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

by Robert J. Ray and Jack Remick

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0440506581
• ISBN13: 9780440506584
• Release Date: April 1998
• Publisher: Dell
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Want to write a mystery?

Do you love to read mystery novels? Ever thought you'd like to try writing one, but had no idea where to start?Here's your answer.Using weekends as units of preparation and work, Ray and Remick lay out a clear, simple plan for writing a mystery novel from blank pages to a rewritten, polished final draft in 52 weekends. Even if you haven't written anything since high school, you'll have all the tools you need in this wonderful book: where to find character ideas, exactly which characters are needed, their relationships, plotting, how to handle red herrings- it's all here.The authors are clearly experienced writers and teachers who lead you, step by step, through the creation and shaping of a mystery novel. Enjoy.

Clean up your act as a mystery writer.

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.

Great writers write great writing books!

Bob and Jack have the keys to hot writing! Image, action, body parts! Behind the scenes of Weekend Novelist Writes A Mystery are two dynamic men who lead writing practice several times a week, teach writers at the University of Washington and never stop giving encouragement and wisdom to other writers. This book is the result of how they live and write and it is five star! Look no farther if you are a pro or novice. Herein are the steps and the hands to pull you up the stairs of your own creative mind.

A review of The Weekend Novelist Writes A Mystery

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.

Do what they say and you, too, can write a best seller!

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.