All Blog Posts Tagged 'plot' (60)

Pauline Rowson passes on tips on writing a novel to the Chiltern Writers Group

On Thursday 13 March I was welcomed by a very lively group of writers at the Chiltern Writers Group, Wendover, UK, where I was pleased to be able to pass on some tips and techniques on writing a novel.

Pauline Rowson explaining her system of writing her novels to Chiltern Writers Group

My talk was on the perfect system for planning, researching, plotting and writing a novel. I covered from concept to completion using mind maps, plot lines; developing and keeping track of characters, and factoring in research.…

Pauline Rowson talking about developing characters to Chiltern Writers Group

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Added by Pauline Rowson on March 18, 2014 at 1:53am — No Comments

What comes first - plot or character? Pauline Rowson discusses

The answer is that the two are so interlinked it is difficult to say what comes first. The characters drive the plot but in order to create the characters you must have an idea what the plot is about.

In my case, in respect of the DI Andy Horton series of novels, this is usually a location…

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Added by Pauline Rowson on February 11, 2014 at 11:34pm — No Comments

Entertaining the audience with tales of crime - Pauline Rowson talks about how she writes her crime novels to Monks Brook U3A

At Monks Brook U3A on 8 January I was delighted to talk to the audience about my DI Andy Horton crime novels, how I draw my inspiration from the area in which the novels are set (the Solent area on the South Coast of England) and my method for developing plot lines and creating…

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Added by Pauline Rowson on January 10, 2014 at 10:44pm — No Comments

A proper English tea rounds off my final talk of 2013 to the lovely audience at Sandhurst Library

A visit to the newly refurbished Sandhurst Library in Bracknell Forest on 4 December was the perfect way to finish a busy year of talks and public appearances in 2013. Not only were the audience lovely and packed with some die hard DI Andy Horton fans but after my talk about murder, crime and bodies there was a gorgeous English tea complete with cucumber sandwiches, scones with jam and cream,…

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Added by Pauline Rowson on December 6, 2013 at 7:51pm — No Comments

Pauline Rowson on book tour in North East England in April

I will be undertaking a book tour in the North East of England in April to publicise my latest crime novel to feature the flawed and rugged DI Andy Horton, Undercurrent,published by Severn House and to talk to readers about how I research, plot and write my novels.…

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Added by Pauline Rowson on February 22, 2013 at 2:23am — No Comments

A hero with real problems is the key to creating a good crime series says Pauline Rowson

DI Andy Horton has been described as 'an especially good series hero, a likable fellow with plenty of street smarts and the requisite personal baggage - an abrasive supervisor (DCI Lorraine Bliss) and an antagonistic soon to be ex wife.' Booklist (USA) Footsteps on the Shore.

Heroes in detective novels are often ordinary people with their own set of problems and the key to producing a successful crime novel is not necessarily that the hero saves the world, aka James Bond, but…

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Added by Pauline Rowson on February 8, 2013 at 12:10am — No Comments

Death Lies Beneath, DI Horton no.8 published in US today and as an ebook

Death Lies Beneath, which was published in the UK in July, has now been published in hardcover in the USA by Severn House and is also now available as an e book on Kindle, Nook and Kobo.

Death Lies…

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Added by Pauline Rowson on November 2, 2012 at 1:00am — No Comments

A Killing Coast, DI Andy Horton Mystery by Pauline Rowson Now Available as an Ebook, Published by Severn House

A Killing Coast, the seventh in the DI Horton series is now available as an ebook pubished by Severn House. 

Set on the South Coast of England, in the Solent area, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight,…

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Added by Pauline Rowson on October 1, 2012 at 7:40pm — No Comments

CRIMINAL MINDS

Anyone else here at Crimespace addicted to television's CRIMINAL MINDS? I love that show and have seen every episode at least once. It inspires me to write devious plots and horrible villains.

Happy writing!

Added by Cheryl Norman on February 19, 2012 at 7:23am — No Comments

Pressing on with DI Horton crime novel number nine in the series says author Pauline Rowson

Having just finished writing the eighth in the DI Horton series, which is now with my editor, there was no time to rest on my laurels but it was straight on with researching the next DI Horton.

I finished DI Horton number eight (I’ll reveal the title soon) on 31 January and since then I’ve been working on the next Horton novel. I now have a rough plot outline, and I mean rough, and some characters sketched, enough for me to begin the creative writing process. I like to start writing…

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Added by Pauline Rowson on February 14, 2012 at 3:46am — No Comments

Working on final revisions of the next DI Horton marine mystery crime novel, number eight in the series

Yes, I am now working on what I hope to be the final revisions of the next DI Andy Horton marine mystery crime novel, the eighth in the series. It is at this stage that I review the phrases and words I've used and those I've over used and try and replace them for something else and possibly a word more evocative, emotional or stimulating depending on the…
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Added by Pauline Rowson on January 23, 2012 at 8:04pm — No Comments

Crime author Pauline Rowson on the business of writing crime fiction

I'm often asked if I get writer's block and while I haven't suffered this there are days when the words flow and the inspiration seems to come from an unknown source within me, and there are also days when it's a struggle to find the right words and know how to advance the plot.  Every writer deals with this differently. Me?  Well there are three ways I tackle this, depending on my mood (and the weather): 



1. I keep writing, bashing anything out on the keyboard even though I know…

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Added by Pauline Rowson on September 20, 2011 at 2:05am — No Comments

Hackneyed Plots and Not So Much

They say there are only twenty or so. Plots can be boiled down to certain themes: coming of age, finding love, restoring justice, etc. The devil, as they say, is in the details.

Mysteries tend to be about restoring--or at least seeking--justice, so the reasons we choose and read certain mysteries will often relate to subthemes. Many like mysteries where they learn about a job, a craft, a way of life. I like some of that, too, but I also want some creativity in the way the protag looks for… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on August 29, 2011 at 10:34pm — No Comments

Been wrestling with the plot of DI Andy Horton crime novel number eight and finally won after several exhausting rounds

I’ve spent the weekend wrestling with the plot of the DI Andy Horton crime novel I’m currently writing, which is number eight in the series, and I’m pleased to say that I finally won after several rounds.  The outcome is looking satisfactory.  It may seem strange to someone who doesn’t write novels and in particular crime novels that I have…
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Added by Pauline Rowson on August 8, 2011 at 8:08pm — No Comments

"Leave a Few Holes in the Plot"?

Fellow CrimeSpacer B.R. Stateham has the guest post today on my blog. He's talking about short stories, and he's got 4 bits of advice. Of most interest to me was his insistence that you "leave a few holes in the plot."

 

I don't think he means to work in inconsistencies. Rather, leave some of the story to the reader's imagination. Do you agree?

 

You can read all of B.R.'s post on my blog here: http://tinyurl.com/4xrd6tb

Added by Benjamin Sobieck on May 5, 2011 at 11:53pm — No Comments

The cadences of language

My personal preference in writing is to hear conversation which sounds real, even if that's not the way that most people actually speak. It also matters to speak without barriers, focusing your character regardless of who they might be (skin color as opposed to yours).



In his essay "Elmore Leonard's Ten Rules of Writing" he says: "My most important rule is one that sums up the 10: If it sounds like writing, I… Continue

Added by Troy Kirby on April 21, 2011 at 4:30am — No Comments

Guest Blogger Lois Winston

Today I welcome Lois Winston, author of the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries. I've certainly HURT myself with a glue gun, but "deadly"? That's her title, and here's her story.



THE FINE ARE OF EAVESDROPPING

By Lois…

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Added by Peg Herring on March 8, 2011 at 2:43am — No Comments

Motivating Your Murderer: How your villain's motive can help develop the rest of your story

One of the great things about writing murder mysteries is the opportunity to imagine the mind of the villain. After all, no matter how many times we say we’d like to kill someone in real life, most of us thankfully aren’t ever going to get closer to the mindset of an actual murderer than that. So creating a realistic culprit is a true exercise in imagination, and it almost always involves the reason why the killer did it. Your villain’s motive can be a crucial element of your… Continue

Added by Vincent O'Neil on October 2, 2010 at 1:06pm — No Comments

George Clooney in The American: Looks great. Goes nowhere.

In the mood for a good thriller, my wife Jeanne and I went to see George Clooney’s latest star turn, The American. All I can say is don’t bother. While I

don’t normally write movie reviews, I do write thrillers (
The

Cutting, The Chill of Night
) and, as a

thriller-writer, I expect a thriller to have a plot. Not necessarily a great plot. Not even a good plot.…

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Added by James Hayman on September 4, 2010 at 12:37am — No Comments

George Clooney in The American: Looks great. Goes nowhere.

In the mood for a good thriller, my wife Jeanne and I went

to see George Clooney’s latest star turn, The American. All I

can say is don’t bother. While I don’t normally write movie reviews, I do write thrillers (
The Cutting, The Chill of Night) and, as a

thriller-writer, I expect a thriller to have a plot. Not necessarily a great plot. Not even a good plot. But at least…
Continue

Added by James Hayman on September 4, 2010 at 12:00am — No Comments

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