Whodunnit, Howdunnit, And Whydunnit: 10 Tips For Writing Your Mystery Novel, Continued...

Tip #5: Create good characters, not just two-dimensional stick figures to propel the plot.

To create characters, I'm one for the old trick of creating little descriptions of each character: height, weight, job, hobbies, personality, work history, demeanor, friends, hangouts, hang-ups, etc. It gives you a good idea of what to do with your characters. Be consistent with the way the character talks and how he reacts to events in the book. And don't give similar names to your characters, like Bill and Bob and Bret. Don't confuse the reader.

Tip #6: To write good dialogue, don't listen to people talking to each other.

Dialogue on the page doesn't sound like real-life dialogue. Real-life dialogue is boring, filled with mistakes, and "tells" much too much. And be careful of "he said." It breaks up the rhythm of the dialogue, especially if it's repeated too often.

Typical real life dialogue:

Joe: "Hey Ed, how are you?" Ed: "Fine, what's up?" Joe: "Great. How's your job going?" Ed: "It's OK. But I'm looking for something else that pays more." Joe: "Yeah, me too. What type of job are you looking for?" Ed: "I don't know." Joe: "Me either." Ed: "Wanna go get something to eat." Joe: "That sounds good." Ed: "Where do you want to go?" Joe: "I don't know...what time is it?"

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz. Dialogue on the written page has to involve more action, not only in the dialogue itself but in the descriptive paragraphs or narrative that should be inserted somewhere into the above conversation. Don't let dialogue go on too long without breaking it up.

Tip #7: The best way to learn how to write a mystery? Read them.

In fact, devour as many as you can. Learn from the masters: Lawrence Block, Ross Macdonald, Raymond Chandler, Sue Grafton, James Ellroy, Steven Womack, Robert Crais, Jeremiah Healy, Donald Westlake. In fact, I'll go one step further: I think it's good to read ALL types of novels, not just in your genre. Good writing is good writing.

Tip #8: Write every day. Get a routine. Stick with it.

If you are a writer who writes every single day, whether in a journal, a notebook, or for clients, then you are way ahead of the person who wants to write a novel but doesn't have the discipline. Many people see a writing career as "flexible" and "spontaneous" and "idealistic," and all the other arty stuff. They don't want to be forced to write for a certain number of pages or hours a day. But if you get a daily routine (for me it's the early morning, when the world is quieter and I can get things done), you'll see your writing increase and improve. If you write a page or two a day, you'll be surprised how fast you can finish the first draft of your novel (and, believe me, that first draft will not be your finished product).

Tip #9: Don't edit as you write.

It just gets in the way of the flow and energy of your writing, especially with a long piece of fiction like a novel. Save all the editing for the next day, where you can edit the previous day's prose. Not only will you get more done, you'll FEEL as if you're getting more done. Get that first draft done, and you won't find the editing and revision to be too much of a chore. Besides, when people ask you if your book is done, you can give them the old, "yeah, I just have to edit it a little more," and you won't be lying!

Tip #10: Some clichés are true, like the one that says, "writing is rewriting."

Nothing you read, whether it's a mystery novel, a humor column, an investigative piece, or a short story, is published exactly as it was written the first time. There's a lot of revision and editing that is done. I used to dread revision, but now I look at it as a way to really clean up messy, unclear, or repetitive prose.

Of course, the steps above are just 10 ways to help you do what you ultimately have to do, which is to actually write the book. When you get right down to it, the best advice comes from Robert B. Parker, author of the Spenser books, when he was asked for his advice on writing and submitting a mystery novel:

"Write it and send it in."

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Bob Sassone is the author of Books, With Words and Pages and the editor of Professor Barnhardt's Journal.