The Weekend Novelist Writes a Mystery [Paperback]

Robert J. Ray (Author), Jack Remick (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 6, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0440506581 | ISBN-13: 978-0440506584

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 first
The 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.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

From the Inside Flap

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 first
The 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.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 257 pages
• Publisher: Dell (April 6, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440506581
• ISBN-13: 978-0440506584
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #488,215 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #38 in Books > Education & Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Writing > Mystery

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 76 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A review of The Weekend Novelist Writes A Mystery October 24, 1998

By S. M. McKenzie ([e-mail])

Format:Paperback

Most aspiring and accomplished writers own at least a modest collection of how-to-write books. The majority of these books are inspirational with a smattering of tips and techniques thrown in.

The Weekend Novelist Writes a Mystery is different.

Step-by-step methods for constructing a tight mystery novel plot with compelling and convincing characters fill every page. Examples of the authors' own novel process along with those of other masters such as Agatha Christie, Martin Cruz Smith, Sue Grafton, and Raymond Chandler illustrate each step.

There are no timid suggestions in vague jargon here. The authors have taken great pains to make sure each and every facet of their combined writing and teaching expertise is explained thoroughly and usefully.

The importance of a solid "backstory" is the focus of early chapters, giving the writer a solid view of their story before moving on to the writing itself. The far too common problem of writing oneself to a standstill is virtually impossible if the plot and characterization techniques are followed. The remainder of the book contains a treasure trove of specific techniques for creating scenes, convincing dialogue, and "real" settings. The reader will learn how to group their scenes into logical "acts", control the story's pace, and use the language to set tone and resonance.

While structured specifically for the mystery writer, the techniques can be applied to other genres with relative ease. Any novelist, whether still aspiring or already accomplished, will find a wealth of insight into the plotting and characterization process. The beginner searching for one all-around USEFUL how-to-write book would do well to pick this one.

This is no-nonsense book crammed with useful, week-by-week projects which will lead the writer to the successful creation of a well-written, satisfying mystery.

The Weekend Novelist Writes a Mystery puts the "HOW" back into the how-to-write book market.

63 of 69 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Clean up your act as a mystery writer. March 11, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Bob Ray and Jack Remick must have very clean offices. Mine was a disaster zone until I read THE WEEKEND NOVELIST WRITES A MYSTERY.

I was laughing to myself reading WEEKEND NOVELIST. Ray and Remick have nice little flow charts. I had piles of gum wrappers and old envelopes with a few words scribbled on them ("where's the dog in chapter 10?" or "top boat speed 40 mph - police boats 60 mph from Emerald Point -- do math"). You won't find a chapter here for "waking up in the middle of the night with your brain taken over by your story, padding through a freezing house in your bahtrobe (knocking into coffee table with shin bone), and staring bleary-eyed at the computer till dawn." Which is how most of my book got written. My shins were bruised for a year and a half.

My shins are still bruised, I confess. I should move that coffee table. But I can thank Bob Ray and Jack Remick for helping me organize my thoughts and my time for my second novel. My office is cleaner for it. And my writing is cleaner too. Read the book. It will help you clean up your act as a mystery writer.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Do what they say and you, too, can write a best seller! May 15, 1998

By Cynthia C. Hartwig

Format:Paperback

I stumbled upon "The Weekend Novelist" about six months ago and it transformed my writing life. "The Weekend Novelist Writes a Mystery" is even better, and I'm not working on mystery -- I'm working on a memoir. Prior to learning from Ray and Remick, I was wandering in the wilderness, with no clue about the difference between story and plot; why scenes are the basic building blocks of a book; or how to start with character and what makes a person tick to set the hook for the story. The Ray/Remick approach uses writing practice to help you plumb the depths but it's their emphasis on structure -- they call it "priming the subconscious" when you're in the shower as well as at your writing desk -- that really works. I wasn't a fan of writing practice before doing their exercises but now I see that it helps me go places I don't go on my computer, particularly when I use their structure profiles and do their exercises. I also appreciate the specific examples they use, especially the examples from "Murder on Drake Island," the mystery they wrote for this book. These guys can write a mean sentence -- with or without a smoking gun. Run, do not walk, to the book store if you want to make a tremendous leap in your writing.