Although I’ve read scores of murder mysteries, I’ve never written one. Some ideas bounce around in my head and my poor husband has become accustomed to me whispering, “This would be a great place for a murder” in random places.
This Friday I officially take the plunge into mystery writing. Well, maybe not a plunge. More like wading into the shallow end. I recently learned about a mystery writing contest with a hook. You only have 48 hours to write your story. I’m nervous about both the time limit and not knowing exactly what I’ll be writing but this Friday at 5 pm EST I’ll be at Toasted Cheese Literary Journal when they announce the theme, word count and other details for the Mollie Savage Memorial Writing Contest.
For years I worked at a very reliable marketing job where I stifled my voice in favor of the voice of the advertisers. Now, as a freelancer I’m left wondering what my voice is. So I’m grabbing every opportunity I can find as I stretch my skills and learn what I’m capable of doing. Can I write a murder mystery? Well, this is a great opportunity to give it a try.
Do you want to stretch your writing skills? Do you need a short break from your WIP? Do you love the mystery genre but aren’t ready to commit to a book length project? Join me on Friday! I'll share my process on my blog and I hope to learn how you're doing too.
3 comments:
I love Christie’s book, And Then There Were None! I’m actually working on a similar locked room mystery. The contest sounds fun and challenging! I used to participate in a prompt-based 24-hour story contest and it was grueling! I’ll definitely check out your blog and cheer you on. :) Maybe I’ll join you. Do you know the word count? I couldn't find it.
No clue about the word count. that's announced at 5 pm on Friday along with all the other details. It's nerve wracking but fun!
I haven't read a ton of Agatha Christie but I devoured mysteries by Mary Higgins Clark when I was younger. I need to revisit some of those.
I just finished writing a novel-length suspense/thriller and while it was fun, it was harder than I thought it was going to be! This sounds like a fun way to get your ideas down on paper--the adrenaline alone will fuel you!
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