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If you are a writer, a would-be writer, or simply a reader hoping tounderstand why some books work for you and others do not, this book is a handy guide. Hayden covers the art of writing from A to Z as she is so well-qualified to do. She has written books, short stories, and nonfiction articles. She is a member of the board of Mystery Writers of America and teaches classes in mystery writing as well as editing manuscripts for those who hire her. The first part of this book discusses the processes of writing, taking the reader through plot and character development, effective dialogue, atmosphere and setting, maintaining pace, and sentence structure, grammar, and word choice. There are many helpful hints and examples taken from successful (and not-so-successful) writers. There are exercises for the would-be writer to practice some of these techniques. She then goes on to discuss the process of getting published. How do you prepare your manuscript? How do you write a cover letter? How do you acquire an agent? How do you promote your book? Not all of her suggestions follow conventional wisdom, but sheíll tell you what she thinks and why she feels that way. Following that is a collection of interviews with very successful writers who share some of their secrets of writing and getting published. Finally Hayden has a FAQ, answers to frequently asked questions from her students that are really universal to everyone who writes. One of the things I enjoyed about this book was that it was aimed specifically at writing the mystery which means it concentrated on those elements which make a mystery successful as opposed to generic writing. Another thing was the author's voice. This is not a textbook declaiming eternal truths about writing. It is a writer having a conversation with readers, telling what she thinks and suggesting where others might disagree with her. The style is conversational and light-hearted even though the subject is quite serious. And Hayden is never shy about tell you what he thinks. I purchased this for a friend who hopes to become a writer, but of course I had to read it first. I have no desire to ever write a book. All I want to do is read them and understand why I like them or I donít. This book was very helpful to me for understanding the writing process and identifying the various ways that authors accomplish good characterization, intriguing plots, timing, and all the rest. I recommend it to everyone interested in good writing.
Reviewed by Sally A. Fellows, November 2001
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