Come for the Mysteries. Stay for the Characters.
Some of my favorite experiences in nature occurred on clear nights with a full moon. If you haven’t been out on a night like that, with no artificial light nearby, I highly recommend finding an opportunity to do so. Artificial lights dampen or kill the wonders of a full moonlight and your ability to use… Continue Reading →
Although the internet provides myriad opportunities to virtually visit sites around the world, I still find nothing helps me understand a setting better than walking through it. Whenever you can walk your settings. In June, my husband, kids, and I explored the coastal town of Beaufort, North Carolina, the third oldest community in the state…. Continue Reading →
Nothing beats visiting a setting in person. But if that’s not possible, grab a copy of The Urban Setting Thesaurus: a Writer’s Guide to City Spaces by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. This reference book lists over 100 different settings found in an urban environment. For each setting, the authors list ways to evoke all… Continue Reading →
Many articles and books describe how to create characters and plots for mysteries. But settings are just as important. If you’re writing in this genre, you need to find settings that help your mystery. Settings to Meet People In a mystery, the detective meets people, observes them, questions them. The plot can’t move forward without… Continue Reading →
I was stumped. While writing A Shadow on the Snow, my YA mystery, I knew I had to describe the weather. The mystery is set in mythical, rural Marlin County, Ohio, during the winter. The weather had to be mentioned. But except for a few key scenes, when the weather added to the plot, my… Continue Reading →
JPC Allen Writes