How to write a murder mystery, by Charmaine Clancy

I've been following along with writing prompts from Romantic Friday Writers to learn more about adding a little romance to my stories. I'm learning a lot from fellow RFW members, so I was very humbled when Denise invited me to share what I know about mystery writing. Thanks so much for having me here today! I hope what I have to share will help you write that murder for the March challenge.

I've been working on a mystery series for kids, and love reading crime fiction. If I was to pick one element of mystery writing that is essential (and writers sometimes overlook), it would be motive. 

Motive is essential because we need to know why the killer was willing to risk everything to commit murder. It is usually the undoing of the criminal, once the detective figures out motive the rest is just comes down to proof. To make it trickier for the detective, every suspect should have a strong motive.

Motive drives every decision and action for your characters. So why did the killer stab Old-man Hubbard in the library with scissors? Is it the struggling writer who received a bad review? The fashion-designer wife who will lose everything in a divorce because of the pre-nupt? Or the wife's lover, too passionate to control his jealousy?

Motive is not just for suspects. The detective needs a strong motive to solve the case. They may face danger, so the motive needs to keep them going, especially if they're an amateur sleuth and not employed to reveal the murderer. Do they need to prove their own innocence, like in The Fugitive?

Here's a few of the top motives, can you think of others?

• Greed - character is usually seen following the money.
• Power/Fame - this character is all about control.
• Fear - possibly through paranoia or perhaps the threat is real.
• Protection - someone the character cares about is at risk.
• Revenge - driven by anger, bitterness.
• Passion - love is the motivator and perhaps it's unrequited or there is a love triangle.
• Blackmail - this character has a shady past they want to keep hidden.
• Shame - this character acts through a sense of being unworthy.
• Faith - even if it is misguided, it can be powerful enough to push a character.
• A Rush - wild and untamed, this character comes across as spoilt.

Once again, thank you for having me on Romantic Friday Writers - happy writing!

Brisbane author Charmaine Clancy loves to create characters for mystery, fantasy and adventure.


Visit Charmaine's blog.

Countdown to Holiday Spirit Blogfest...meanwhile tell us about your November. NaNoWriMo? Another writing project or two?

Hello RFWers! Welcome back!

November is over - December is flying by and still no word from Donna and Denise - until now.

We'd like to hear how your November went. What did you get up to writing-wise? I'm happy to report my most successful NaNoWriMo yet, with 50,000+ words completed of a Harlequin-style novel set in Fiji . I am trying to find time to polish it most days, so I can get this one edited and off to the publisher at Harlequin Escape.

Donna didn't participate in NaNo, but had various writing projects to complete. She even finished a couple and felt pretty good about the results

As well as NaNo, I attended RFW and writing group member Charmaine's book launch for her middle-grade novel, My Zombie Dog. That was a fun-filled morning at Black Cat Books and Cafe in Brisbane. Indie bookstores are very strong in Oz! For the whole of November - and continuing still -  Charmaine and I were/are writing buddies, meeting in the State Library of Queensland and writing up a storm.

Our Holiday Spirit Blogfest linky goes up next Wednesday 12 Dec. or even a little earlier if the spirit moves me.  I hope you'll join us - post the badge on your blog and spread the word if you haven't already! There are no word limits - you can read the updated guidelines in the previous post by Donna and on the Challenges page. Go for it - anything holiday related - we want to hear about it. Remember, you can post more than one entry. 

Please say hi in the comments and let us know about your writing successes/projects...

Guest Post - Author Charmaine Clancy on Marketing ebooks.

Today we are thrilled to welcome Charmaine Clancy, author of the hilarious My Zombie Dog, and recent member of RFW, who tells us what she's learned about marketing ebooks. Whether you've published several ebooks, or are about to launch into the epub world, we're sure you'll find something here to help you. 

Over to you Charmaine:

Thank you Denise and Donna for having me on Romantic Friday Writers. It’s such a thrill, I feel all important now!

So…you’ve written a novel and decided to go the Indie/self-publishing route... now comes the hard part - how can you promote your ebook?

BOOK COVER

First, make sure you have a fantastic PROFESSIONAL cover that grabs attention, even at thumbnail size (this is how most people will see it first on Amazon). If you’re creating your own cover check out DIY Book Covers. Or check out my latest blog post on Cover Fonts here. 


PROMOTE

Amazon also provides ways for you to promote your ebook. The ‘Like’ button is a good place to start. There are places where you can swap likes with other authors or ‘tag’ each other’s books (check out World Literary Cafe or search Goodreads for Indie or self-publishing). Tags help your book get found in searches. Make your tags relevant to your novel’s content, theme or genre.

REVIEWS

Reviews are a big draw card for potential customers. Don’t do your own review; it always looks a bit sad. But maybe your beta readers wouldn’t mind putting up a few words and rating your novel? While you’re at it, why not ask some of your blogging friends to feature your novel in a blog post? Blog tours are like digital book launches, and can attract attention to your ebook.

KINDLE DIRECT PUBLISHING

When you upload your ebook through Kindle Direct Publishing, consider taking part in the KDP Select program. KDP Select requires you to solely publish on Amazon for a minimum of three months. While you are in this program you can host ‘free’ days, where you offer your ebook for free. If you schedule and promote your free days well, your book will rise in the ranking (My Zombie Dog hit #1 in Children’s Spine-chilling Horror) and the more people that download it, the more book pages your novel will turn up on the ‘customers who bought this book also bought’ section. KDP Select also offers your book to Prime Members to loan. You get paid a royalty each time someone borrows your book. Once the three months is up, you can decide if you want to continue in the program. I found this program very helpful for promoting my book, but I’m now keen to make my book available on iBooks, Nook and Kobo.

'LOOK INSIDE...'

When you upload your ebook, I recommend using the ‘Look inside this book’  function and having the first couple of chapters free (you’ll find this in Author Central). In this time of ebook markets being flooded by poor quality products, it allows the reader to check that your book is properly formatted and your writing is tight and clear.

GOODREADS and SHELFARI

You can also add a free sample of your ebook on Goodreads. At the very least, make sure your book is added to the Goodreads database. This is another place to get reviews. There is also Shelfari, I don’t find it as popular as Goodreads, but it does add content to Amazon.

Once your page is up, you’ll want to tell people and give them the link. You can do this on your Facebook, Twitter or Google+ page, just be wary of over-blasting your novel. People won’t want to connect with you if all you do is sell. Be interested in your followers and friends online, and be generous, offer them links to helpful articles or promote other people’s books that you think they might like. Then, and only then, you can also let them know about your book. A good rule of thumb is to leave it a couple of hours before linking to your book again.

BOOK TRAILERS

Creating a book trailer for YouTube and providing a link to your Amazon page will also help. They’re very easy to create, but if you’re uncertain, check out How to Create a Book Trailer in 9 Easy Steps.

EMAIL

How often do you email people? You should set up a ‘signature’ that appears automatically at the bottom of your emails, it can include a thumbnail size picture of your book cover (big picture files are annoying in emails because they take time to download) and hyperlink it to your Amazon page. People are curious, they will want to know more about that book cover in the email you send.

BUSINESS CARDS/BOOKMARKS

One more thing, get some business cards or bookmarks printed up featuring your books. Share them when you attend writing festivals, libraries, or anywhere someone asks about your book or what you do for a living. Make sure it includes the information they need to find your book online.

Whether you take on all these suggestions, or just a few, the main point is you will need a marketing plan to promote your book and yourself as an author. If you still can’t decide where to start, check out this post on The Book Cover Cafe, print the chart Anthony provides - it’s very extensive!

Charmaine Clancy

charmaineclancy@gmail.com

WAGGING TALES - blog for writers

Author of MY ZOMBIE DOG

 

Thank you Charmaine. It's wonderful to have you posting about your personal experience with publishing and marketing My Zombie Dog. Thanks for all those links!

And don't forget to check out our Self Publishing Page above. There is a selection of excellent links to make self publishing easier.