Customer Reviews

Don't Murder Your Mystery [Agatha Award for Best Nonfiction Book]

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

From the beginning of this immensely insightful writing manual, Chris Roerden focuses on what it takes to write novels that will survive both an agent's and a publisher's screening process. I spent a couple of years in the early 1990s reading the slush pile at two nearby publishing houses, and I can affirm Roerden's statement that the vast majority of manuscripts submitted to agents and presses are rejected because the writers fail to submit a solid, well-written, and entertaining product.

In the dog-eat-dog world of publishing, Roerden tells us publishers pick very few new writers - and only those who look like winners - and they "ignore the rest whose work reveals evidence of average writing, aka `amateur.'" She goes on to tell us: "The publishing industry cannot afford to gamble on writers who are still developing their potential, who show little evidence of having studied the craft of the profession they aspire to, or who fail to reflect the preferences that publishers and agents state in their submission guidelines" (p. 12).

The book setup is clever. In ten parts, she delineates 24 specific fiction-writing areas to focus upon in revisions. To start out, in Part I: DEAD ON ARRIVAL, she lays out all the reasons why writers simply must write, revise, edit, and format their novels or else they won't be published. In that section, Roerden tells us about THE JUDGES: Screener-outers - and what they look for; THE PLAINTIFFS: Writers - and what you hope for; THE DEFENDANTS: Agents and publishers - and why they do what they do; and CORRECTIONS FACILITIES: Self-editors - and how to do what you need to.

Each of the subsequent nine parts features one of the 24 fiction-writing techniques, which Roerden, tongue in cheek, labels CLUES. For instance, in Part III: FIRST OFFENDERS, she's got:

CLUE #1: HOBBLED HOOKS - Replace with high-tensile lines that stretch your holding power;
CLUE #2: PERILOUS PROLOGUES - Beware: May lead to low-tension, post-prologue, backstory ache;
CLUE #3: BLOODY BACKSTORY - To remove the evidence, slice, dice, and splice.

The advice to "slice, dice, and splice" is quite simply wonderful, and with her terrific explanations, it's easy to remember what she means and apply it to work on a manuscript. In concise language steeped in good humor and fabulous examples, Roerden reveals each of the 24 CLUES (including FATAL FLASHBACKS, TOXIC TRANSCRIPTS, DECEPTIVE DREAMS, DASTARDLY DESCRIPTION, DYING DIALOGUE, KILLED BY CLICHÉ, GESTURED TO DEATH, and many more). She systematically provides tips and techniques for avoiding these pitfalls. The 24 "Clues," when properly understood and applied, will make any author's well-told tale a winner.

She rounds out this well-written guide with an index and four "Exhibits," including: instructions for standard manuscript formatting; a bibliography of the multitude of books she cited throughout the text; a list of popular Internet crime writing sites; and recommended nonfiction in the areas of general writing, mystery, editing, character building, marketing, etc.

All too often How-To guides warn you about basic no-no's, but I've never before seen a guide that does such a great job detailing HOW TO AVOID those no-no's. Using clear-headed explanations, Roerden creates outstanding examples of poor form and uses shining examples of good form from 150 published novels, all of which provides through and easy-to-understand instruction.

Despite the title of this book, this How-To manual is *not* only for mystery writers. I would recommend it for anyone who is attempting to create a finished draft for publication. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. ~Lori L. Lake, author of the "Gun" Series, Different Dress, Ricochet in Time, Snow Moon Rising, Stepping Out: Short Stories, and editor of Romance for LIFE! and the Lambda Literary Award anthology finalist, The Milk of Human Kindness.

So, you've written a great crime novel? Before you get to appear on Oprah you've got to get your novel past the first reader at a publishing house. Guess what? Ninety percent (or more) of these great novels get tossed after reading the first page or two. Not because of uninteresting plots or weak characters. The reader doesn't even get that far. They get tossed because of "average" or "amateur" writing. Now, packed into one slim, readable paperback, are the tools you need to avoid this sad fate.

Author Chris Roerden explores the most common mistakes that scream "amateur" or "average writing" and tells you how to avoid them. It's hard work of course, but the author makes it enjoyable, understandable, and even funny. It's hard to imagine a book for writers being so entertaining, but it is. To use a cliche, I couldn't put it down. (Author Roerden has a great chapter on cliches.)

I finished this book in two days, and I know I'll be going back to it, using it for reference. It's not just for mystery writers. Anyone who writes fiction can benefit. Thank you, Chris. I recommend this one highly to all writers. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.

Chris Roerdon is an editor with years of experience. She uses wit and real-life examples from published mystery authors, many of whom are extremely well-known. Chris' book contains a number of tips on how to get your mystery past the initial selection editor. I am not a professional reviewer, and my book of choice is fiction. However, I found Chris' book extremely easy to understand and enjoy. Her CLUEs (there are 24) are helpful not only to writers but also to readers. While I found all of the entries interesting, highlighting issues I never would have thought of on my own as a reader, I really enjoyed her entry on clichés. I laughed out loud during this CLUE - and I know that my reviews definitely suffer from killer clichés. Words of advice, though; if you never want to write a mystery because you are afraid of nit-picking the story apart instead of simply enjoying it, don't read this book. The information sticks with you!!!!

I'm a craft guy, scooping up every new tome on fiction tips and techniques that comes along. Eight out of ten times, however, I finish the book and put it back on the shelf never again peeling back the cover. Every year another author publishes a book on writing, when all they really do is re-hash the age-old "show, don't tell" or "write what you know" advice, among other writerly muzak-like instruction. And every year I wonder aloud, "Who among us has new insights?"

Don't Murder Your Mystery breaks the stale bread, my friends. Roerden's extensive experience and editor's eye shines through every page, and just so you don't think she's making it up on the fly, she supports her insights with numerous quotations from published fiction. Flashbacks, backstory, the correct use of surprise, body language, character agendas, anchoring a scene, info-dumps--all these and many more are presented with a fresh perspective.

The great thing about Don't Murder Your Mystery? It's not solely for the mystery writer. Roerden's advice applies to popular fiction as a whole; there are only a few chapters specifically written for the mystery genre. So whether you write romance, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, crime--it doesn't matter. Don't Murder Your Mystery, along with Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, is the best writing instruction I've read in a long time. So good, in fact, that I have to read it again to make sure I gleaned everything therein. Do your writing a favor and buy it today.

Chris Roerden offers often tough but always concrete and helpful writing advice in this book, which covers many topics other writers either avoid or forget.

Loaded with examples from contemporary writers, Roerden discusses often over-looked topics: when you should not use a prologue (and gives specific questions to ask that help you decide), how to make description exciting instead of flat, how to strengthen plot and dialogue, and a terrific checklist of logical errors that nobody ever seems to think about.

Her best advice is simply that editors and agents are looking for a reason to reject your writing and shows you how to avoid basic blunders before they get involved in your story. Roerden loads her writing with witty comments and truly excruciating puns that lessen the sting of her wit without diluting the value of her advice. This book fills an important gap in every writer's library

Ever since Don't Murder Your Mystery has come out, I have been telling wannabe mystery writers that this is the SECOND book they will want to purchase if they are serious about having their book being taken serious by either the New York Publishing World or all those small presses that seem to pop up across the country. These first time and novice writers always ask: Well, then what is the FIRST book I should read, and I tell them it can be any old How to Write Your Mystery-type book because you need to understand the structure of the story you are telling. But when you become serious about having an agent or an editor look at your masterpiece, you must use Chris Roerden's Don't Murder Your Mystery to EVEN GET A SHOT at being read, past the first page, by agency or by editor. This is how solid Don't Murder Your Mystery is. Gobs of information and filled with tricks of the trade, and pages and pages of examples and details no lecturer could possibly give you. Don't Murder Your Mystery will be on your reference shelf for the duration of your writing career and whenever you hit a snag, it will be the first book you pull off that shelf, but only after you have hit those difficult-to-take bumps in the road. Make this difficult process easier and pick up Chris' book from the get-go. It is like sitting at the feet of a master and trying to soak up all the wonderous knowledge that this woman knows.

No mystery author should be without this book. It is chock full of examples and information needed for writing mysteries. Editors should use it as well.

She touches on just about every aspect of mystery writing. She gives lots of examples from published mystery writers and explains in layman's terms the do's and don'ts.

This is not just another how-to book. It is geared specifically for mysteries. You may have a great plot and great characters, but there is so much more in writing a mystery. Many don't make it past the first few pages when being read by agents and publishers. This book will help your manuscript shine above the others.

I highly recommend this book to all writers and editors. I use it in my editing and recommend it to my clients. Dawn Dowdle, Sleuth Editing.

I bought two copies, one to keep and one to give away. That's how much I valued this book! I've collected several helpful how-to titles over the years, but, by far, Chris Roerden's was the most helpful and complete. Her central thesis is that editors and screeners are looking for reasons to reject your manuscript, not to keep on reading--particularly in the first three pages. A great story or great characters won't sell a book if the writing is only average. Chris tells you how to elevate your writing above average by avoiding common mistakes. With my debut mystery novel coming out in the summer of 2007, I wish I'd had her book before my agent had sold the manuscript. A must read for all those who aspire to write a mystery; but her lessons apply to all fiction genres as well.

Don't Murder Your Mystery is a writer's how-to manual geared mainly to mystery writers who are seriously interested in improving their craft. Roerden's uses examples taken from the novels of well-known mystery authors to illustrate her lessons and uses clever word association linked to the mystery genre to explain each section.

From--Part 1: Dead on Arrival--covers the ins and outs of submitting your manuscript to a publisher and how to avoid common mistakes, which could prove fatal to all of your hard work.

To--Part 9: Loose Ends--includes information on telling vs. showing, strengthening weaknesses in style and other abuses and misuses of words. In fact, all of the chapters are filled to the brim with valuable information you don't have to be a cracker-jack sleuth to uncover. At the back of the book are reference sites to continue your journey.

For any writer, whether beginner or veteran, who wants to write mysteries, I highly recommend Don't Murder Your Mystery. The colorfully worded illustrations and formatting style makes it easy to read and apply to your work in progress.

There are some wonderful books out there for learning the craft of writing (of which I have several), but I recommend this one because of the ease of locating information, and the quality of information found there.

Armchair Interviews says: A 5-star book about writing mysteries.m

Don't Murder Your Mystery by Chris Roerden

This fiction-writing instruction book covers it all. Though it's aimed at mystery writers, any writer would benefit from reading it. It's perfect for beginners who haven't a clue as well as for more experienced writers who need reminders and fine tuning. Roerden gives so many examples you can't miss the point. If you're in a hurry, you can skip to the back of each chapter where you'll find a list of the main points, but you'll miss out on a lot of fun. Don't Murder Your Mystery is the most original, helpful, and interesting fiction how-to I've run across.