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How To Write A Mystery - How To Format Your Book by James King
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How To Write A Mystery - How To Format Your Book |
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Education
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So, you've got an idea for a mystery novel. Great! Now what? The first thing I do is set up my manuscript. Sounds simple, I know but a lot of people just start writing, then somewhere down the line they decided to get the manuscript formatted. It can be a nightmare of cutting, pasting, formatting. My first writing teacher told me to set every written piece up like I was ready to send it out for publication. That way, when you're finished with the first revising, you WILL be ready. Do keep all our chapters in one folder. When I started, for some insane reason, I made a new file for each chapter! Yes, it was a nightmare when it came time to put all the chapters together - especially after several re-writes. What is the proper format? Leave a one-inch margin all around. Start every new chapter 1/3 of the way down the page, and have the book name, your last name and page number at the top. For instance: Mystery Writing/Dater Set up your header then you can forget about it. I wanted to bring up formatting right away because I judge between 10-15 contest entries and every spring and every year I have one or two submission that are not formatted correctly! It's sad because some of them are good, but they lose points because they didn't take the time to learn the correct way to format a manuscript. There are several good books you can buy or get from your local library. Your fingers are poised over the keys. You can't wait to begin. Now for the big question: Do you plot or fly by the seat of your pants? I'm a seat-of-the-pants kind of gal myself. I've tried to plot but for me, it just doesn't work. I know the main characters, the crime or crimes and certainly how the book ends. I've completed eleven books so far and have published six so it works for me. However, I have friends who wouldn't think of writing without a detailed outline. I will tell you, it's easier to write a book that's plotted out. That way you always know what's next and will probably have fewer revisions. The same thing applies to characters studies. You can find charts all over the internet to fill out for your main and secondary characters. They go way beyond the age/hair and eye color/height of the character. I've done those too, but discovered long ago, I learn about my characters as I write about them. Scene & Sequel, the building block of your novel. The best way to build your book and keep it moving forward, chapter after chapter, is through the three-part pattern of scenes and sequels. Scene: 1. Goal 2. Conflict 3. Disaster Sequel: 1. Reaction 2. Dilemma 3. Decision Goal - First of all, the POV (point of view) character must have a goal in every scene. What does she want? Conflict - why can't she have it? What's standing in the way of her achieving her goal? You have to have conflict throughout your novel, it's the backbone and what keeps readers turning pages. Disaster - Something happens to prevent your POV character from reaching his goal. All is lost - or is it? We come to the sequel. Reaction - Your POV character takes a stand, does something to change the dynamic of the scene. Dilemma - now he's changed coarse. Does he do A or B? The characters dilemma causes conflict again. Decision - he makes a decision and goes forward - toward another goal! And that's the way you build a novel to completion. It may sound a bit complicated but it's really not. Here's an example. Our old friend Sally Jones has graduated from high school and has been accepted to Quality College right here in town. She wants to get a teaching degree (goal). Her boyfriend, Joe Brown, tells Sally he's been accepted to Outstanding U and wants her to apply there too, so they can be together. Sally doesn't want to leave her widowed mother but she wants to be with Joe (Conflict). Joe tells her he's got a scholarship to OU so has to go there but she's already paid for her first semester at QC and can't get her money back. (Disaster) Sally is furious at Joe's betrayal! After all, they'd planned their future together for years! (Reaction) Now Sally doesn't know if she should go to QC and break up with Joe, the traitor or somehow apply to OU to be with him. (Dilemma) Sally decides to go to QU for one semester and if things continue to go well, she can transfer to OU and be with Joe. (Decision) Then you start all over again. Sally starts QC and finds she doesn't like her new roommate. She wants to find another roommate or live off campus (Goal). Follow that pattern over and over and before you know it - you'll be typing THE END. essay services
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