The Weekend Novelist Writes a Mystery - by Robert J Ray (Paperback)
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About this item
Highlights
- Like Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler, Sara Paretsky and Thomas Harris, you, too, can learn the trade secrets of quality detective fiction.
- About the Author: Robert J. Ray is the author of the writing guide The Weekend Novelist and eight Matt Murdock mysteries, includingMurdock Cracks Ice.
- 272 Pages
- Language + Art + Disciplines, Composition + Creative Writing
Description
About the Book
Developmental writing exercises and examples offer 52 weekend work sessions, each beginning with the definition of the task and its purpose, augmented with a writing sample from a famous mystery writer, and leading into the exercises that will become the basis of a novel.Book Synopsis
Like Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler, Sara Paretsky and Thomas Harris, you, too, can learn the trade secrets of quality detective fiction. It's true. Just one year from now, you can deliver a completed mystery novel to a publisher--by writing only on weekends. Authors Robert J. Ray and Jack Remick guide you through the entire mystery-writing process, from creating a killer to polishing off the final draft. Each weekend you'll focus on a specific task--learning the basics of novel-writing, the special demands of mystery-writing, and the secrets professionals use to create stories one scene at a time, building to a shivery, satisfying climax. Using Agatha Christie's The Body in the Library as a model for the classical mystery tale and Martin Cruz Smith's Gorky Park for the hard-boiled mystery, this unique step-by-step program gives you all the information you need to reach your ultimate goal: a finished book in just 52 weeks! Let two successful masters of the genre show you how... Discover: Why you must create your killer firstThe tricks to writing dialogue that does it all--moves your plot, involves your reader, and makes your style sizzle
How to "bury" information (and corpses) for your reader to find
Why you should NOT build your book around chapters
Special techniques for clearing writer's block
Plus: examples from Sue Grafton, Dashiell Hammett, Patricia Cornwell, Thomas Harris, Raymond Chandler, and more.
From the Back Cover
Just one year from now, you can deliver a completed mystery novel to a publisher - by writing only on weekends. Authors Robert J. Ray and Jack Remick guide you through the entire mystery-writing process, from creating a killer to polishing off the final draft. Each weekend you'll focus on a specific task - learning the basics of novel-writing, the special demands of mystery-writing, and the secrets professionals use to create stories one scene at a time, building to a shivery, satisfying climax. Using Agatha Christie's The Body in the Library as a model for the classical mystery tale and Martin Cruz Smith's Gorky Park for the hard-boiled mystery, this unique step-by-step program gives you all the information you need to reach your ultimate goal: a finished book in just 52 weeks!About the Author
Robert J. Ray is the author of the writing guide The Weekend Novelist and eight Matt Murdock mysteries, includingMurdock Cracks Ice. He has taught college literature, writing, and tennis. He lives in Seattle. Jack Remick, a writer and teacher, writes poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. He has been teaching for twenty years.Dimensions (Overall): 8.04 Inches (H) x 5.34 Inches (W) x .59 Inches (D)
Weight: .51 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 272
Genre: Language + Art + Disciplines
Sub-Genre: Composition + Creative Writing
Publisher: Dell
Theme: General
Format: Paperback
Author: Robert J Ray
Language: English
Street Date: April 6, 1998
TCIN: 90807987
UPC: 9780440506584
Item Number (DPCI): 247-40-9546
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
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Shipping details
Estimated ship dimensions: 0.59 inches length x 5.34 inches width x 8.04 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 0.51 pounds
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