Reviews

• Great, very hands on.

  Great, hands on guide to help become a better writtter. In an almost scientific way, the book explains what works, and what doesn't. Best writers book I have laid my hands on yet.

• Kill your darlings...do it NOW!

  I'm a craft guy, scooping up every new tome on fiction tips and techniques that comes along. Eight out of ten times, however, I finish the book and put it back on the shelf never again peeling back the cover. Every year another author publishes a book on writing, when all they really do is re-hash the age-old "show, don't tell" or "write what you know" advice, among other writerly muzak-like instruction. And every year I wonder aloud, "Who among us has new insights?" Don't Murder Your Mystery breaks the stale bread, my friends. Roerden's extensive experience and editor's eye shines through every page, and just so you don't think she's making it up on the fly, she supports her insights with numerous quotations from published fiction. Flashbacks, backstory, the correct use of surprise, body language, character agendas, anchoring a scene, info-dumps--all these and many more are presented with a fresh perspective. The great thing about Don't Murder Your Mystery? It's not solely for the mystery writer. Roerden's advice applies to popular fiction as a whole; there are only a few chapters specifically written for the mystery genre. So whether you write romance, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, crime--it doesn't matter. Don't Murder Your Mystery, along with Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, is the best writing instruction I've read in a long time. So good, in fact, that I have to read it again to make sure I gleaned everything therein. Do your writing a favor and buy it today.

• A Must Have

  Don't Murder Your Mystery is a well written guide filled with relevant information for the mystery writer. This 'Agatha Award' Winning book puts it's finger on all those underlying principals that are essential to a well crafted story. It is brimming with 'Dos','Don'ts and sneaky little titbits that only the professionals know. One of my best 'how-to-write' purchases ever!

• The mysteries of the world, available to a child--by faith

  We all want to believe that if we could just read something SO PROFOUND, our understanding of the writing craft would magically propel us into greatness for all the world to read. Time-after-after, attempt-after-next, we search and purchase and scour through advice both real and imaginary--book after book. Then, some of us, hopefully close to one million of us, happened upon this great book. I had the pleasure of exchanging email with the author. She was kind enough to extend her wisdom even further in two words: "Trust me". I did, and from her thoughtful, deeply opinionated book, I gained the insight that all mysteries of the world are available to a child if they can be accepted by the faith of one. This book worked for me. Trust her well laid-out architecture and you, too, can have the confidence to write a 740 page epic novel as your very first attempt, as I did. You won't agree with all her strong opinions but, that is style. Style helps you understand yourself and where you are in your art. I thank God for people with the gall to say what they mean and mean what they say. "Don't murder your mystery" is as serious work, but its fun! Buy this book. Be faithful to the principles inside which you select to follow. Define your style in doing so (bonus). Invest simple faith in what she says and DO IT! WRITE YOUR OWN NOVEL!! DO IT! (But get this book first) Oh! And listen: the "mystery" part in the title? Don't let that throw you. My novel is fantasy--horror--erotica--drama... Her principles work for ALL of it. Take this book and the "How to write a damn good novel" together... You're bulletproof, baby! Take on the world!

• Exhaustive list of amateur writing mistakes

  This book is a terrific primer for first-time or relatively new writers -- and not just writers of mysteries, but all fiction and even non-fiction. The examples of poor choices and better alternatives that Chris Roerden chooses are clear and relevant. My only nit to pick is the negative construction of the book: with some background in teaching, my preference is always to suggest the right thing to do first, rather than to point out what not to do or how not to do something. A valuable addition to the library of anyone who wants to become a better writer, editor, or reviewer.

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