Tag Archives: writing

In Praise of Short Stories: Why Should a Prospective Novelist Start by Writing Short Stories? (by John F. Dobbyn)

Posted on July 3, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Last week author Twist Phelan talked about some of the different challenges involved in writing short stories and novels.  This week, author John F. Dobbyn argues that even writers interested primarily in becoming novelists should begin by writing short stories. … Continue reading →

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FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

Posted on June 19, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

At the Malice Domestice Convention this year, I met Wildside Press publisher John Betancourt in the book room and received from him a gift of his 1993 anthology Swashbuckling Editor Stories. In John’s introduction, after noting that editors are “underpaid, … Continue reading →

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Free Advice from James Lincoln Warren

Posted on June 12, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

On this site posts seldom involve explicit advice to writers, but James Lincoln Warren wrote an engaging piece for Criminal Brief, a blog site he founded, several years ago that we thought readers as well as writers would enjoy. He … Continue reading →

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“A Post to Burn on the IRS Fire to Warm Mystery Writers and Those Who Plan to Be” (by Jim Weikart)

Posted on April 10, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

With the U.S. tax filing deadline just days away, what could be more opportune than some advice to writers from former tax accountant turned full-time mystery writer Jim Weikart? In the early 1990s, it was my privilege to acquire and … Continue reading →

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“Tips and Other Compensations” (by Terence Faherty)

Posted on March 13, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Terence Faherty’s fiction has earned a number of honors, including multiple Shamus Awards from the Private Eye Writers of America. He writes both contemporary and historical mysteries for EQMM, mostly in two series, those featuring Owen Keane and Scott Elliott. … Continue reading →

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“The Bridal Gown Theory of Creativity” (by Doug Allyn)

Posted on February 20, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Several writers have told EQMM that they prefer writing short stories to novels because ideas come to them easily. The late Edward D. Hoch, for example, became impatient with the few novels he wrote because other story ideas had to … Continue reading →

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“On Hoarding” (by John Boland)

Posted on January 30, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

John C. Boland’s short stories have appeared many times in the Dell Mystery Magazines (EQMM and AHMM) and for them he has received nominations for the Edgar, Shamus, and International Thriller Writers awards. His novels, which range from the private … Continue reading →

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“Make Way for Mr. Scaredy Pants” (by Geoffrey Thorne)

Posted on January 16, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Geoffrey Thorne is multi-talented. He’s an actor who, in the 80s and 90s, appeared in many hit television shows, including Hillstreet Blues, ER, In the Heat of the Night, and Diagnosis Murder. By the early 2000s, he had turned to … Continue reading →

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“From Noir to Julius” (by Dave Zeltserman)

Posted on November 20, 2012 by somethingisgoingtohappen

 Dave Zeltserman’s crime-noir novels Small Crimes and Pariah were both selected by The Washington Post as best books of the year. His short story “Julius Katz” won the Private Eye Writers of America’s Shamus Award for best P.I. story, and a second story in that series, … Continue reading →

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“Where Does It Happen?” (by Terrie Farley Moran)

Posted on November 14, 2012 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Terrie Farley Moran is a short-story writer published in EQMM, AHMM, and a number of mystery anthologies. In 2009, one of her stories earned a place on the Best American Mystery Stories Distinguished Mysteries list. She is not only a writer of short … Continue reading →

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