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A review by panda_incognito
Now Write! Mysteries: Suspense, Crime, Thriller, and Other Mystery Fiction Exercises from Today's Best Writers and Teachers by Sherry Ellis, Laurie Lamson
3.0
Although my library only just purchased this book, it was originally published in 2011. At first, I thought, "That's not that long ago," but it was, man. It was. I didn't know a lot of the names of authors in this book, since their careers peaked long ago, the advice about writing about other cultures was outdated, and the references about competing against movies and DVDs for your readers' attention were quaint.
Because this book is so dated, I would recommend [b:How to Write a Mystery: A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America|58438538|How to Write a Mystery A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America|Lee Child|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1647448107l/58438538._SY75_.jpg|84737313] to someone who is looking for current mystery-writing advice and insight into contemporary publishing trends, but this older book is valuable for people who are seeking mystery-writing exercises to implement.
The short essays in this book vary in quality. Sometimes, they are incredibly insightful, practical, and fresh, and other times, a writer takes up their three pages with excerpts of their latest novel to prove whatever obvious point they're trying to make. However, regardless what specific essays someone finds helpful, many of the suggested exercises are unique, concrete, and beneficial. They're not just vague writing prompts, but are finely tuned exercises for experimenting with different techniques.
The essays and exercises involve every element of mystery writing, and authors from all sub-genres are represented. This book is extremely comprehensive, and the exercises provide a guided way for readers to experiment with new concepts and put things into practice that they might never use in a novel, but that will build a variety of different essential skills.
Because this book is so dated, I would recommend [b:How to Write a Mystery: A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America|58438538|How to Write a Mystery A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America|Lee Child|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1647448107l/58438538._SY75_.jpg|84737313] to someone who is looking for current mystery-writing advice and insight into contemporary publishing trends, but this older book is valuable for people who are seeking mystery-writing exercises to implement.
The short essays in this book vary in quality. Sometimes, they are incredibly insightful, practical, and fresh, and other times, a writer takes up their three pages with excerpts of their latest novel to prove whatever obvious point they're trying to make. However, regardless what specific essays someone finds helpful, many of the suggested exercises are unique, concrete, and beneficial. They're not just vague writing prompts, but are finely tuned exercises for experimenting with different techniques.
The essays and exercises involve every element of mystery writing, and authors from all sub-genres are represented. This book is extremely comprehensive, and the exercises provide a guided way for readers to experiment with new concepts and put things into practice that they might never use in a novel, but that will build a variety of different essential skills.