Category Archives: Editing

“The Crossroads of Mystery and Science Fiction, and Fighting Fear With Fear” (by Jackie Sherbow)

Posted on November 7, 2018 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Part of the challenge of getting works of fiction into the hands of readers who will enjoy them is finding the right way to describe them. Often there are many different angles from which a story can be seen. Last … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthologies, Books, Digital, Editing, Fiction, Genre, horror, Publishing | Tagged anthology, digital anthology, e-book, genre, horror, horror fiction, readers, writers | 5 Comments

“Research on Research” (by Edwin Hill)

Posted on September 5, 2018 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Edwin Hill debuted in EQMM’s Department of First Stories in this year’s January/February issue. Now his first novel, Little Comfort, is hot off the press (released by Kensington August 28). The author has found time to write a second book … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Editing, Fiction, Guest, History, research, Writers, Writing | Tagged editing, library, library sciences, research, technology, writer, writing | Leave a comment

CHANGES TO THE PROCESS

Posted on July 18, 2018 by somethingisgoingtohappen

In a recent interview for the blog SleuthSayers, I was asked, “What does a typical work day for you look like?” I replied that there is no typical day. And there really isn’t anymore. There are reading days and issue-release … Continue reading →

Posted in Editing, History, Magazine, Publishing, Writers | Tagged desktop publishing, editing, magazine, magazine publishing, periodical, production, publishing, writers, writing | 11 Comments

“The Big Idea” (by David Dean)

Posted on November 15, 2017 by somethingisgoingtohappen

David Dean blogged for this site just last month. We are delighted to have him back with a post that displays a side of him readers of his fiction don’t often see. His dark, sometimes chilling fiction has earned an … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Editing, Fiction, Genre, Guest, Writers, Writing | Tagged creative writing, editing, fiction, ideas, mystery fiction, plot, short story, stories, story, writers, writing | 6 Comments

“Open Letter to Queen Fans” (by Francis M. Nevins)

Posted on October 25, 2017 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Francis M. Nevins has distinguished himself in every area of the field of mystery and crime fiction. He’s the author of six novels and forty short stories and has won the Edgar Allan Poe Award twice for his critical work. … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthologies, Books, Characters, Editing, Ellery Queen, Guest, Magazine, Writers, Writing | Tagged anthology, clues, editing, editor, ellery queen, eqmm, francis m. nevins, frederic dannay, mystery, writing | 3 Comments

SOLVING THE PUZZLE

Posted on September 6, 2017 by somethingisgoingtohappen

I’ve been watching Endeavour on Masterpiece this summer. For those who haven’t ever tuned in to the series, which is now in its fourth season, the title character is Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse, depicted in the early years of his … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Classic Mystery, Editing, Writers, Writing | Tagged clues, crossword, crossword puzzles, detective, mystery, puzzles, writers, writing | 6 Comments

ON ENDINGS

Posted on August 16, 2017 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Recently I was asked to serve on a short-story panel at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention in Toronto (October 12-15) that will attempt to provide advice to new writers on various aspects of craft. The panel’s moderator, frequent EQMM and … Continue reading →

Posted in Editing, Fiction, Genre, Story, Writers, Writing | Tagged conclusion, editing, endings, fiction, literature, mystery, short fiction, short stories, suspense, writing, writing advice | 9 Comments

“The Trials of Writing at 65 MPH” (by M.C. Lee)

Posted on August 9, 2017 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Fiction writers come from all walks of life, as this post demonstrates. And those who really have it in them to write will often endure many difficulties, even hardships, to make it possible. I’ve known writers who composed all their … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Business, Editing, Fiction, Genre, Guest, Publishing, Suspense, Thrillers, Writers, Writing | Tagged driving, editing, mystery, thriller, travel, truck, trucking, working, writers, writing | Leave a comment

COUNTING THE I’S

Posted on March 22, 2017 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Back in 2009 I received a note from a reader observing that more than half the stories published in EQMM that year employed first-person narration. It wasn’t something I’d noticed, mainly because there are actually several different viewpoints that fall … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Editing, Fiction, Genre, Magazine, Publishing, Readers | Tagged crime fiction, editing, first person, focus, mystery fiction, narration, narrative, publishing, reading, short story, style, third person, viewpoint | 2 Comments

“Screaming Blue Murder—Writing For Television” (by Cath Staincliffe)

Posted on February 22, 2017 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Cath Staincliffe’s work first appeared in EQMM in January 2016. Her latest EQMM story, “The Rat,” is featured in our current issue, March/April 2017, and a third story will appear in EQMM later this year. The Manchester writer is a founding member … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Characters, Editing, Guest, Police Procedurals, Writers, Writing | Tagged crime, detective, mystery, police, procedural, screenwriter, screenwriting, television, tv, writers, writing | 1 Comment