The Weekend Novelist Writes a Mystery From Empty Page to Finished Mystery in Just 52 Weekends--A Dynamic Step-by-Step Program

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'sThe Body in the Libraryas a model for the classical mystery tale and Martin Cruz Smith'sGorky Parkfor 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.

Robert J.  Ray is the author of the writing guide <i>The Weekend Novelist</i> and eight Matt Murdock mysteries, including<i>Murdock Cracks Ice.</i>  He has taught college literature, writing, and tennis.  He lives in Seattle.<br><br>Jack Remick, a writer and teacher, writes poetry, fiction, and non-fiction.  He has been teaching for twenty years.