(A writer emailed to ask, “What makes a book engaging?” I, who am constantly in need of topics upon which to write blog posts, did a little huzzah.) What makes a book engaging? Back up. What does a (fiction) book actually do for a reader? What is this mysterious “entertainment” that writers aspire to? Escape. […]
What Makes a Book Engaging? Read More »
For some reason, nailing down horror plots is harder for me than mystery plots, so this is even more tentative than usual. There is a problem. The backstory* is so epic that it dominates the present or real story. Wait wait this problem comes from the epic backstory that we never talk about and didn’t
Simple Horror Plots, Part 1: That One Thing We Don’t Talk About Read More »
So let’s say you have a series of books, movies, TV episodes, TV seasons, etc. Any given series of storytelling. Doesn’t have to be linear in time. Doesn’t even have to be about the same characters (a la romances about a number of sisters, etc.) With or without an overarching plot. Could just be “monster
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Okay, the frame as a narrative device. Most writers have at least heard of it. There’s a story within a story. But let’s look at this from a mystery perspective: A crime happens or is discovered (in the case of a long-past crime). The main action of illustrating the crime happens on another level, for
Simple Mystery Plots, Part 7: The Frame Read More »
I’m always looking for new books to read, while building up impossible lists of books to read. So I’m wiping out the various wishlists (mostly) and gathering them here, while ruthlessly cutting them down. Soon, I’ll post the list of recommended reading I got lately, from other people. Nonfiction: Rats: Observations on the History &
To Be Read, 2018: Personal Lists Read More »
I asked for recommended reading for books written since 2000. (I’ve been reading a lot of best-of lists, which tend to be 20+ years behind the times.) Here what I got. I marked the racy romances in case you’re around THOSE kind of people, the ones who disapprove of things as a hobby. Fiction: Jonathan
Recommended Reading for 2018 Read More »
So it’s official: I’ve finished Flavorwire’s 50 Scariest Books of All Time, from beginning to end. It’s been about three years, although I didn’t start out focusing on this one; I’ve been working on several horror lists with MB Partlow and Shannon Lawrence. The Nightmare Magainze’s Top 100 is another, which is done, and up
Flavorwire’s 50 Scariest Books of All Time: The End of a Reading List Read More »
I was reading a P.D. James novel and realized I hadn’t added this most basic plot of all. It honestly feels more like a technique than a plot. A crime happens. The solver either mentally or literally lists the suspects, their motives, their methods, and their opportunities to commit the crime, as if on one
Simple Mystery Plots Part 6: The Grid Read More »
I found another one! (Two, actually; another one tomorrow.) The mystery revolves around the fact that there are multiple versions of the truth (or conjectures of the truth), which are structured as separate chapters/sections of the book. A crime occurs. Various people try to solve the crime, or are called upon to give their version
Simple Mystery Plots, Part 5: The Real Story Read More »
I’ve been struggling with this one, which seems stupid. I mean, isn’t this something that all writers should just know? There was a reason you wrote the book in the first place, wasn’t there? And yet: I regularly go through phases of, “Everything I write is terrible.” Therefore, why would anyone want to read the
Copywriting Technique: What Do Readers Want When They Want Your Book Read More »
