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Writer’s block doesn’t exist
Cat got your tongue? Or your fingers? Suffering a serious case of writer’s block? Impossible. Writer’s block’s doesn’t exist. You may think you’re blocked, but can you write a grocery list, an email to...
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Curing writer’s block forever
There is no such thing as writer’s block. If you believe that, as I do, you’ll never be at a loss for words. A positive mental attitude can do more for your writing than half a lifetime of writing...
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Who invented “writer’s block” anyway?
Third of a three-part series I just got a great idea. I’m writing the second installment of my Nostalgia City mystery series and in the middle of one chapter, my flow of words slowed to a trickle. An...
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A killer party at the top of the world
The crystal waters of sky-high Lake Tahoe will be the scene for mysterious happenings Aug. 23. “A Toast to Die For,” an evening of wine, music and mystery, will be sponsored by the Friends of the...
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Ross Macdonald taught us how to do it
Private investigator Lew Archer walks into the mob boss’s house. “It looked as if the decorator had been influenced by the Fun House at a carnival.” Then Archer says something to irritate the boss....
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Do you hate f***ing profanity in mystery novels?
A thug the size of an NFL lineman grabs Sam Shamus around the neck and throws him down the stairs. The bad guy follows him, stomps on his face and tells him he’s a low-life private dick and if he ever...
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How to bring an authentic voice to crime fiction
Guest writer John Stamp discusses the part voice plays in fiction. Voice is one of those shadowy, complicated areas in writing. The term voice in writing is in itself a metaphor right? Right, but a...
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Parting the gauzy curtain of misdirection
Murder mysteries What is a mystery novel without a puzzle? Guest writer Daniella Bernett explores some of the elements that make up the puzzle. Bernett’s second mystery in the Emmeline Kirby-Gregory...
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How do you catch a reader’s attention? With the first sentence.
Editor’s note: Writers Who Kill is unlike many book blogs or book websites. Articles submitted to it are read and carefully edited before they are published. The site features reviews of new...
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Courting Inspiration
By Wendy Tyson It was cold the morning I wrote this. Three degrees according to the deck thermometer. Of course, in Vermont there is a saying (to be fair I think it’s a saying everywhere winters are...
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Writing right & kudos acknowledged & more
How to write good Only occasionally do I write about the mechanics of writing here, but this decades-old advice is worth passing along. While going through old (paper) files recently I came upon...
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