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Post by writeway on Sept 25, 2018 0:36:13 GMT
I write crime, mysteries, thrillers, romantic suspense
Crime: Doesn't have to involve a mystery or even suspense. For example it can be a book about a group of bank robbers or kidnappers without any suspense or mystery involved.
Mystery: Something has to be solved. It can be anything as long as the reader doesn't know what's going on until the end. Must include red herrings, believable twists, suspense to keep things moving.
Suspense: Does not have to be a crime story or a mystery. Suspense can be included in any type of plot and are mainly thrillers and horrors.
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Post by individualist on Sept 28, 2018 16:41:28 GMT
I've given talks on this. Here's one on YouTube, a presentation on writing thrillers, in which I discuss my own views about these genre distinctions [EDIT: If the video link is invisible, check out my name, Robert Bidinotto, on YouTube.]
For the most part, I think the genre distinctions are artificial and not very accurate. What mystery or thriller or romance doesn't have suspense -- anticipation and worry about the outcome? Mysteries and thrillers often overlap and integrate: think of the books by Robert Crais, Robert B. Parker, Mickey Spillane, Alistair MacLean, and so many more. A spy or crime thriller can be packed with mystery; a detective tale can be loaded with thrills. Many of these have romances, too.
It's more useful for an author to think of mystery, thrills, romance, and suspense as elements in stories, rather than distinctive "genres" into which they must squeeze their books. The emphasis on one or more element appeals to different readers, which is why publishers, librarians, and bookstore owners invented classification categories: they're mainly for marketing purposes.
My "thrillers" merge and blend genres, because they contain elements from a lot of them. My first novel, HUNTER, is set in the criminal justice/legal field; it has a vigilante hero; it has a sizzling romance; it has CIA/spy backstory and subplot; it has elements of Washington political intrigue; it has several tangled mysteries; and it has wall-to-wall suspense. It was a big bestseller that appealed to lots of different kinds of readers. I call it a "thriller" because of it has a lot of suspenseful action scenes and a nail-biting, clock-ticking-down pacing. But it is read by many women who enjoy the romance, and by lots of folks who like mysteries.
My sequels, BAD DEEDS and WINNER TAKES ALL, have all the same elements, but the stress is more on hot political controversies in the news. So, are they in the subgenre of "political thrillers"? Well, the latter book has an international spy conspiracy at the heart of its plot, which also involves rigging a U.S. election. So, is it really in the subgenre of "spy thriller"? The ongoing romance between the hero and heroine are still there, and again, lots of mystery. How do we weight these elements in determining a "genre"?
I don't really care. I want to write entertaining stories loaded with thrills, mystery, action, romance, and suspense. I have to choose genres/subgenres when categorizing my books on Amazon, but they're really genre-benders. Again, for a writer, it's more useful to think of action, adventure, mystery, suspense, romance, thrills, etc., as elements or qualities you can bring into your stories, rather than "categories" into which you must cram or stretch your work, like some literary Procrustes. Think of them as an artist thinks of the various paint colors on his palette.
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Post by K'Sennia Visitor on Apr 10, 2019 3:39:27 GMT
Since I'm writing a mystery we need a dedicated thread like this one. So here ya go. I am only on day three of plotting. I am 13,000 words into my outline and I think I'm starting to get close to the end. I have never successfully completed a murder mystery before so I have lots of voices in my head telling me I can't do it, but just because I haven't done it before doesn't mean I can't do it now. I started off with the remnants of a plot outline I created years ago. I couldn't remember everything about it, and going through my archive of chaos and despair was too much work, so I just jotted down what I remembered and went from there. The last time I wrote a novel/novella I learned that I can pants but I cannot edit a novel that has been pantsed. It's just too long, and overwhelming, and my brain shuts down. Maybe one day when I can afford a few really good editors, but not now. So this time around I am planning everything. I'm already having issues with length at just 13,000, but it's still manageable. I have a ton of logic issues and a memory like a sieve, so I have to go back and fix things a lot, like how at one point, I had one character who was singlehandedly cleaning mansions by herself. Uh no, unless she has super speed, so now she works for a service. Pretty simple to edit in the outline. I also tend to forget things like funerals. Once I started jotting down what day it was, that has helped a lot, keeping track of time passing is important. Always know what day it is. And I have a text doc with all of my character's names so that when I inevitably forget a character's name for the umpteenth time I can just check the txt file and get back to work. I'm definitely concerned with length, but I'll make it as long as I can. All I can do. Post your questions and thoughts and feelings and experiences on writing murder mysteries, all sub-genres included.
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Post by K'Sennia Visitor on Apr 10, 2019 4:09:17 GMT
Here is the amazon url for their mystery, thriller, and suspense category. A good place to go to do market and packaging, cover, and blurb research if you're writing a mystery or thriller. www.amazon.com/Mystery-Thrillers-Kindle-eBooks/b/ref=dp_bc_aui_T1_3?ie=UTF8&node=157305011 You can refine your search by: Moods & ThemesAction-packed Dark Disturbing Fun Gory Humorous Racy & Risque Romantic Scary Vengeful Characters Amateur Sleuths British Detectives Gay Protagonists FBI Agents Female Protagonists Lesbian Protagonists Police Officers Private Investigators Settings Beaches Islands Mountains Outer Space Small Towns Suburban Urban So for my books I'd want to make sure and use the keywords: fun & humorous, amateur sleuth & female protagonist, Islands and Small Towns. Which theoretically might help customers find my books easier. You can look through the list and find the words that best describe your books, too!
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Post by K'Sennia Visitor on Apr 10, 2019 6:47:09 GMT
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Post by K'Sennia Visitor on Apr 12, 2019 3:26:38 GMT
I was doing good and having fun for 4 whole days, but today I am stuck, stuck, stuck. The problem is I wasn't actually planning my outline I was pantsing it and doing a terrible job. I have never been good with plotting. (shakes head) But I can't give up. I want to give up, but I won't. Giving up is the easy way out. Even if something is hard for you and you struggle to get it right, if you give up every time it's hard then you won't get good at anything or ever be successful. Especially if you tend to struggle with everything, like me. The things I did wrong were that I had 6 suspects, 4 murders, and 4 murderers. So it was way too easy for my sleuth to figure it out. Plus, none of my suspects were very good at keeping secrets. My sleuth would ask them a questions and they'd just spill their guts. So way too easy. Right now I'm waiting for my brain to give me better suspects, more interesting, with more secrets, and more to lose if they are revealed.
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