A Novel Creation www.WatersWords.com

Today's guest post is by Michelle Levigne   I first became aquatinted with Michelle through a group called American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), a professional organization to which we both belong. Michelle is an author, editor, teacher, and blogger. I became intrigued with the idea of writers studying screen writing to improve their novels. Shortly after talking with other writers about that, Michelle shared with me a screenplay she had written for a MacGyver episode. The screen play eventually became a novel called Wheels . I immediately asked her to share her insight on this blog. Lucky you, if you are reading this….Take notes. And thank you, Michelle, for sharing.  Now, I give you (drumroll here, please) Michelle Levigne:    Screenwriting is all about SHOWING. You are limited to SIGHT and SOUND. No mindreading allowed! Learn to use action and dialogue to reveal your character’s thoughts and feelings, and you’ll evade the trap of TELLING. I...

Complete this final exam to pass the Whodunnit U online course. Have fun with it. You already have an “A” in the course just for trying! And since Whodunnit University is a figment of my imagination this exam may be a figment of yours. Who knows? Questions 1-3 are multiple choice…your choice. 1. What is the nature of the crime to be solved in your imagined story?             a) robbery             b) murder             c) sabotage             d) other ______________________ 2. Where does your story take place?             a) in an office             b) at a museum             ...

Lillian Duncan Whodunnit University welcomes visiting professor, Lillian Duncan. Let the lecture begin: Before we start, let’s take a look at the difference between mystery and suspense. The traditional definition usually says that a mystery is when you’re trying to discover who murdered someone and suspense is when you’re trying to stop a murder from happening. It’s a good definition, but I’d like to add a bit more for a little more clarification. I think mysteries keep the main characters in their day-to-day life while suspense thrusts the characters into a running-for-their-life scenario—if not their life, someone’s life has to be in danger. A good mystery should have elements of suspense and vice-versa so for our purposes I’m going to focus on suspense—since that’s what I write. A is for ACTION! ACTION!! and more ACTION!!! Readers today don’t want to read pages of description, backstory, or about a characters everyday life. They want action and lots of it...