No Tarantula On Your Cake: Character Clues will Lead You to Your Killer

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Spotlight: Murder, We'll Write: An Introduction to Crime Fiction

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Article: No Tarantula On Your Cake: Character Clues will Lead You to Your Killer

Spotlight Course: Murder, We'll Write: An Introduction to Crime Fiction

Greetings!

I love reading a good thriller on a lazy summer day. My favorite authors compel me to keep turning the pages to find out more, and I have to keep going. Then at the last page, I usually want to go back and re-read it all, studying how the hidden clues all added up to the conclusion.

As the author of six thrillers from MIRA Books and four young adult novels, Bonnie Hearn Hill knows crime fiction, and she's ready to teach you how it's done. Join her brand new class to learn the difference between a thriller and a mystery, the must-have characteristics of your protagonist and antagonist, how to blend setting with action, the techniques of pacing, how to find and hide your killer, and more!

Murder, We'll Write: An Introduction to Crime Fiction starts Wednesday, September 5th. Students will have the opportunity to turn in up to 12 pages of a manuscript each week (60 total) for a line and content edit. You'll also receive a 30-minute telephone consultation mid-course to discuss your strengths, challenges, and marketing opportunities for your story. Enrollment is limited to ten students, so reserve your spot now!

In the article below, Bonnie shares some of her favorite techniques for determining who your killer is, and how to hide it from your readers. Learn about red herrings, MMO's and more.

We have other great classes this fall too, so be sure to check out the whole list of offerings. Don't miss the ones coming up soon, including Empower Your Muse, Empower Your Writing Self (Sept 3), The Unwilling Grammarian (Sept 5), Vampires Optional: Writing Young Adult Fiction (Sept 5), and Writing a Middle-Grade Novel (Sept 7), as well as many more.

Write On!

Marcia & Angela

Marcia & Angela
Classroom Managers
WOW! Classes & Workshops

classroom@wow-womenonwriting.com

No Tarantula On Your Cake

Character Clues will Lead You to Your Killer

By Bonnie Hearn Hill

Some say writing a novel is like riding a bicycle up a mountain. It is for me, and that ride uphill is even more challenging when you're writing a mystery or thriller and trying to figure out who the killer is. You have a captivating cast of characters. Which one is going to fill the wicked role, and how are you going to keep this information from your reader? By knowing your characters, that's how.

Raymond Chandler once described a character as looking about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food. If you don't want a tarantula winking at the reader from that slice of cake and wearing a big "killer" sign around his neck, you need to examine all of your characters, including the innocent ones, before you start writing. I like to have at least three possible suspects, sometimes more, for a novel. The load can weigh down that bicycle you're pedaling, so it's best to do some planning.

Goals and Holes

You don't have to be an outliner (I'm not), but you do need to think about your characters. Suppose you have four suspects, one of whom is the killer? For each one, ask yourself, "What does this character want in the course of the book?" Notice you don't ask, "What do I want this character to want?" Also ask, "What is the hole in this character's life?" We all have holes in our lives. That doesn't make us killers, but it can make us potential suspects in a murder case.

MMO

Means, motive, opportunity. Examine each of your suspects in terms of each of the MMOs. A suspect can have all three and still be innocent. The more characters who possess all three, the less likely your killer will be to stand out like Chandler's tarantula.

When thinking about motives, ask yourself what makes someone kill. Anger? Fear? Jealousy? Greed? What else? Did you say, "Because he's crazy?" That might work, but only if you know more about what made him crazy in the first place.

Which of your characters is capable of murder? Why? The true killer may not be the one you started with. I once wrote a book with one character firmly in mind as the killer. When I was about one hundred pages in, I realized that the character was not a killer; however, her sister was. What sister? I hadn't even realized she had one, but after I went back to chapter one and wrote her into the story, I was able to give the reader just enough clues to make it clear--after the climax--that she was capable of murder. Many readers told me later they had believed the first character was the guilty one. It makes sense because I had believed it too.

Red Herrings

Just as the pungent scent of a smoked fish can distract a hunting dog from its path, a red herring in a mystery or thriller can lead the reader on a wild chase--in the wrong direction. Place an earring in the dead guy's bedroom. Who left it? The dead guy's lover? Or maybe the lover's husband, a jeweler. Maybe neither, and that's when your search gets interesting.

My favorite red herring, one that we see all the time in real life, is the discovery of two guilty parties. The protagonist follows the clues to a showdown with a suspect who is indeed guilty, but not guilty of murder. Then the protagonist realizes Uh oh. If the killer isn't suspect number one, it must be...

And that's about the time you go sailing into your story's payoff scene when the protagonist confronts the true killer.

Riding that bicycle up the mountain isn't easy, but if you know all of your characters, including your killer, you will make it to the top. Once that happens, the ride down will be a breeze. Happy pedaling.

Murder, We'll Write: An Introduction to Crime Fiction

Instructor: Bonnie Hearn Hill

Workshop Length: 6 Weeks
Price: $180
Start Date: September 5, 2012
Limit 10 Students

Course Description: Are you writing a mystery? A thriller? Do you know the difference? If crime fiction is your passion, this workshop will help you take it to the next level. In addition to weekly assignments, you'll have an opportunity to turn in up to 12 pages of your manuscript each week for a line and content edit. You will also receive a 30-minute telephone consultation mid-course to discuss your strengths, challenges and marketing opportunities for your story. Revisit that stalled manuscript or start from scratch. You'll leave this workshop with a synopsis and up to 60 pages of killer fiction.

Visit the Classroom Page for a complete listing and what you'll be learning week by week.

About the Instructor: Author, teacher and public speaker Bonnie Hill worked as a newspaper editor for 22 years, a job that, along with her natural nosiness, increased her interest in contemporary culture. Her novel, Intern was called "a page-turner" by Publishers Weekly. Killer Body, a thriller about our weight-obsessed culture, was a Cosmopolitan magazine "pick." She also wrote three newspaper thrillers featuring hearing-impaired reporter Geri LaRue for MIRA Books, the young adult Star Crossed series, and most recently, Ghost Island, a paranormal love story. Her publication credits include short stories, nonfiction books and articles. Recently she coauthored with Christopher Allan Poe, Digital Ink: Writing Killer Fiction in the E-Book Age.

Bonnie leads a bonded and successful writing workshop in her hometown and is community correspondent for books for a national television affiliate. She is especially proud of the number of published writers she has mentored.

She also teaches Vampires Optional: Writing Young Adult Fiction, Writing YA Fiction Part 2 (Advanced Class), Writing Contests: The Focused Way to Win, and Writing Character-Driven Fiction for WOW! Women On Writing.

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