The secrets of writing mystery novels

Three mystery authors with different approaches to writing want to help Islanders with their unfinished novels.

A Good Mystery Novel Workshop will be held Saturday, Jan. 21, at the Haviland Club in Charlottetown with P.E.I. authors Bruce McCallum, Finley Martin and Patti Larsen.

McCallum and Larsen, who spoke to P.E.I. Mainstreeton Thursday, said the workshop will help budding authors and those who havestarted but not quite finished a mystery novel.

"It's not formula writing but there is a formula to follow," said Larsen. "Certain suspects, certain clues, certain red herrings."

Working out plot lines ahead of time

Larsen and McCallum are both published authors but approach their writing very differently.

Larsen started writing when she was about 12 years old, after being introduced at an early age to the world of fantasy and science fiction.

Today, she covers all kinds of genres and writes for all ages, though she focuses on the paranormal.

She just finished her 81stbook the first in a new series of paranormal murder mystery books.

And she has already worked out a plot line for the next 12 books, she said.

"Once you understand that formula, with mysteries, it's so much easier to start at the end with who died and why and who killed them and then work your way backwards," she said.

Researching a story in Scotland

McCallum said he is less of a professional producer and more of a writer for fun.

"I'm not crazy about having 16 plot lines and 12 possible murderers," he said.

He started writing after retirement but had spent several years of his life researching and writing reports and handbooks at work.

That gave him the practise to research and write a mystery novel, he said.

"A good plot to me has all kinds of intrigue but is not too messy," he said.

After retirement he joined a writing group and then inspiration hit him on a trip to Scotland.

His first novel is about a group of Islanders who stumble upon a body in the woods while on vacation.

At the workshop, he plans to talk about the genesis of the story and how he went from a first draft to the finished novel.

"The best stories, in my estimation, have a few twists in the plots somewhere along the way but that's part of the fun of drafting the story," he said.

Curious people with a passion for clues

Larsen said there's usually a spark that makes people want to write.

Mystery writers are curious people with a passion for uncovering clues and solving puzzles, she said.

But she also cautions people not to get stuck wanting to write the kind of novels they like to read.

"Because it could be that you love to read young adult paranormal but you actually are a mystery writer or you are a romance novelist," she said.

The workshop is organized by the P.E.I. Writers Guild and will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the latest. The cost is $40 for members and $50 for non-members.

For more information call 902-964-2297. A second workshop on erotica will be held on Feb. 11.

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