Dear Murder by 4 friends,
Today I am going to talk about the essence of murder and mayhem. These items are the very gut of writing mystery and suspense. But heck, why IS that?
Well, there is nothing more horrible than murder and mayhem, so it makes the most intense reading. I know, in our times of instant movies, news, and everything electronic, it is hard to get a shudder going because we are blasted with murder and mayhem on a regular basis. But nevertheless, it is the essence of what a good mystery/suspense writer should be aiming for.
That shudder, that cold chill, that feeling of horror when someone is killed by no nice means.
How do you know when you are hitting the mark? Here are the descriptive blurbs from three good writers: see if you can figure out what words make you get that "oh yum" feeling of a mystery to be devoured.
electrifying thriller
chilling truth
game of beat the clock
deserted highway
burst of flames
unanswered questions
target
deep-seated fear
Now, the question, my dear writer friends would be : are you writing this? Are your readers seeing electrifying writing? Chilling plots? High stakes? Danger on every page? Or even for the simple mystery, unanswered questions and fear? These are essential!
I hope you have an awesome November. And that brings me to the thankfulness part of this post.
A challenge has been issued. A gauntlet has been thrown down. For the next thirty days, I am going to be compelled to write about what I am thankful for. So get ready. This is a daily challenge, and you will find the results on my Facebook page, so if you haven't friended me there, go do that right now. It's here : Kim Smith, Facebook Page.
In the immortal words of Jim Carrey, alrighty then.
_____________________
Kim Smith, author of the zany Shannon Wallace Mysteries
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ReplyDeleteHi, Kim! Your list includes some wonderful themes that indeed to make up a good mystery. Can't wait to see what you write next!! It's sure to be winner!
ReplyDeleteOne of the coolest parts of the thriller is the shudder, but my favorite part is the suspense, the build-up to the shudder. One of the great things about your Angel series Kim is the way you let the pressure build before "popping the cork", either through action or humor. Great post!
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