Mystery vs. Suspense

                      Mystery vs. Suspense – Immediately related or twelve-times removed?

The answer requires defining the two genres. Although the two are related, they are more like shirttail cousins than brother and sister. The main difference is perspective. Both deal with a crisis event to hook the reader and keep the plot moving, but the storytelling approach is completely different.

A famous actor is murdered in Chapter One. In a mystery the rest of the story would center on two things: discovering who committed the act and the person or persons responsible for solving the crime. A good mystery writer often spends his time setting up suspects and clues, revealing little until the end of the story.

 A suspense story creates drama before the crisis event occurs. For a good suspense story to work, what’s at stake is generally stated at the beginning of the story, and often the reader knows important details such as the who, why, and when, early on. The suspense writer must create tension by inserting a strong protagonist and developing inventive story paths that avert a certain outcome. Unlike a mystery writer, he can write from the point-of-view of the antagonist, pitting him against the protagonist throughout the story.

While the above outlines the traditional confines of the two genres, as an avid suspense reader I have to say not all books categorized as suspense fit the definition exactly, as do their mystery counterparts; there is frequently a lot of overlap between the two genres.

Today’s Indie writers have a whole new realm of genre freedoms not always available to the author who chooses a more traditional publishing route. And we are seeing the birth of more and more cross-genre novels, which gives readers a much wider selection of novels to choose from, and has the added bonus for writers of seducing a new generation of readers to their stories.

Dear readers,

Thanks for visiting my blog. I love reading suspense. My first novel, She’s Not There was written as suspense but also has elements of mystery. Which do you prefer? I find the traditional mystery plot not as satisfying as suspense or a combination thereof, but that is what makes the new wave of crossover genres so compelling—it offers so much more variety to readers.

Please take time to let us know your preferences! I’d love to hear from you.

Marla

Note – Some of the above is taken from Simon Wood’s article, “9 Tricks to Writing Suspense Fiction."

Prologues and Epilogues

Prologues

–      To have or not to have, that is the question

Last week a member of my writer’s group asked the rest of us if we thought the novel he was working on needed a prologue. The answer was unanimous—no.  The other question he raised was if a book had a prologue, did that mean it required an epilogue? That question also got a unanimous, negative response—one does not necessitate the use of the other. Epilogues, like prologues, are done at the whim of the author.

            As a reader I like prologues. The ones I don’t like are italicized and make it difficult for me to tell how far back in time they’re going, if at all. I hate prologues that involve a dream sequence, or long dream narratives anywhere in the book unless they’re short and meaningful to the storyline.  But that’s my own taste as a reader.

            Epilogues? I love epilogues. They’re very satisfying to readers like myself who enjoy knowing how the characters fared after the mystery is unraveled. Prologues and epilogues are most common in the mystery/suspense/thriller genre. If you’re writing in one of these genres, a prologue gives you the chance to begin your story twice, at two different points. But adding a prologue can work for or against your story.

Before adding a prologue, ask yourself three questions:

 -  Do you really need a prologue?

-  What do you need the prologue to do for the story?

-  Will it get the job done for you?

The prologue needs to be an integral part of the novel by offering the reader a compelling hook that will propel him into the first chapter. The prologue generally takes place in a different timeline from the rest of the novel. This timeline needs to be made clear in the prologue and again in the first chapter.

            Advice from the pros is most often against using a prologue. Before including one in your novel, I’d advise doing some research first, and again I’d suggest adding Don’t Murder Your Mystery, by Chris Roerden, to your how-to library. The entire first chapter is devoted to the use of prologues.

Dear Readers,

I hope all of you had a nice Mother’s Day. I’d like to hear from everyone on the topic of prologues. Readers, do you like them? Writers, do you use them? If not, why?  How about the use of italics? I find reading italicized sections annoying, so when I write I try to avoid using italics for lengthy sections. Any suggestions on how to set something apart from the rest of the story without them?

As always, I look forward to your input.

Have a happy and healthy week,

Marla

Tribute to Special Mothers

Dedicated to A Special Group of Mothers

My memories of Mother’s day as a child are filled with orchid corsages, hidden presents bought with small change saved from our allowances, and three-generation, family dinners. Everyone went to mass where all the mothers proudly displayed their floral décor. I miss my mother on Mother’s Day.

When she died three years ago, I cried at her funeral for all the memories her death evoked, but while my mother played an important role in my life, her role wasn’t always a positive one.  People like myself, whose relationship with this important woman in their life was less than Hallmark-card perfect, will be nostalgic today, remembering the good times, leaving the others locked away like old love-letters hidden in the attic. Since I won’t be reminiscing about my own mother, I’d like to write a tribute to the woman who raised my oldest son.

At sixteen, I was a child having a child. I gave my baby up for adoption. My parents took charge of all the arrangements, and adoption felt like my only choice. For eighteen years after giving him up, I worried about him and daydreamed about the if only—if only I had kept him. I looked for faces in the crowd of boys his age, wondering if he looked anything like I imagined.

I am one of the fortunate women who met and got to know the child I gave up when I was too young to take care of him.

            Before his eighteenth birthday, I contacted he adoption agency, requesting that I wanted to be on record as open to meeting my son. When they called me months later to say his adoptive parents would give him my name when he turned eighteen, I was thrilled. More months went by and I did not hear from him. I was frantic, fearing it would never happen. Then I got a call from his mother, who along with his father, drove hours to meet me. They brought me dozens of photos of him and assured me that their son would contact me when he was ready. And he did.

            Today, more than thirty years later, he and I stay in touch by phone and visit at least once or twice a year. His mother is a wonderful woman who raised him to be a kind, giving person. She remains a good friend and daily email buddy.

            I’d like to take this opportunity to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all the women who have lovingly and selflessly raised an adopted child. And to all women like myself who’ve had to give up a child, I hope someday you’ll be as blessed as I have been to have my son and his parents be a part my life.

Ranting, Raving, Reviews!

Ranting, Raving, Reviews!

Readers, do you leave reviews for the books you read?

There’s no way around it; your reviews can make or break the success of an independent author’s novel.  Getting reviews is a major hurdle for a new novel.

            I don’t believe readers realize how important they are in a novel’s fate. All the advertising in the world, even expensive reviews by professionals, cannot replace the value of good reviews by the readers themselves.

            So readers, get busy and support your favorite reads!

Where to leave reviews:

            Amazon, Smashwords, or any site where the book is sold. They all have places to leave a review. Goodreads is an excellent place to leave a review, as are any of the many sites that promote books.

Don’t know what to say?

1.     You don’t have to write an entire synopsis of the story. A few sentences say it all: How much you enjoyed the book, the characters, the ending.

2.     Don’t worry about being or not being a wordsmith. Say it simply, and in your own words as if telling a friend about the book.

3.     Be careful not to reveal too much of the story line. If you absolutely hated the ending, don’t explain why! But if you find you have to talk about the storyline or ending, I've just learned that some reviewers add a large "SPOILER ALERT" notice above the review. Something to keep in mind when reviewing, especially if your reviews tend to be lengthy.

4.     If there was something you didn’t like, explain why. Not everyone has problems with the same things, e.g. endings that close with a question.

Dear Readers,

            Reviews are precious gems to authors. If you get in the habit of leaving them, you will be making authors very happy, which will encourage them to write more books for you. Keep reading!

Have a happy and healthy week,

Marla

Serial killer or Serial books?

       Your first novel is published. Is it set aside, forgotten like a serial killer who’s gotten the “book” thrown at him? Or, as you're starting a new book, is your first thought that fan who wanted to see more of your characters? With him in mind, do you continue the first novel as a series?

            Serials and trilogies are all the rage. As a reader, I tend to be quite judgmental of them, since they are difficult to do in a manner satisfying to both the readers who requested the sequel and  to new readers who have yet to bond with the characters. It’s not easy to get it right. I read a lot of series books. Jonathan Kellerman bears mentioning, his famous duo Detective Milo Sturgis and psychologist Alex Delaware are a team I never tire of following as they unfold countless murder mysteries in the streets and surrounding areas of Los Angeles. Kellerman uses very little carry over from book to book, endearing his writing to my taste.

            My list of grievances with series’ is as follows:

1.     One of the worst offenders is the second (or fifth) of a series that assumes the reader has not only read the first novel, but has read it yesterday. The reader feels as left out as a spouse at the other spouse's class reunion.

2.     My personal worst is the sequel that spends 50% of the book in a giant laxative dump, explaining every detail of what took place in the first book.

The reader feels like he is still at that reunion and being dragged around and introduced to everyone who could care less about meeting him.

3.     The one I'm getting very weary of is the dreaded, evil killer who always survives to make a comeback in the next novel, succeeding in being more annoying than recurring post-nasal drip. Patterson is fond of this repeated reincarnation in his Cross series. And I don't think Patricia Cornwell could write a book without a villain from a past novel playing a starring role, or at the very least the son, daughter, cousin, mother, father, or adopted child stepping in to repeat the pattern of the diabolical relative. What happened to creativity?

I do follow the series of my favorite authors. I’m their biggest fan and worst critic! I must give a mention here to Jeffrey Deaver who, along with Kellerman, does both stand-alones and series equally well, his Lincoln Rhyme and Kathryn Dance characters keep me spellbound from start to finish.

      As critical as I am of series, I’m reluctant to attempt one myself, although two of the characters from my first novel will be making cameo appearances in my second. I’m leaving the door to a series open!

Dear readers,

Once more I’d like to ask for your input; Do you read books in series’? Anything about reading them you find annoying? Favorites? Do you think today’s readers prefer books in a series?

Lots of questions. Pick one or two. I’d love to hear from you.

Happy reading,

Marla

Chapters—The long and short of them

             In my suspense novel, She’s Not There, I kept the chapters short, ranging from one page to five or six. As a result, the novel contains 123 chapters, along with a prologue and an epilogue. Too many?

            I have to confess I originally modeled the book after James Patterson’s style. His chapters run from 2-5 pages long. Why so short? The popular answer is that today’s reader reads on the run, and short chapters make for a convenient break.

            Interestingly, my critique group has chastened me for doing such short chapters, and in the novel I’m working on now, I’ve acquiesced to longer chapters, seldom using one that is less than five pages long.

            But recently I received feedback from a reader who said she really appreciated the short chapters because a vision problem limits her reading time. Now I have to ask—if short chapters are convenient for many readers, are they annoying to the others?

            Some considerations:

1.    Long chapters. Writing style and genre need to be taken into account. Unlike Patterson, many authors are reluctant to break up a scene in the middle of a chapter. Part of this consideration for chapter length is decided by knowing your target audience and what they enjoy reading. In general, genre novels have shorter chapters than their literary cousins, but there seems to be no hard and fast rule governing length.

2.  Short chapters. Many readers prefer them. One thing to keep in mind, is if your manuscript is to be a print book, not just an eBook, short chapters will add to the length of the book, making it more costly to publish the print version. The first time I read one of Patterson’s books I remember thinking I was glad it was a library book. If I’d bought it I might have resented paying for all those blank pages between such short chapters.

3.   Chapter beginnings. Keep in mind, especially if you’re writing short chapters, that today’s average reader doesn’t spend a lot of time reading during one sitting. So remember to start chapters with a reminder of where the reader left off if the opening is ambiguous.

4.     Genre. I write suspense. I believe it’s safe to say the majority of suspense writers keep their chapters to what I’d call medium length, maybe in the eight to fifteen page range. Some author’s chapter length varies greatly, while others keep them all a rather consistent length. As a reader, I don’t really care, although I don’t like extremely long chapters.

5. Chapter endings. Traditionally, cliffhangers at the end of chapters have been recommended  as the right way to end a chapter in the mystery/suspense genres. They are indeed tantalizing to the reader and encourage him to keep reading. Food for thought: if today’s reader prefers short chapters due to his busy lifestyle, will he be frustrated by constant chapter-ending cliffhangers?

Dear visitors,

Please take time to answer two questions: First, do you find reading short chapters annoying? And second, if you enjoy short chapters, do cliffhangers at the end of chapters frustrate you if your reading time is limited?

Thank you for visiting this blog. Here’s wishing you a healthy and happy week to come.

Till next week,

Marla

Suspense - With or Without a Shot of Romance?

Suspense – With or Without a Shot of Romance?

         I write suspense. When I was writing my first novel, one of my critics accused me of having written a romance novel because there was an element of romance within the story. I objected vehemently but changed the ending from happily ever after to maybe happily ever after.

Now I’m writing my second suspense novel and agonizing over the ending. The protagonist finding love seems to be a nice way to wrap up the story, but again, I’m being sensitive to possible genre-labeling. As a reader, I enjoy a romantic subplot and wanted to add that to my suspense storyline. That said, how much is too much?

            It becomes necessary to look at how the differing genres are defined.

1.     Romance. This hardly needs description. The romantic progression is the main theme. The lovers meet, there is conflict between them, they grow, they (in most cases) live happily ever after. No ambiguity.

2.     Romantic Mystery/Suspense. By definition, this category includes any mystery/suspense story in which the romance is the main plot but which also contains a large element of mystery/suspense. Today, this category has many offshoots, very often with the mystery and the romance getting equal billing, which is done frequently by some of the big names in romance writing. 

3.     Adding a romantic element to a mystery or suspense book. Want a touch of romance in your mystery?

a.     The romance has to remain a sub-plot and cannot dominate the story. The mystery/suspense must be the main focus of the story line.

b.     I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am weary of male protagonists who bed everything that moves. I read a book recently where on one page alone, the hero was mourning the death of an old girlfriend (One with whom he’d had goodby sex two weeks previously), getting ready for a romantic (sexual he was hoping) evening in his apartment with a new woman, a client in an investigation, and he was also regretting the fact that a woman he worked with and had formerly had a long time relationship with, had just refused to get back together with him because he’d had sex with the woman who’d gotten killed. It was a bit much for me, but I suppose male readers would be vicariously cheering him on.

c.      Long story short, romance entwined in a mystery/suspense novel should be believable. (Unless your target reader is male.!)

d.     I’d appreciate your feedback on this, but I’m thinking the final chapter should be suspense related and the story shouldn’t end with the culmination of a romance that developed within the novel.

Dear readers,

I hope all of you had a wonderful Easter weekend. 

We just survived Friday the 13^th and the world is still functioning. I got some bad news on the thirteenth; a friend whose opinion I value told me my published ebook/printbook still had too many errors. This is a book that has been proofed multiple times, so it was a terrible blow, since redoing it will be costly in time and money. I’ve gotten great feedback about the story, however. Maybe those that get caught up in the story don’t notice. I’ll need to make a decision what to do about it, but meantime I’m trying to wrap up my second suspense book. The current dilemma is the ending, which inspired today’s blog.

Happy reading and writing,

Marla

GREAT ENDINGS

GREAT ENDINGS

Heavily into editing and revising my second novel, now I’m questioning its ending. An avid reader, I’m possibly the harshest critic of endings. For me, the ending can determine my overall enjoyment of a novel, so I labor over just how to bring my own story to completion for its readers.

After deciding to write about endings, my first thought was “and they lived happily ever after.” Now that might work for fairy tales, but I’m writing suspense.  Do I really want a storybook ending?

            I’ve put together a list of different types of endings and how they might be germane to the story, assuming of course, that genre does have an impact on what type of ending an author selects.

1.     Happy endings  These are mandatory and expected in fairy tales, children’s books, and romance novels.

But just how happy to leave the reader when ending a thriller, suspense or mystery novel can be a quandary. Although I put an element of romance, or, I suppose I should call it angst-laden encounters between the sexes, in the genre of suspense it is necessary that they be secondary to the main plot. A writer of these genres must be careful that his ending never remotely resembles the ending of a romance  novel or even romantic suspense novel. In other words, the getting together of the protagonist and his/her romantic interest, should not be the main theme of the ending and be a promise, rather than a guarantee, that the two will continue on the path to romantic nirvana.

2.     Everything neatly tied up endings. Like deciding how much romance to end with, the author needs to decide whether to tie up all the loose ends. Should something be held back? As a reader, I say no. I like knowing the whys, and without them, I suspect the author of forgetting something.

A definite reader turnoff—a long dialogue between characters explaining all the loose ends. If using this method of revelation at all, keep it short.

 3.    Nothing ties up.  Seldom used in mystery/suspense, but sometimes as a shocker in horror or science fiction. A friend of mine just wrote a suspense/horror novella in which the two protagonists are murdered by the killer at the end of the book. This ending was so bold and unexpected, that I kind of liked it. But keep in mind, the average reader may not.

4.    Epilogues. These aren’t as common in the mystery/suspense genres, but as a reader I like them, especially if the story line is heavily into the personal lives of the characters. The reader wants to know how the characters fared after the dust settled.

5.    They just screwed with me!  This seems to be a favorite ending for screenwriters these days. I don’t know about everyone else, but for the most part, I hate this type of ending. When the final scene or page, throws out everything its follower spent time being engrossed in, the reader/moviegoer, feels cheated. Again, there will some who like it, but an author must always remember just who he is writing for and what they enjoy.

6.     Alternate endings. Why? As a reader, I avoid these gimmicky ploys to offer something different. I suppose you could look at them as a way to give each reader a satisfactory ending, but to me it’s an author cop-out. I want to know how the story really ended in the writer’s mind. The author has to figure out the best, most satisfying ending, not dangle choices in front of his readers.

 

7.  A final twist. Unlike number five, the ending twist can be a satisfying finale if done well.  I like a good twist, but they can be a tricky way to tie up the end of a novel. Don’t do one, just to get it in. Be sure it's one the reader will love!

Dear readers,

Here’s wishing you a wonderful Easter weekend, filled with people you love, the service of your choice, a basket of your favorite treats, and happy endings.

Till next week,

Marla

Editing is Just Like Cleaning House.

Editing is Just Like Cleaning House.

(No wonder I hate it!)

 

Got the editing blues?

You’ve written “The End” either on the page or in your mind. Are you feeling a euphoric sense of relief and accomplishment? Or a sinking feeling of despair because the worst is yet to come—the dreaded edits! If the second describes where you are with your writing, then you have a lot of company, myself included.

I’m having people over to my house tomorrow night to play bridge. My writing will be set aside today because I have to clean. Never being one to avoid doing things the easy way, I plotted just what had to be done. No need to worry about things they’d never see, right? It occurred to me that the dreaded tasks of editing my novel and cleaning my house have a lot in common, a rather depressing realization since I hate cleaning.

I decided the best way to move forward with either task was to have a plan. Just as I wouldn’t vacuum a room before I dust, I’d have to tackle editing in an organized manner in order to save myself from endless do-overs.

             

1.     The absolute first thing - Have the right tools and cleaning supplies at your fingertips: Dictionary, thesaurus, red pen, notebook, any edit notes you made while writing  your book.

2.     Pick up the clutter - Go through your manuscript and note any glaring problems. Fix spelling, grammar, typos, and conflicting details or (my personal downfall) consistency in character’s names, which also includes spelling their names consistently. During this read through, keep lists of anything in your story line that needs work. If you haven’t already done so, make character lists.

3.     Decide what has to be done – Separate the lists you’ve made into categories. Now read through your book, preferably out loud, for flow, plot, interest, etc. Were the things you noted necessary changes?

4.     Clean house – Make critical revisions based on your notes and your read through.

5.     Save the heaving cleaning for after the party - Only when you’re satisfied that your work flows, and your grammar, spelling, and typos are corrected, is your manuscript ready to send to your professional editor and beta readers. If you’ve done your housekeeping well, your final revisions and clean-up will be as smooth as a bowl of chocolate ice cream.

Dear readers,

This list I’m offering is a simplistic approach, designed to help you get started on a what feels like a monumental task. If you need a more detailed advisory, I’d recommend picking up a book on editing. One I’ve used is Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, by Renni Browne and David King.

I believe it’s vital to invest in a professional editor and proofreader. You’ve put a lot of precious time and effort into your book—don’t let it down by publishing a flawed product. Remember, the competition is fierce and readers demanding.

Wishing you good health and happy writing,

Marla

Beware the Murderers of Motivation!

Beware, the Murderers of Motivation!

What is motivation? Call it a muse, being in the zone, or a creative surge, we all know what motivation means. On our good days, we have more than enough of it to keep writing.

The main enemy of motivation is a tendency to see ourselves as  hapless victims of circumstances over which we have no control. We can’t write because we have writer’s block. Life gets in the way. Family comes first. Too busy with other things.  Sounding familiar?

Staying motivated and preventing writer’s block sounds impossible. Maybe it’s time we look at what causes them in the first place. We need to examine what lies at the base of the problem and prevent it’s inception rather than crying for a cure.

Motivation murderers:

1.     Unrealistic expectations.

Your book didn’t go viral in its first months? Buck up. In the real world, success as an independent author is like a new business. It takes work and it takes time. Focus on what you have to do, not what isn’t happening fast enough.

2.     Perfectionism. 

There are two kinds of writers. The ones like me who dash off the story, then fine-tune it later and the ones who only commit a sentence to paper if it’s perfect.  While there’s nothing wrong with the second method, it isn’t always conducive to flow. Make your work good—and move on. (This applies to the editing process, too.)

3.     Coasting.

One of my favorite sayings is “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” I’ve changed it somewhat, but you get the point. Right up there with expecting too much too soon, expecting something to work when it hasn’t for months, will pull you into the dregs of depression. Analyze what you’ve been doing, then try something different.

4.     Taking on too much at a time.

a.     The biggest culprit is trying to maintain a presence on all the social media sites. Find the sites you are the most comfortable with and use them well. Don’t try to keep up with them all; it’ll make you crazy.

b.     Starting too many projects. I find I’m most successful when I actively work on one project, my novel, and only tackle a second one mentally, taking an occasional note or rough outline. Going in too many directions will detract from your final product. Don’t start another writing project until you’re nearly done with the first.

5.     Comparing yourself to others.

There are many success stories out there. Don’t glance at them and agonize over why you aren’t getting the same results. Spend time reading why these authors became successful and take a tip or two from them that you can apply to your own journey. Envy is costly—it threatens your creativity.

Dear readers,

Frequently, I find myself in a dark place during my efforts to become a successful novelist. Sharing with you what I’ve come up with when I’ve tried to tackle my problem was the inspiration for this blog. Prevention isn’t always easy, but hopefully, easier than clean up!

Happy writing,

Marla

That Baffling Back-Story!

That Baffling Back-Story!

Are you guilty of back-Story Dump? One of the first writing lessons I learned from my writer’s group was about back-story. Yes, I was guilty. At the time I’d never heard the term back-story, much less the dump.

As a writer, I’ve had to learn to deal with it. In the process of writing my second novel, I added practically none, and I’m filling it in as I edit.

As a reader, I often skim over it, figuring if it’s vital to the story, I’ll find out about its relevance anyway. I don’t want to know all about the protagonist’s family history, how the parents met, what childhood was like or how he/she met their spouse or lover. Not in the opening chapters and maybe never.

The danger of back-story is that not done properly, it can bore your readers, even lose them. For mystery/suspense/thriller writers, too much in the opening chapters may destroy the suspense you’re trying to build. And if your books are listed on Amazon, where readers are free to (and usually do) read the opening chapters, overdone back-story can sway a decision to leave your book on the virtual shelf.

We need to be artful and subtle in delivering back-story as part of the narrative flow, rather than spelling it out.

Rules of back-story:

1.  Keep it short. Include it only if you're absolutely certain the reader would be completely lost without the information.
2. Add the information in bits and pieces, not all at once in one scene or even one chapter.

3. Tie the information to some type of action.
4. Create situations where another character needs to know the information.
5. Make sure it's realistic. Don't have someone talk about something they wouldn't normally talk about or spill their darkest secrets to a stranger just to get it out there.

After adding any back-story, ask yourself:

1. Is it absolutely relevant?

2. Is it short?

3. Is it inserted all at once?

4. Is it tied to some type of action?

Dear readers,

            I’m sharing this with you because it is another of those lessons I had to learn the hard way. Having been a reader forever, I should have known better. I’m utterly ruthless when I read and have no qualms about paging over endless backstory. I’ve set aside books that insisted on telling me the protagonist’s life story in the beginning chapters. Certainly not all readers are that brutal, but there are enough of us to make learning how to put back-story in artfully, a necessary skill. This short blog merely touches the surface of its use. There is a wealth of information available on the use of back-story. Take advantage of it.

            I’m still working on it.

Thanks for visiting,

 Marla

Sharpen your hook!

Before You Publish—Sharpen Your Hook!

11 Ways to Attract Your Readers

             One of the real challenges to eBook sales is the sample of the book available to readers. This sample is the bait—it better be enticing to the reader we anglers are trying to attract.  But the bait can’t do its job without a sharp hook.

            Think about your own purchases. How many of you, when considering whether to make an eBook purchase, have read a page or two, yawned, and moved on to the next option? An avid reader, I must confess I do it regularly. Just as an author trying to publish the traditional way needs to hook his potential editor, the eWriter has an even more challenging a job—attracting each and every reader.

            From the book, Don’t Murder Your Mystery, by Chris Roerden, here are eleven excellent tips for making your sample pages so compelling, that the reader will be panting for the whole book. It’s all about the hook. Not just the first sentence or the first paragraph—the sample chapters are critical.

Characteristics of a good hook:

1.     Arouses curiosity about who, what, when and where.

2.     Introduces the main character as soon as possible and makes it clear who is in the lead.

3.     Begins with the problem, predicament, conflict, threat, or change.

4.     Plunges into the middle of the situation.

5.     Uses tone to create a mood without piling on adjective and adverbs.

6.     Stirs emotions that keep reader identifying with the central character’s feelings.

7.     Sets a tone consistent with the main character’s attitude.

8.     Avoids being clichéd, boring, or hokey—not contrived solely for shock value.

9.     Sustains curiosity well past the first chapter.

10. Keeps action going without submerging it in back-story or description. (This one, to me, is the chief villain of lost interest. Drowning an otherwise interesting story line in endless “showing, not telling” marks the amateur writer.)

11. Suggests a contradiction of some kind.

Seem like a rather formidable list? It is. But we need to weigh it against our opening chapters if we want our novels to rise above the hundreds of thousands being ePublished ever day. We need to have both the bait (good style, formatting, and error-free), and a compelling hook to make the reader want to keep reading.

Dear followers,
Thank  you for reading this blog. I'm no expert, just another writer trying to promote my book. There's room in the marketplace for all of us, and helping each other is something our blogs can do for us. Roerdan's book is an excellent tool for the beginning writer and I strongly recommend it. I've read my copy and refer back to it often.
Have a wonderful week and a fun St. Patty's Day,
Marla

Chris Roerdan's book:

http://tinyurl.com/87ja7la