How To Write a Mystery

A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America

By: Mystery Writers of America, Lee Child - editor, Laurie R. King - editor

Narrated by: Cary Hite, Caroline McLaughlin, Nigel Patterson, Fred Sanders, Jackie Sanders, Machelle Williams

From 70 of the most successful mystery writers in the business, an invaluable guide to crafting mysteries—from character development and plot to procedurals and thrillers—“this is a writing guide that readers and writers will turn to again and again” (Booklist, starred review).

Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is known for providing unparalleled resources on the craft, art, and business of storytelling, helping writers of all levels improve their skills for nearly a century. Now, this handbook helps authors navigate the ever-shifting publishing landscape—from pacing, plotting, the business side of publishing, to the current demand for diversity and inclusivity across all genres, and more.

Featuring essays by a new generation of bestselling experts on various elements of the craft and shorter pieces of crowd-sourced wisdom from the MWA membership as a whole, the topics covered can be categorized as follows:
—Before Writing (rules; genres; setting; character; research; etc.)
—While Writing (outlining; the plot; dialogue; mood; etc.)
—After Writing (agents; editors; self-pub; etc.)
—Other than Novels (short stories; true crime; etc.)
—Other Considerations (diverse characters; legal questions; criticism)

Also included is a collection of essays from MWA published authors—including Jeffery Deaver, Tess Gerritsen, and Charlaine Harris—selected by bestselling authors Lee Child and Laurie King and arranged thematically answering, “What piece of writing advice do you wish you’d had at the beginning of your career?”

“Everything you wanted to know about how to plan, draft, write, revise, publish, and market a mystery” (Kirkus Reviews), this inclusive manual provides practical, current, easily digestible advice for new and established authors alike.

Helpful

A burgeoning writer, I am Austin taunted by the process of publishing. As an aspiring, mystery writer, I often question what comes next. So this book amounts to a collection of essays, I found much of the material extraordinarily help. If you are considering this book, and you are an aspiring mystery, writer, know that not every bit of information in teams will directly apply to you. That being said, I feel that there is something for every rider in these pages.

Excellent resource

Goldmine of information from a wealth of accomplished authors. I will come back to quite a few of the chapters in the book. I loved that the contributors recorded their own pieces.

Great Advice From Those Who Know

Useful information for anyone who wants to write books of any kind not just mysteries.

Great Info

While listening to all the great talent I felt like I was attending a Master Class of the best writing advice available

Broad strokes

The performance is great, but I find I’m not satisfied that the book kept the promise inherent in the title. I would have preferred more about crafting a MYSTERY specifically. There are several gems in this collection of advices from authors that do talk specifically about mystery, but there’s also plenty that’s well covered elsewhere - general advice for authors. Everything covered is helpful, but I bought this book because I thought it might break down the craft of writing a mystery. Only a few of the contributions did so, although if you’re looking for a broad array of writerly advice not just about what sets mystery apart, this might be good for you.