A successful mystery novel contains these five features

Posted on 05/23/2021 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Melodie Campbell, as an author of mob-heist novels and a past executive director of Crime Writers of Canada, is quite...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Characters, Mystery, Plot / narrative

The essential pieces of a mystery novel

Posted on 05/15/2021 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

At its simplest, a mystery novel is a puzzle. But as Zara Altair points out, there are certain features to...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Mystery, Plot / narrative, Zara Altair

What to consider about your crime novel's setting

Posted on 04/28/2021 at 01:30 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Setting may not be the first issue a writer thinks about when it comes to working on a crime novel....

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Mystery, Setting, Thriller, Writer's Digest

How your novel's bad guy can also be the good guy

Posted on 04/16/2021 at 09:00 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Most of the advice we’ve shared in regards to writing about criminals has assumed that the criminal is the villain....

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Characters, Mystery, Thriller, Writer Unboxed

Tips for writing red herrings that don't stink

Posted on 04/15/2021 at 09:23 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Mystery novelists have to walk a special tightrope. Make the culprit too obvious and readers won’t have a reason to...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Mystery, Thriller, Writer's Digest

A bestselling author's primer on thriller pacing

Posted on 04/02/2021 at 09:09 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Both a mystery and a thriller — if done well — make a reader eager to complete the book and...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Mystery, Thriller, Writing advice

The elements of a perfect cozy mystery

Posted on 03/22/2021 at 03:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

If Fussy readership is any indication, cozy mysteries have been popular for some time now. But Joanna Penn and other...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Joanna Penn, Mystery, Writing advice

Craft tips for writing crime fiction

Posted on 03/03/2021 at 04:09 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

A retired police sergeant recently shared his advice on writing crime fiction. And if you read that post, you’ve checked...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Mystery, Writer's Digest, Writing advice

Quick tips on writing mysteries and thrillers

Posted on 02/27/2021 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

We’ve mentioned before that we like to sprinkle in easy-to-digest writing advice amongst the deeper dives. Here’s an instance of...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Mystery, Thriller, Writer's Digest, Writing advice

7 suggestions (not mandates) for crime novels

Posted on 02/19/2021 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

After nearly forty novels (and bestseller status), author Dana Stabenow has an idea of what works. That said, she open...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Mystery, Thriller, Writer's Digest, Writing advice