Upcoming Literary Event! It Was a Dark and Stormy Night: How to (and How Not to) start your novel
April 20 Morris County Library 30 East Hanover Ave. in Whippany, N.J. 11 a.m. Morris County Library’s Local Author’s […]
Professor-Writer: Living the Dream?
You probably figured it out in grade school: Hey, waitaminute, Ms. Prisco only works ’til three in the afternoon. And then she’s got summers off. Ain’t that swell! Teachers sure got it easy. Then when you attended college, this idea was magnified: Say, wouldn’t it be peachy just to teach for an hour or two a day — you’d have
Lessons Learned from an Ill-Timed Writing Workshop
For most of us, it’s hard enough to squeeze in writing time. Participating in a writing workshop may seem like an extravagance that distracts from our writing output, but the occasional workshop can yield interesting insights.
Year Two: The Leon B. Burstein Scholarship
The MWA-NY Board is pleased to announce that the Leon B. Burstein/MWANY Scholarship for Mystery Writing is returning for a second year. The scholarship, which has been made possible by a donation from one of our members, is designed “to inspire aspiring mystery writers by offering financial support to writers who want to take a specific class, attend a conference, or
5 Reasons to Join NaNoWriMo
It’s that time of year again. National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) starts on November 1. Here are five reasons why you should consider committing to write 50,000 words in 30 days.
Terrie Farley Moran and the Sophomore Scare
Agatha Award recipient Terrie Farley Moran discusses how writing CAUGHT RED-HANDED, the second book in her Read ’Em and Eat cozy mystery series, exposed the frail ego of a writer.
FESTIVALS AND CONFERENCES IN GENERAL; BOUCHERCON IN PARTICULAR
MWA-NY President Emerita and Chair of the Festivals and Conferences Committee Patricia King rounds up information and anecdotes about some of the most popular events for writers out there.
MYSTERIES AREN’T SUPPOSED TO BE FUNNY
As a writer of mysteries, I find myself, from time-to-time, challenged by readers to defend why I glorify crime. And when they realize that I write humorous mysteries, they are appalled that I make fun of murder. When my first book was published, even my mother announced, “Mysteries aren’t supposed to be funny.” One reader made it personal. Had your
MOTIVE IN WHODUNNITS: IS IT EVEN IMPORTANT ANY MORE?
To the contemporary police, the weapon used remains important (as a way to link the suspected killer to the crime) and the relevance of opportunity will never go away unless one day people are able to be in two places at the same time. But what’s the big deal about motive?
THE DETECTIVE EYE AND THE CRIMINAL EYE
When you write a crime story, do you write it from the detective’s point of view or the criminal’s? It’s a question worth asking because, speaking broadly, most crime fiction tends to be told from one of these two perspectives. You get the bulk of the story from the police/detective/law enforcement side or from the transgressor’s side. There are myriad