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alexauthorshay's review
4.0
Probably the most helpful craft-of-writing book I've read so far. It's more directly related to the genre I'm currently working in and am generally drawn towards, which may be the bulk of the reason, but a lot of it too is that this book is meant as a guide rather than a how-to, and the authors state as much. Every author has their own thing, from how they create a draft to what they write about, so telling someone how to do things "right" isn't really fair, or true.
The book is split into 3 parts, the first about the genre and its conventions, the second is many prominent mystery/thriller authors giving advice/information on various aspects of the genre, and the third part is more in depth about writing and the process of it, with a bit at the end about publication. Having two authors who operate in content and method so differently was a unique and very helpful way to have this book written; it offered two sides of the coin, with the other authors serving as corroboration or middle ground between the two.
What was also helpful, as silly as it sounds, was that much of the content was validating. The authors mention the conventions and cliches of the genre and how mystery is sort of looked down upon due to the tropes--which, even though I love the genre, I also hate it at the same time for that very reason. They also mention how "reading as a writer" may cause you to discard more books before finishing them than other people; I toss aside or rate very low most books I come across, and it makes me feel like such a book snob. I guess my inner writer is just heavy with the critique.
And, one of the authors mentions how when she gets stuck in a story and absolutely nothing is working, it's often because she's hit a wall creatively, taken a mis-step with the story somewhere that requires fixing before she can continue. The reason I've picked up a handful of writing books lately is exactly that reason. I hit a wall almost a year ago with my draft, got past it, only to hit another one. I'm hoping some of the things I've picked up in this book will be more relevant than the others I've read this year.
The book is split into 3 parts, the first about the genre and its conventions, the second is many prominent mystery/thriller authors giving advice/information on various aspects of the genre, and the third part is more in depth about writing and the process of it, with a bit at the end about publication. Having two authors who operate in content and method so differently was a unique and very helpful way to have this book written; it offered two sides of the coin, with the other authors serving as corroboration or middle ground between the two.
What was also helpful, as silly as it sounds, was that much of the content was validating. The authors mention the conventions and cliches of the genre and how mystery is sort of looked down upon due to the tropes--which, even though I love the genre, I also hate it at the same time for that very reason. They also mention how "reading as a writer" may cause you to discard more books before finishing them than other people; I toss aside or rate very low most books I come across, and it makes me feel like such a book snob. I guess my inner writer is just heavy with the critique.
And, one of the authors mentions how when she gets stuck in a story and absolutely nothing is working, it's often because she's hit a wall creatively, taken a mis-step with the story somewhere that requires fixing before she can continue. The reason I've picked up a handful of writing books lately is exactly that reason. I hit a wall almost a year ago with my draft, got past it, only to hit another one. I'm hoping some of the things I've picked up in this book will be more relevant than the others I've read this year.
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