by Lynne | Feb 19, 2017 | Creating Tension, Writing, Writing Tips
“Amanda stepped off the elevator on the lower level of the parking garage. At ten o’clock on a Saturday night, the level was empty except for her car . . . and one other she didn’t recognize. A sound of dripping water and the soft scurrying of animal feet – rats? – made her throat close.
She swiveled her head in search of anything or anyone nearby then took a tentative step toward her car. Then another step and faster, faster, until she was almost at a sprint. Her high heels clicked on the concrete floor and echoed in the cavernous space. Finally, she reached her car. Damn, why didn’t she have her keys ready?
Amanda fumbled through her bag, her heart now ratcheted up, pumping blood through her ears. All she could hear was the furious whooshing sound of her own fear.
There, her keys, at the bottom, now in her hand. She clicked the fob and the latches opened. She reached for the handle, but before her fingers closed around it, she detected a breathy squeak of rubber soled shoes behind her. She dropped her bag, swung around with a gasp, hands clenched into fists, ready to defend herself and . . .”
So, what do you think? Tension? I always love the late-at-night parking garage scene. Scares the heck out of me, even now.
What is tension, really, and why is it so important in writing? Even if you’re not writing a mystery. Even if you’re writing non-fiction.
The noun tension has its Latin roots in “tendere,” which means to stretch, and tension occurs when something is stretched either physically or emotionally to its limits. Strained relations between countries can cause political tensions to rise. Tension can be added to a rubber band by stretching it to its limits. By the way, you can release nervous tension by shooting that rubber band at the local bully.
Tension is the means to get your reader to turn the page, particularly if it’s used at the end of a chapter as a cliffhanger. People, for the most part, don’t like to leave things unresolved. They want to find the solution, even if it’s an unsatisfactory one (that’s another story.)
While you cannot (or should not) distort facts when writing non-fiction, tension around real events can ramp up the readers’ pulse just as thrillers can. Take “The Monuments Men,” for instance. How tense can a situation be when you have a group of men and women trying to save the art and monuments of a Europe at war? When, finally the fighting ends, and they discover, in a dark, damp mine in Austria, a cache of hidden loot that would make King Midas gasp? When, they manage to “derail” an art train bound for Germany with stolen paintings of Masters like Leonardo.
Now that’s tension. That’s real life. Whew.
I welcome your feedback and samples of tension in your writing.
by Lynne | Jan 30, 2017 | Marketing an Indie Book, Writing, Writing Tips
Writing a good book is the first step. The most important one.
Publishing is second. Marketing, third.
I’ve read books on Indie marketing and ideas range from developing a top-notch website, creating YouTubes, or audiobooks, and taking advantage of free social media, or paying for advertising, both digital and in print. So far, I’ve got a really good website. No YouTubes or audiobooks, yet. I use social media a great deal, but not paid advertising.
What I did do, however, on one of my books, was write a press release. But I didn’t write the release about my book per se. I took a concept from my book and capitalized on that. I found a “hook,” that I thought would be of interest to a wide audience.
DEADLY PROVENANCE is about the Nazi confiscation of art and a missing Van Gogh painting. It is actually still missing so I decided to go on a hunt for it. Seemed like a good angle: “Mystery Writer on Hunt for Missing Van Gogh.” Now what?
I created a press release, weaving my book concept into this “hook” so it didn’t appear to be just a “buy my book” message.
Now, what do I do with it? I can send it to local papers and news stations. Not too hard. Find the feature editors, senior editors, etc. But what about a more widespread release? Throughout the city, state, country?
I investigated some marketing companies. I found one called PRWeb.com and decided to go with them. For under $500, they helped me tune up my release, target my audience, and release it on a certain date to many thousands of publications around the country. They also followed up with analytics to show who picked it up, how many hits, impressions, interactives (forwards, prints, etc.) took place.
How did I do? I was somewhat disappointed in the results. Most of the sites that picked up the story were online journals and digital newsletters. Certainly not the New York Times. A couple of biggies did pick it up: Miami Herald and the Boston Globe. But when I clicked on the sites and tried to find the article, they didn’t show up. Hmmm. Using Google and Google Alerts, I tried to find who picked up my press release. Still not a clear picture. Maybe I’m just tech-challenged.
My next step was to take the release and blast it to local press avenues. There I had more success. I snagged a radio interview at KPBS and astoundingly, landed on the front page of the San Diego Union Tribune. Terrific story by an excellent columnist who took my press release, interviewed me and then wrote his own article. I was flying high. Although anyone who knows San Diego’s U/T would probably laugh.
Then it was over. In one day, I was no longer a cover story. I was back to being one author amongst many. What now? Peddle the press release along with my one day of fame, to new sites or repeat sites? Write a new press release? Or do I hire a publicist who knows the appropriate next steps?”
At this point, I have focused on writing the best books I could: delving into the research, creating new plots and interesting characters, and using social media to market. I’m not a New York Times bestselling author yet, but I’ve done pretty well. More important–I’ve enjoyed the entire process!
Ideas welcome!
by Lynne | Jan 23, 2017 | Mystery Writing, Reading, Screenplays Vs. Novels, Writing, Writing Tips
In my last blog I talked about what novel writers can learn from screenwriters. Well, it hit a nerve with all writers and I got many comments. One comment referred to Broadchurch, the television series I mentioned as an example of good screen writing. The reader who commented agreed that the series was excellent but stopped watching it after three episodes because it was so dark. (Thanks, Mark Hunter!)
This started me thinking about other TV series as well as mystery novels that fit into that “dark” category. And they are legion. Let me name a few you might be familiar with: Happy Valley, Hinterland, The Killing, The Missing, Dexter, The Escape Artist. Then there are those I haven’t seen, mainly being turned off by the title: Killer Couples, Murder on the Social Network, Married Single Dead, Slasher, I am Not a Serial Killer. (Really?)
So what is about today’s mysteries (many of these series were books first) that compels authors to write such grisly, black, and freaky-scary scenarios? I believe that the transition from book to film has demanded heightened “grimness” for dramatic effect. When a book becomes a movie, the dark elements are often played up. And the villains are getting meaner and nastier all the time.
Don’t get me wrong. The villains in novels can be just as rotten. However, when you actually see the character in the flesh, so to speak, the villainy is enhanced. Take a series called Happy Valley, a British psychological cop thriller. Excellent series. The villain, however, left such a lasting impression with me, that I have difficulty watching the actor in any other series. Believe it or not, he’s the priest in Grantchester and I now find him hard to believe (as a good guy) after seeing him in Happy Valley.
But back to point. There are still many series and books that have all the great attributes of a good mystery, both book and film, and are not as dark. See if you agree: Inspector Lewis, Sherlock, Endeavour, The Bletchley Circle, Foyle’s War, Bosch, Midsomer Murders (okay, a little fluffy here.) The Wallender mysteries and Elizabeth George’s Inspector Lynley. Agatha Christie’s stories are also in this category. 
To be a good mystery, must it make you throw up, weep, shake in your boots, or cause insomnia? Or should it make you ponder, riddle-solve, and give you ingenious plot and character ideas for your next book?
I welcome your thoughts and ideas.
by Lynne | Jan 16, 2017 | Crafting Characters, Screenplays Vs. Novels, Writing, Writing Tips
I read a lot. I also watch movies and occasional television series. Recently I got to thinking about how novel writers and screenwriters differ.
In some ways a screenwriter has an easier job than an author. Take, for instance, “painting a picture of the scene.” When describing a scene, the screenwriter essentially “takes a snapshot,” something like: “you are looking down the beach, with huge cliffs off to the left, surf to the right, and a body down at the far end.”
He/she does not use too many adjectives such as azure sea, turquoise ocean, foamy waves, or 60-ft cliffs, ragged rocks, sandstone hills. No need. The snapshot, the images on camera of the actual place, capture all that for the viewer. 
The scene I’m describing, by the way, is from a BBC Series called Broadchurch, one of the most well-done, intriguing and dark stories I’ve seen. Instead of spending myriad words to let the reader “see” the image, the stage is, essentially, pre-set by reality.
Rather. the screenwriter spends considerable time on the characters and, probably to a lesser extent, on the plot. In Broadchurch, the plot is riveting, starting with the murder of a young boy. And it twists and turns its way through the episodes with skill and bravery, to end with a, pardon the expression here, a cliffhanger.
You always want to return to the next episode. You always want to turn the page.
Chris Chibnell is the screenwriter of Broadchurch, and no, the book (written by Erin Kelly, along with Chibnell) came after the screenplay–isn’t that interesting? Chibnell’s past credits include Doctor Who and Torchwood, but Broadchurch catapulted him to screenplay stardom.
What Chibnell does so masterfully, and we authors need to take a lesson, is character development, growth and change. The Broadchurch characters start out one way, they grow through the series and, somehow, almost magically, are transformed by their experiences. They have learned and matured; they have gained strength and resilience. And they continue to change, giving the viewer hope they will survive no matter what the future holds.
This is a concept we novel writers need to infuse in our own work. Character development, however little, is BIG. Don’t minimize it and its effects on the audience (reader.) Without being a spoiler, I suggest you watch Broadchurch, and, in particular, the character of Ellie Miller.
See if you don’t agree that this device can make you a much better writer.
by Lynne | Jan 8, 2017 | Mystery Writing, Writing, Writing Tips
One of the most difficult tasks for writers, but also one of the most important, is creating the back (jacket) cover text.
It must be brief but intriguing, succinct but riveting. For discussion sake, here is the back cover text for my latest book, Pure Lies, a mystery about the Salem Witch Trials. It is the same text I used for the ABNA (Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award) contest “pitch” and it got me through the first two rounds. Let me know what you think or share your own back cover copy.
Two women, separated by three centuries, are connected by a legacy of greed, depravity and deceit–a legacy which threatens to make them both victims of the Salem witch trials.
1692, Salem, Massachusetts Born in a time and place of fierce religious fervor, 16-year old Felicity Dale has only endless church meetings and the drudgery of chores to look forward to. When her friends begin accusing neighbors of witchcraft, she fears the devil is in Salem. By chance, however, she discovers that the accusations of her “afflicted” friends are false. What had begun as a youthful diversion has been twisted through seduction and blackmail by powerful men into a conspiracy for profit. Nineteen people will pay with their lives.
Today, Washington, D.C. Maggie Thornhill is a renowned digital photographer in Georgetown who possesses a passion for history. As her Ph.D. dissertation, Maggie takes on a project to electronically archive the original documents from the Salem witch trials. She observes discrepancies in the handwriting of the magistrate’s signature on certain land deed transfers — land that belonged to the witches. When a professor studying the documents is murdered, she begins to suspect that the trials and hangings were a result of simple mortal greed not religious superstition.
by Lynne | Dec 27, 2016 | Mystery Writing, The Triangle Murders - History, Writing, Writing Tips
Mystery writers have a tough decision: how to kill their fictional victims.
There are far too many ways to murder to mention here. (If you want unusual methods, watch Criminal Minds.) I’ll mention one way that was based on a sad but true story.
One of the more gruesome aspects to my research for The Triangle Murders was learning about defenestration. This nasty means of murder is the act of throwing someone out the window or from a high place. The term comes from two centuries-old incidents in Prague. The first in 1419 when seven town officials were thrown from the Town Hall, no doubt precipitating the Hussite War. The second in 1618, when two Imperial governors and their secretary were thrown from Prague Castle, sparking the Thirty Years War. The latter was referred to as the Defenestration of Prague.
Now, while there’s something appealing about throwing political officials out of the window, remember that when they hit the ground the results are quite grim.
Falling as a cause of death can be very effective. There are two ways a person can fall. A vertical “controlled” fall is when the person lands upright and feet-first. An “uncontrolled” fall is when some other part of the body hits the ground first ie: head or back. Not pretty.
The vertical fall is survivable up to about 100 feet, but an uncontrolled fall can be fatal at very short distances such as from a stepladder. With a controlled fall, the initial energy transmits through the feet and legs and spares vital organs. The uncontrolled fall, however, can cause massive internal and head injuries.
146 people, mostly young women, died at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, in New York City, on March 25, 1911. Many chose jumping out the ninth-story windows to escape the raging fire. Safety nets were ineffective and bodies crashed right through them. Strictly speaking, defenestration was not the cause of death because they were not pushed out the windows. However, the result was the same. Death by impact on a hard surface.
Unrecognizable bodies lay on the sidewalk along Greene Street, together with hoses, fire rescue nets, and part of a wagon. All were drenched by the tons of water used to contain and extinguish the fire. Photographer: Brown Brothers, March 25, 1911. Photo courtesy of Kheel Center, Cornell University, http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/
I use defenestration as the actual cause of death in another book Pure Lies. It’s a clean way to murder (no blood on your hands) and allows easy escape for the killer. There is the problem, however, of actually shoving someone who might be bigger and heavier than you out the window.
But that’s a story for another blog. Ideas welcome.
