Lies & Locked Doors: How And Why To Write Mystery Fiction

The roots of modern mystery fiction can be traced back to the English Renaissance, but in the last two hundred years the mystery novel has risen to a pre-eminent position in popular culture. From Arthur Conan Doyle to Agatha Christie to PD James, the genre has surpassed all others in aesthetic and narrative refinement, precision and focus.

In this two-hour class, I will give you a brief history of the genre, discuss its unique strengths and enduring popularity, and then guide you through the process of writing your own absorbing and engaging mystery novel. We’ll discuss what defines mystery fiction, how mysteries fundamentally work, how mystery stories reward their readers, the various conventions of the genre and the most common subtypes of mystery fiction, what makes for a convincing and compelling mystery, and how to avoid the pitfalls and obstacles common to the genre.

This class is intended for both readers and writers of mystery fiction; while there will be some content geared toward the writing of mystery fiction, the bulk will be focused on understanding, analyzing and appreciating it.

This downloadable version of the class includes audio and video versions of the lecture, along with notes and a transcript of the key points. Those files are DRM free, and you’ll be able to keep them, watch or listen to them as often as you like, and copy them to any computer or device that you own.

To buy the class, click the button below!