有關聯，主編盡力的把各家心法歸納成章，也是一大功夫。

[S.L. Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth the time to read for beginning writers. The authors' advice would be useful for any genre, really. As with many of the books on writing I've read recently, the chapters on agents and publishers are a little out of date.

[W.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

總之就是集合諸多名家的經驗分享，其實看下來覺得最有趣的不是任何一位分享的東西，而是看完之後真的會覺得「果然每個作家的個人經驗對別人來說都不一定適用」吧，因為就算是這些收在同一本書裡的經驗也都天差地遠（甚至互相衝突XD）
然後最可愛的是看到很多次「不要陷進你的田野調查！」，我總覺得他們大概只差沒大喊「從你沒完沒了的資料閱讀裡逃出來！那很有趣我知道，但快跑！」了wwww
不過閱讀寫作資料的確就是很有趣的一件事啦我真的知道。然後尋找可以幫上忙的專家也是很重要的，超級。與其收集資料，不如收集顧問（大誤）

[David West · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s very helpful to get numerous views on writing mysteries. What was amazing was how so many writers cited Josephine Tey as the greatest mystery writer. My wife and I hadn’t heard of her, but we’re both great fans now.

[Sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was very helpful to learn new writing skills and techniques. Each chapter is by a new author which is fun because you can really see the different types of writing styles there are

[Sarah Toppins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book when it first came out, but recently reread it as I'm making space in my bookcase. Twenty-seven mystery writers each wrote a chapter - all had good basic information, but some of it was dated.

[Tom Konkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a great guide for me as I took on the genre. Take a look

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good chapters and advice, but very repetitive. Quality and originality of advice varies widely from author to author.

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

very dated ("consider buying a computer to use this cool new resource: the internet!") and very geared towards those writing contemporary crime/procedurals.

[Maggie Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few good hints but a lot is outdated and a lot is fairly obvious stuff.

[D Reviews Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dated but still useful. A good starting point for writing mystery fiction.

[Canuck Mom of Three · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly good tidbits of advice in chapters written by successful mystery writers.

[Jessica Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the information will be dated now (released in 2001), but it has a wealth of information.

[Rocky Curtiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, although some of it doesn't apply. I especially liked the chapters about character and plot development. Well worth the time and money.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book's strength is the same as its weakness --- lots of short chapters by different authors. Some of them didn't resonate with me but might with other readers; others I really enjoyed.