Footnotes: 5 Articles on Writing Mysteries

“What I like in a good author is not what he says, but what he whispers.” ~ Logan Pearsall Smith Footnotes is a recurring series on the GLA blog where I pick…

“What I like in a good author is not what he says, but what he whispers." ~ Logan Pearsall Smith

Footnotes is a recurring series on the GLA blog where I pick a subject and provide several interesting articles on said topic. This week, I’m serving up five articles on writing mysteries.


1. What a girl wants. In an interview on the GLA blog, Agent Stacia Decker discusses what she’s looking for in a mystery, as well as some ins and outs of the genre.

2. Hook ‘em Dano. On the working writers blog, they list 3 ways to make your mystery stand out.

3. Follow the rules. On the About.com fiction writing site, they list 10 rules for writing mysteries.

4. Look at all the angles. On her mystery writing site, Elizabeth Craig discusses how writers can improve an idea.

5. It begins on Page 1. On his blog, mystery writer, Bill Cameron debates the use of a Prologue.


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Nancy Parish runs the blog, The Sound and Furry. She is a contributing editor to the GLA blog and runs the Footnotes seriesShe is currently writing novels for children.