Sue Grafton (ed.): Writing Mysteries (USA 2002)

From the Publisher:
Writing mystery fiction can be a special kind of puzzle. In this new edition of the Mystery Writers of America classic, Sue Grafton weaves the experience of today's top mystery authors into a comprehensive mystery writing "how-to."

You will learn how to piece a perfect mystery together and create realistic stories that are taut, immediate and fraught with tension.

The book's contributors include a "who's who" of the mystery writing elite:

Part I: Preparation

1. The Rules and How to Bend Them by Jeremiah Healy
2. Sparks, Triggers, and Flashes by Marilyn Wallace
3. On Work Schedules by Dick Lochte
4. Writing with a Partner, or ... What Part of "No" Don't You Understand by Warren Murphy
5. Expertise and Research by Faye Kellerman and Jonathan Kellerman
6. Where Do I Find a Jewish Indian? or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Research by Stuart M. Kaminsky
7. Background, Location, and Setting by Julie Smith

Part II: The Process

Beginning
8. Characterization by Michael Connolly
9. Rounding Up Your Characters by Margaret Maron
10. Writing a Series Character by Sara Peretsky
11. The Amateur Sleuth by Nancy Pickard
12. Vivid Villians by Sandra Scoppettone
13. In Search of a Novel by George C. Chesbro
14. Building Without Blueprints by Tony Hillerman
15. Outlining by Robert Campbell
16. Perspectives on Point of View by Loren D. Estleman
17. Dress for Success: Developing Your Personal Style by Carolyn Wheat

The Middle
18. How to Write Convincing Dialogue by Aaron Elkins
19. Pacing and Suspense by Phyllis A. Whitney
20. Depiction of Violence by Bill Granger
21. Clues, Red Herrings, and Other Plot Devices by P.M. Carlson
22. The Book Stops Here by Lawrence Block

The End
23. In the Beginning is the End by John Lutz
24. Revision by Jan Burke
25. How to Find and Work with an Agent by John F. Baker
26. Dial M for Market by Russell Galen
27. The Mystery Novel From an Editor's Point of View by Ruth Cavin

Part III: Specialties

28. Writing Mysteries for Young Readers by Joan Lowery Nixon
29. The Joys and Challenges of the Short Story by Edward D. Hoch
30. The Medical Thriller by Tess Gerristen
31. Legal Thrillers by Linda Fairstein
32. Historical Mysteries: The Past is a Foreign Country by Laurie R. King
33. From the Cradle to the Pen: The Evolution of a True Crime Writer by Ann Rule
34. E-Media - Crime Fiction E-Volves by G. Miki Hayden
35. The Best of the Genre and a Reference List of Books on Writing and Technical Information by Angela Zeman and Barry Zeman

Sue Grafton (ed.): Writing Mysteries. A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America. Writer's Digest Books, ISBN: 1582971021 (April, 2002), 312 p., $16.99.

Sue Grafton (ed.): Writing Mysteries (USA 1992)

From the Publisher:
A wet kiss of late-night fog; the fitful buzz of a neon sign; musty decay shrouding cheap rooming houses: You see a bulb blaze.
You know you are going to write a mystery. Maybe it's set here, maybe it's set somewhere else; but you'll write it. And if you write it with the help of this book, you'll write it well.

Because this book's contributors, all members of the Mystery Writers of America, have walked by night, they know mystery story form, and they'll help you learn it. They know who moves in the shadows, and they'll introduce you. They know how to tighten the screws of suspense, and they'll hand you a screwdriver.

Here's the scoop on what's inside:
- Marilyn Wallace shows how to turn your interests into compelling fiction.
- Julie Smith helps you create vivid settings.
- Rex Burns guides you in creating characters with personality.
- PM. Carlson counsels you in planting clues - real and false.
- Ruth Cavin gives you the skinny on how to win over an editor.
And much more from many other masters of the game.

Enter the world of fictional mayhem and greed, menace and mur-der. Read this book and learn how to write tight, salable mysteries With all this professional advice right in your hands, why take a shot in the dark?

Sue Grafton (ed.): Writing Mysteries. A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America. Writer's Digest Books, ISBN: 0898795028 (March, 1992), 208 p., $18.95.