Chances are if you’re reading this, you’ve got written a lot of words, some pages, some chapters, which are causing you a lot of pain. It feels like you’ve done a lot of thinking, a lot of typing, but it isn’t a book. You know that. And you’re about to give up.
Perhaps you’re writing a mystery or a thriller. In the beginning you couldn’t wait to sit down with it. You were in love with your hero or heroine. It was fun and the words came as if you were taking dictation. Whole interlocking scenes came to you in a flash. In the beginning it was a joy.
Now you’ve found it was a lot harder than you thought. Writing a mystery which was once a lark, has turned sour. Your characters have gone flat; the plot has fizzled out; and you haven’t a thought in your head about how to finish it. Or whether it’s even worth it. Or whether you want to work this hard.
Please don’t give up. I want you to continue.
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Why? It’s so hard. I can hear the whine creeping into your voice, because I heard it so often in mine.
Because you will feel so good when you type “The End.”
Because you may be lucky enough to tap the reading public with an original voice.
It’s not so much the plot that sells the story: it’s the memorable characters. It’s the voice.
Because you will have done what many never attempt.
Because you are the only person who can write your story. The characters you create, the setting, and the plot come from you.
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And the joy you feel as you complete your story will be entirely yours. There are few satisfactions in life quite like it.
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Consider my set of eBooks titled Writing Your First Mystery available at: