Writing Unleashed with Laura M. Harkins

On June 9 th , I traveled NJ Transit and the NYC Metro to reach Hunter College on 68 th and Lexington for the Writers’ Conference 2012. Sponsored by The Writing Center at Continuing Education at Hunter College , the brochure laid out a variety of writing-related panels to choose from and promised a chance to hear famous authors like Harlan Coben and Mary Higgins Clark speak about writing and the publishing business. It didn’t disappoint. This conference ended up more of an informational smorgasbord than networking event for me. Granted, just attending the conference gave me the foot in the door I needed if I submit to the specific magazines or literary agents that attended. The suspense panel was my favorite. The friendship between the authors on the panel made it very entertaining. Plus, the information was coming from successful writers that demonstrated what a good story, craft, and perseverance could achieve. Below I’ve put together highlights, interesting sn...

Are you an aspiring mystery novelist? Well, there’s no better way to improve your mystery writing skills than to learn from a published author. One author I enjoy reading, Miranda Bliss, has written the Cooking Class Mystery series. Today’s discussion of the fifth novel, Murder has a Sweet Tooth (2009), will focus on analyzing its literary elements. Besides the elements, a basic story structure is important when writing a mystery. A writer employs a specific format to gain the readers trust: a crime occurs, detective investigates the crime and, finally, the mystery is solved. Once you create the skeletal structure of the novel, your style and ingenious plotting build the muscle and present an engaging story.    Character : Characters are the most important part of the novel. Their personality and lifestyle create the fictional world the crime takes place, provides the motives of the detective and suspects and drives the plot forward. You should intimately...