mystery

Friday Links: With No Theme Beyond Bookish Pursuits

Nephele Tempest

Some weeks there’s just no theme other than bookish pursuits to connect the links I’ve collected to share with you. With a little work, I can generally find one; everything is reading and/or writing related, after all. But I’ll admit this week was long, and I’m likely working straight through the weekend, so I’m just going to throw the links out there and hope that will do. I wish you all a wonderful weekend, and some good writing and reading time along with whatever you have planned. Enjoy!

This Week’s Links:

Fresh Voices: 50 Writers You Should Read Now. – A great list of suggestions across various genres, both fiction and nonfiction.

The 7 Creepiest Manor Houses in Mystery. – Some great reads for those of you who enjoy mysteries set in creepy old houses.

The Paris Review Names a New Editor: Emily Nemens of The Southern Review. – This week’s announcement regarding the editor set to replace Lorin Stein, who left the journal after allegations of sexual misconduct.

These Writers Are Launching a New Wave of Native American Literature. – An introduction to some talented up-and-coming authors.

First Draft with Tomi Adeyemi. – Great podcast interview with debut YA author Tomi Adeyemi about her recently released CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE and her journey to publication.

Does Having a Day Job Mean Making Better Art? – An interesting look at the life of the artist and what contributes to their creative output.

Here Are the Literary Guggenheim Fellows of 2018.  – Some talented writers on this year’s list. Worth checking them out.

Keeping the Mystery Alive

Nephele Tempest

How do you write a page-turner? Keep the reader asking questions. Or, one question, really: What happens next? This does not only apply to a mystery novel. No matter your genre, you want your reader to engage with the story, with your characters. Your reader should be anxious to learn where the next chapter will lead them. Yes, you need to answer those questions occasionally, at least in part, but there should always be a new question or two popping up to keep things interesting. And that big question? The one that drives your protagonist’s story arc? You better hold out on answering that one until the bitter end.

What are the big questions? Which questions are the ones that have a reader staying up late to get those ultimate answers? They might not be the ones you think they are. In the TED Talk below, writer/director J.J. Abrams talks about keeping the mystery going, and about the surprising moments that make a good story that much better. This runs just shy of twenty minutes, so set aside a bit of time to watch.