Welcome to my newsletter! How My Methods Work, A Fun Real-Life Example. Once upon a time, I was given a comic book writing assignment, which I started on by saying, What if James Bond met Scooby-Doo? Yes, my mind works like that. Then I looked at the audience for the comic book and realized they were young people 8 to 12 years old, maybe older. So I knew my James Bond-like character needed to be young, possibly a teenager. What Makes Scooby Run? I looked at the basic format of a Scooby-Doo...

Welcome to my newsletter! Should writers create more male heroes? Hey, Reader. You're possibly wondering why worry about that. What about more women characters, or people of other races, etc? I hear you. That's all valid. Still, there's even more to consider. Without a father, I looked to comic books, television, and film for my male role models. Luckily, I picked some good ones. For observational skills and deductive reasoning, I picked Sherlock Holmes. I chose the Lone Ranger and Tonto...

Welcome to my newsletter! How Do You Craft Intriguing Crime Stories Greetings, Reader. Are you a fellow mystery lover? I’ve been teaching my latest master class in writing mysteries and having a blast. The event is where we delve into the art of creating compelling narratives that keep listeners on the edge of their seats. During the first two days, we explored different ways of building the structure for your crime stories. From mapping out the crime framework to understanding the motives...

Welcome to my newsletter! Maybe I'm not a real writer. I don't know which idea to go with. My dialogue sounds fake. I have trouble figuring out the middle of my story. Writing a mystery, you have all those clues and things to figure out. I don't know where to start. I don't know how to finish. I can't find the time to write. These are just some of the negative thoughts that writers have to deal with on and on and on, Reader. And it doesn’t matter whether you're an aspiring, emerging,...

Welcome to my newsletter! The Fiend On The Fire Escape" I promise, Reader, I never went looking for trouble. Quite often, I just tripped over it. In my teens, I lived in a 5 flight walk-up, which was just like the other 12 other buildings on my block near the southern tip of Harlem. One of my best friends and serious crush lived in the building next door. I used to love going over to her house and hanging out with her house and hanging out with her her family. And. And because they were...

Welcome to my newsletter! A Shot Rang Out and the Maid Screamed..." So, Reader, you’re planning a crime … uh, mystery thriller, eh? Well, you know, there are 8 steps to writing a movie script in the film world. There’s Idea, Plot, Logline, Beat Sheet, Outline/Step-Outline, Treatment, and Script. It’s not much different in the literary world. It’s basically an Idea, Plot, Outline, and Script. Conjuring an intriguing plot, developing a powerful logline, and working out critical story elements...

Welcome to my newsletter! While Waiting To Be Batman " Reader, What’s this got to with writing? Read and see. I’m going to be Batman." The first time I recall having that thought, I was a wee person staring glassy-eyed at an issue of either BATMAN or Detectives Comics. That is where I first saw him in the comics. This was before any cartoon shows. I didn't know then, and we're talking the 1950s, that two live-action Batman movie serials were made in the 1940s. To me, the only place he...

Welcome to my newsletter! Reader, The moon's rising.The clock's ticking.And the door to the crypt swings open with sensual grace like gossamer, peeling back to reveal a smooth white bosom, cold to the touch,Yet begging to be kissed.And eyes so clear and black that they hold you stiff and still, yet draw you in closer and closer to the inevitable time when nothing matters. When nothing – " There are many different ways to set up the beginning of a suspenseful scene in a book or a film. Here...