Writing the Mystery/Thriller

This carefully curated bundle of 12 digital products has content created by experienced instructors such as Jane K. Cleland, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Barbara Poelle, and Senior WD Editor Robert Lee Brewer. Topics include writing cozy mysteries, writing up all night thrillers, building characters and relationships, incorporating compelling dialogue, and much more! This bundle is perfect for mystery/thriller writers but will help writers of all genres add suspense, plot twists, and tension into their writing.

Mystery/Thriller Interviews (Digital Download Freemium) Love reading and/or writing mystery/thrillers? If so, this collection of Writer’s Digest bestselling mystery/thriller author interviews is for you! Mystery Thriller Interviews includes interviews with authors Karin Slaughter, Lisa Jewell, Walter Mosley, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Chris Bohjalian, and Scott Turow. 

Writing the Thriller: The Secrets to Keeping Readers Up All Night (OnDemand Webinar) Thrillers are enormously popular today, constantly appearing on bestseller lists every week. To write them successfully you need more than a penchant for action, you must understand the foundations of what makes the best thrillers work every time. ($79.00 value)

One of the most beloved genres of crime fiction, cozies, are named for the teapot cover designed to keep the water hot, a nod to the genre's creator, Agatha Christie. Authors of cozies promise readers fair-play puzzles with amateur sleuths and a familiar pattern. With this tutorial, you'll understand the basics of cozy mysteries and how to write your own. This tutorial is taught by Jane K. Cleland. Jane writes the multiple award-winning Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery series (St. Martin's Minotaur), which is often reviewed as an Antiques Roadshow for mystery fans. Josie stories have also appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. ($49.99 value)

Solving the Mystery of the Middle (OnDemand Webinar) Your fingers are poised over the keyboard. You have a rocking first act to your novel, and you even have an idea of how to end your story with a twist and a bang and a shot at certain bestsellerdom. But now what? If you've hit the dreaded middle of your novel, you're facing the writing abyss that separates your great beginning from your amazing ending. You've hit the muddle in the middle. Nationally best-selling author Hank Phillippi Ryan shows you how these central pages can be made to intrigue, surprise, and delight our readers--and have them turning the pages as fast as they can. Never fear--with practical advice and specific tips, Hank shows you the way to the magic in the middle. ($79.99 value)

From Cozy to Carnage (OnDemand Webinar) In this 90-minute instructional video, you'll dive into the world of mysteries and thrillers with literary agent Barbara Poelle. Explore the subgenres of thrillers and mysteries and figure out where your story fits. You'll discover the type of query and introduction that can set you apart from others, tips on how to write a compelling story, and most importantly, how to pitch your mystery or thriller novel to a literary agent or acquisitions editor. Whether your mystery novel or thriller is meant for young adults or not, you'll come away with techniques, devices, and the know-how to write a suspenseful, dynamic, and gripping tale that will hook readers from page one. Download From Cozy to Carnage now! ($79.00 value)

Solving the Mystery of Authentic Characters and Relationships (OnDemand Webinar) This webinar explores the elements needed to create authentic characters. It delves into ways to make a character come alive to the reader and also how to craft a multidimensional personality. Methods discussed include research and unique personal experience. The presentation also dives into the relationships shown in mystery novels and how to make them compelling. Writing devices used to examine the interplay among characters includes revelatory behavior, snappy dialogue, and sensory details. Examples from recent novels are used to highlight the various concepts. ($79.99 value) 

40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Your Stories in New Directions (Digital Guide) Have you hit a wall on your work-in-progress? Maybe you know where you want your characters to end up, but don't know how to get them there. Or, the story feels a little stale but you still believe in it. Adding a plot twist might be just the solution. Plot twists can spin your story in a new direction and keep your readers turning the pages to see what happens next. With this collection of 40 plot twist prompts from Senior WD Editor Robert Lee Brewer, you'll be able to experiment to see which plot twist works best for your story. Alternatively, if you've been experiencing writer's block, use one of the prompts to begin a new tale. Either way, your story will thank you. ($9.99 value)

How to Add Tension to Your Scenes (OnDemand Webinar) A mystery or thriller becomes a page-turner when scenes are packed with tension. Not just above-the-surface plot developments, but inside characters, too. In this presentation, author James Scott Bell shows what you can do to ratchet up the tension in any scene you write. You'll come away with an understanding of scene structure, the "fear factor," dialogue as weapon, how to get into a scene at the best moment, and how to leave a scene so a reader must turn the page! ($79.99 value)

How to Write an Opening That Pulls the Reader In (OnDemand Webinar) In this OnDemand Webinar, Wanda M. Morris delves into the elements that make a great opening to your story or novel. She analyzes examples of acclaimed first lines and opening paragraphs. Writers will leave the session armed with the tools for writing a great opening that lures readers in. ($79.99 value)

I Got This Idea...: How to Turn Ideas Into Stories (OnDemand Webinar) Where do ideas for mysteries and thrillers come from? How do you take an idea from napkin to novel? In this webinar, Amazon Charts bestselling author Rachel Howzell Hall shares ways to move your good idea from your head onto the page as a full-realized story. ($79.99 value)

Point of View: Special Issues for the Mystery and Thriller Writer (OnDemand Webinar) Mystery and thriller writers are in the business of misdirection, surprising the reader with plot twists, revealing secrets, and creating tension with unanswered questions, all the while playing fair with the reader. Careful management of point of view is key to making it all work. Instructor Hallie Ephron discusses the advantages and disadvantages of different viewpoints. Hallie discusses issues like: Whose story is this? First person or third? Single versus multiple points of view? What about omniscience? How to handle narrator-to-narrator viewpoint shifts? Can I shift from near to far? Does it matter if the viewpoint hops from head to head? How does POV relate to story (the sequence of events that actually took place) and plot (the order in which it's revealed to the reader)? ($79.99 value)

Strategies for Writing Compelling Dialogue (OnDemand Webinar)  In this OnDemand Webinar, writers study the techniques for writing great dialogue that develops both plot and character. Crime fiction presents unique challenges and opportunities for writers, and this Webinar shows how to effectively use subtext, dialect, and action to accentuate tension. Techniques for avoiding the dialogue "tennis match" and concentrating meaning are explored as well. ($79.99 value)