Hallie on teaching writing... and learning to do it better

HALLIE EPHRON: This is my favorite thing… I’m signing at a conference and someone brings me a well worn, dog-eared, Post-it festooned copy of my Edgar- and Anthony- nominated WRITING & SELLING YOUR MYSTERY NOVEL.

 
Flip through the pages and the person has written in it, underlined and highlighted, and completed the exercises. 

People won't have to write in the NEW AND REVISED EDITION (PUBLISHED TODAY from Writers Digest Books) because they can print out the exercises from the Web, though I hope they’ll still dog-ear and highlight the pages. 

I never set out to write a how-to-write book on mystery writing. An editor from Writers Digest Books approached me after seeing me give a talk, and asked me if I’d be interested in writing one. I’d long ago learned, always say YES!

Never mind that I’d published only three mystery novels. I had been reviewing crime fiction for the Boston Globe, which gave me a unique perspective on the breadth and depth of crime fiction, and most of all, what makes a book work (or not). Moreover, I was a teacher.

A former elementary school teacher and college prof, I knew that trying to teach something makes you understand it yourself in a much deeper way than just doing it. Try to teach someone how to ride a bike… or how to bake a cake... or why ice floats… or how to “carry the ten”… and you realize how little you actually understood to begin with.

Writing a book about mystery writing gave me a chance to dissect the process. I broke it down into Planning, Writing, Revising, and Selling. Duh. Then, step by step, topic by topic, I attacked each section.

I noticed things like…

• The main character needs a compelling personal reason to solve the crime.
• Story unfolds in waves of investigation, suspense, action, and reflection.
• A mystery novel has more investigation, a suspense novel more suspense, and a thriller more action. It's not a crime novel if there's a ton of reflection.
• Show don’t tell does not mean shovel information into dialogue.
• Plot should never herd a character into an unlikely, illogical situation.
• The protagonist is more compelling when she's in a state of disequilibrium (wants something she can't have, for example.) 

Here's an exercise from the book to help writers think about what disequilibrium means for their protagonist: 

And and and, so much more. The first edition of the book came out and Writers Digest put me on their magazine cover! I love that it says MAKE MONEY WRITING beside my head because at that point I was not making enough money writing to quit my day job.

Revising and expanding the book, I got to add many more insights I’ve gleaned since the book came out. For example, I paid much more attention to the perennial question:

Which is more important in a mystery novel, plot or character?

My answer is both, of course, and in particular the interaction between plot and character which usually boils down to stakes. How does the writer answer the question: Why does the protagonist need to solve the mystery?

If there's nothing personal and important at stake, then the wrong character is the protagonist.
Also…

• Secrets drive a mystery novel, and every main character needs at least one.
• Characters should have competing goals.
• Corollary: Conflict is the axle grease of a page turner.
• The protagonist needs to be flawed, not necessarily likeable.

And again, so much more.

I’m grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had to teach writing workshops and to work with aspiring, because that’s how I learn and keep learning to write better. So my question: What have you learned better because you had to teach it to someone else?
About Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel: Revised and Expanded

To piece together the puzzle of your mystery novel, you need patience, resilience, a solid understanding of the craft, and a clear blueprint for combining the plot, characters, setting, and more. And while patience and resilience must come from you, the essentials of craft and the plan to execute them are right at your fingertips with Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel: Revised and Expanded. This completely revised and expanded edition features solid strategies for drafting, revising, and selling an intriguing novel that grips your readers and refuses to let them go.

New York Times best-selling author Hallie Ephron  shows you how. Filled with helpful worksheets and exercises for every step of the process, Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel Revised and Expanded reveals the secrets of writing a memorable story that will have fans of mystery, suspense, and crime clamoring for more.

"The best how-to guide I have ever seen—I just wish I could have read it twenty years ago." -Lee Child, New York Times best-selling author