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Writing a Different Kind of Mystery Have you ever taking part in a scavenger hunt? Racing against your friends to find all of the items on your list was exhilarating. Bringing that type of exhilaration into your writing can be accomplished with a hidden item type of mystery. Think of a hidden item mystery as a treasure map. You have a starting point, with twists and turns that take you through the different places you have to go until you find the treasure. Real-Life Drama Writing Writing drama stories can be difficult at times. There are days, even weeks, when our lives are mundane or down right boring. It can really put a crimp in your writing flow. Yet, drama is all around us. It is hiding just beneath the surface, waiting to spring out and grab us. 8 Steps for Dealing with a Slow Editor You finished your manuscript up, researched your markets, picked one that is looking for your kind of work and sent it off. You list your submission on your tracker sheet and put down how long the editor takes to respond. So you wait for the envelope in the mail. And before you know it, the time frame for his response has come and gone, and still no reply. Now what do you do? 8 Tips for Writing Flash Fiction What is flash fiction? Depends on who you ask. Some feel a story is flash fiction if it is under 1000 words. Others feel it must be under 500 words to be in that category. Regardless of which one you believe, flash fiction is fun to write. Finding Prompts to Inspire Your Stories Sometimes a story idea just hits a writer. An idea pops into your mind and you are off and writing. Other times, you are not so lucky. You sit at your desk and wonder what you will write today. Prompts are a wonderful way to jumpstart your writing. You may be wondering where you can find your own muse-inspiring writing prompts in the real-world. Spicing Up Your Mystery Story Mystery stories sometimes are a dime a dozen, often following the same basic outline: the murder, discovery of the body, clues found, and killer caught. The stories are usually told in third or first person point of view, with one character as the teller. But with a little creativity, you can spice up your mystery into something everyone will want to read. What is in a Story Title? Everything! When an idea hits a writer it can take control of their thoughts until the tale is finished. Sometimes the title for your story is what gets you started writing. Most times, you do not know what your story is going to be called until after you are finished. Occasionally, you will have trouble coming up with a title. This article is for those times. How to Deal with Writing Deadlines If you write for fun, you may never have to worry about deadlines. You can write for the joy it gives you. But if you want to write for publication, deadlines will be a major part of your writing career. Anywhere you look in the writing world you will find a deadline. Contests have them, magazines have them and even fellow writers have them. Learning to deal with deadlines will help you use your time better. 8 Ways to Get Along with Your Editor Every writer has heard horror stories about evil editors who relish tormenting hard working writers. While there are some editors who are like this, the majority are hard working people who just want to find the best works to put in their publications. The way you treat an editor will dictate your working relationship. Writing Your Own Compelling Author's Biography Most publications today want an author's biography, called a bio, when they accept a writer's work. Readers love to learn a little bit about the person who wrote a story or poem they enjoyed reading. It is a way for the reader to feel close to the writer. Creating an author's bio your readers will love reading can be as trying as writing your story. You want to entertain with your bio and tell a bit about yourself as well. Submission Etiquette for New Writers One of the goals of writing is to get your work published. It is the ultimate proof your writing ability. It takes some writers years to reach the point where they are secure enough to seek publication. When you feel ready to start submitting your work, you want to be sure you are professional. Here are some things to keep in mind when dealing with the publishing world. How to Find Enough Time to Write? Every writer wants to find more time to write. A few stolen moments to put words to paper and get your tales out of your head. The world is so hectic today and time is a hot commodity for most people. Writers are no exception. We write in the early morning hours, during breaks at work, and even before we go to bed. Every moment we can find to write is wonderful. What is your Character's Name Writers want to create memorable stories, with characters readers will relate to and care about. We strive to make our characters come alive and stand out from characters in other stories. One of the things you can do as a writer to make your characters be remembered is to give them a name that will stick in your reader's mind. But how do you do that? Keeping Your Reader on the Edge of Their Seat Mystery stories aren't just tales of who did what to whom. They are a collection of suspenseful scenes that lead the reader through a maze of events until the final curtain is drawn. What makes a great mystery is the writer's ability to keep the reader clutching their book until the last page is turned. What Does the New Year Mean to a Writer? January 1st, the first day of a new year. A new beginning and a chance to make good on all those resolutions you failed to follow through with last year. Writers have a slightly different outlook on their New Year's resolutions. Sure they have some of the normal ones, but they also have writing-related desires and the one that tops most writers' list every year is to become a better writer. Getting Your Manuscript There In One Piece You have worked hard writing your novel. Months or years of painstaking work, all culminating into a polish piece of prose. You sent out your query letters, complete with synopsis and sample chapters. Finally, one of the editors asked to see the entire book. Now what? Critiquing Fiction - Or How to Help Without Being Mean You have let a good friend read your latest story. They return it with nothing but good things to say. Does this mean your work is ready for an editor to read? Probably not. What a writer needs is a good critique of their writing. Revising Your Short Story - 8 Tips for Polishing Your Prose You've spent long hours writing your story. You have made sure each character has been fleshed out, the plot is to die for, and the ending is breathtaking. Now, you're ready to start submitting your piece, right? Wrong. It Really Happened to a Friend of a Friend! "Where do you get your story ideas from?" Every writer, famous or not, has been asked that question at lease once. Most of the time, the answer is "they just come to me." But what about the times ideas don't just come to us? Understanding Your Character's Motivations Writing a mystery story is like trying to make the perfect maze. You want your reader to be surprised at the end. But you also want to be sure your reader isn't so frustrated while reading that they put the story down and never finish it. Finding the perfect balance between surprise and frustration is the trick to writing a great mystery. Are You Ready to Write 50,000 Words? November is the national novel writing month. NaNoWriMo is the ultimate writing challenge. Write 50,000 words in 30 days. Piece of cake, you say. But are you really ready? Before you make that kind of commitment, here are some things to do to help you prepare. Writing While Your Heart is Breaking Your heart is breaking. Love has left your life, or someone you love has become ill or died. How can you possibly think about writing at a time like that? Help for Writer's Stress - 6 Tips to De-Stress Your Life You look at yourself in the mirror and ask "Is that vein supposed to throb like that?" In the back of your mind, you're pretty sure it isn't supposed to. Stress hits everyone at some point in their lives. But it seems to hit writers more often. What are good ways to de-stress your life? The Fight of Your Life - Writing Realistic Fight Scenes I love a good fight scene. Nothing gets the adrenalin rushing better than the hero and villain battling for the prize. Every move, every punch thrown and blocked, can be a writer's nightmare. What are some of the things to pay attention to when writing an action scene? The Cure for TMS - 3 Tips to Get Your Muse Back You say you have TMS - Tired Muse Syndrome? Well, cheer up, because help is one the way. You, yes, YOU can free your muse in easy, fun steps in the privacy of your own home. Editing, Army Brat Style Listen up, Creative Soldiers! My name is Staff Sergeant Arkin. While you are here I will try to give you the information you’ll need to turn your rough draft into polished prose. Who Should Tell Your Story And How? You have a story idea in your head; the characters are forming and the plot's developing. But who is going to tell your tale? Sometimes this is an easy question because the character dictates it to you. But sometimes it isn't so simple. Holding Out for a Hero - How to Write a Believable Hero The music builds, the hero's fate seems set in stone, and the villain is on the verge of winning. Then the hero breaks free, battles the villain's henchmen and stops the evil plot, thus saving the world. Brainstorming, Mystery Writing Style You have the germ of an idea, a story to write. But you aren't sure how to go about fleshing it out. How do you get your hero out of your mind and onto paper, solving the mystery you've come up with? Writer's Block - 10 Tips to Stay on the Page You're sitting at your desk, staring at a blank piece of paper. You want to write, but your brain refuses to work. You have no idea what your characters do next and they refuse to tell you. They're mad, you see, because you've neglected them for months. Avoiding Writing Scams! A Mystery Novel Recipe Writing a mystery novel is in many ways the same as writing other genres. You have to come up with a plot, setting and characters. But a mystery novel has other ingredients necessary to make it a great read. Want to know more, take a peek inside.