Posts Categorized: The Writing Life

THE OWL: Pulling the Ultimate “All-Nighter”

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Justice Never Sleeps by author Bob Forward

The Owl books were a lot of fun to write. The concept of a private detective who didn’t sleep spawned itself almost naturally from my lifestyle at the time. I was young enough (and dumb enough) so that I would routinely stay awake for three nights in a row. I’m sure you’ve been there. You start by pulling an all-nighter for some test or work deadline. Then you stay up a second night celebrating the successful completion of aforementioned test or deadline. At which point, you are running on fumes and probably not making the best decisions. So you decide to stay up a third night just to see if you can do it. Justice Never Sleeps Somewhere in there (probably during one of those... more

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The Story Behind TREASURE COAST

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Treasure Coast by author Tom Kakonis

Many years ago my older sister was diagnosed with a virulent strain of cancer. Astonishingly, she survived that wicked malady almost twenty years before it eventually caught up to her. The final days of her life were spent in a Mayo Clinic hospital bed, and though we had never been close we shared many childhood memories, and so I spent many of those last days in a bumbling attempt to comfort her. During that deathwatch I must have absorbed some of the oppressive ambience of the hospital, its acrid odors, perpetual noisy bustle, occasional poignant sights, for many years after that, after my sister was long gone, when I sat down to write what would become Treasure Coast, those sensory... more

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The Laborers of Work-for-Hire Crime Fiction Writing

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There are scores of professional writers out there who sell huge numbers of crime novels, tie-ins and westerns, and yet are virtually unknown...because they toil as work-for-hire authors. One of those writers is Robert Vaughan, who has sold 40 million books, mostly westerns. He was interviewed about his under-the-radar career recently and he's pretty frank about his lack of celebrity. I have written well over 400 books. If I had written every one of those books under my own name, Robert Vaughan would be a name that is immediately recognized. I would have established something of value that my survivors could capitalize on after I die…In my life time, I have probably sold 40 million... more

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The Story Behind “Outrage at Blanco”

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Bill Crider reveals the story behind his novels Outrage at Blanco and Texas Vigilante Outrage at Blanco has an interesting history.  What I set out to do was to write a western novel like the kind I admired so much by people like Harry Whittington, Donald Hamilton, Clifton Adams, Marvin H. Albert, and many others who wrote what were essentially crime novels with a western setting.  The books were fast-paced fiction, lean and tough. I loved reading them, and I wanted to write something similar. When I began the book, I didn’t know that Ellie Taine was the main character.  What I had in mind was something else entirely.  By the end of the first chapter, however, Ellie had... more

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Great Sex

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The trick to writing good sex scenes is the words you choose to do it. The words you use to describe sex...and the body parts...has to be a reflection of the characters and their attitudes...and the overall tone of the book. To me, writing a sex scene is less about the sex itself than what the scene is supposed to accomplish as far as revealing character or furthering the plot. It shouldn't just be there to turn the reader on...even if you're writing erotica. The sex act, in and of itself, will be mere coupling between two creatures...and certainly won't be compelling, entertaining or arousing if the reader isn't emotionally invested in the characters. Here's an example of what I'm... more

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How to Write a Murder Mystery

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Lee Goldberg Author

Writing murder mysteries is, by far, the hardest writing I've ever had to do. It’s not enough just to tell a good story, you also have to come up with a challenging puzzle. It's twice as much work for the same money. There is no right way to devise a murder mystery. Every author has his own approach, one that’s every bit as unique as his literary voice. For me, it never starts with the murder. It always begins with the detective, especially if the story I am setting out to tell is part of an ongoing series. The idea for the mystery will arise from the personality of the hero, and what aspects of his character I want to explore, what arena (a place, industry, sport, culture, etc.)... more

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