The butler did it is one of the most overused mystery cliches – to the point it is rarely ever used these days. After all, as soon as a reader (or viewer if it’s a tv show or movie) see a butler, they immediately joke “the butler did it”. Below are some of the mystery…
Writing
What is a red herring?
Nearly every crime book will make use of red herrings, particularly mystery books. But did you know that red herrings can be used in any genre? And when used well, they create the set-up for a delightful surprise twist at the end. By definition, a red herring is a deliberate misdirection designed to mislead the…
Retreated
I recently talked about how I was heading off on retreat in mid-June. I had a wonderful time with my writing buddies and as always enjoyed the chance to focus on my writing without any of the distractions of everyday life. Unfortunately I hurt my back, so writing was quite uncomfortable meaning my words didn’t…
Retreating
I’m very excited because this week I head south to my annual writing retreat with authors Leisl Leighton and Marnie St Clair. This will be our 9th retreat (although during covid we had to pivot to online). We’ve been doing it so long we’ve well and truly got our rhythm which makes for a wonderful…
Time Lapse and the Art of Deception
I’m currently in Hobart, Tasmania for the RWA national conference as I’m presenting a wokshop: Art of Deception. I’m really excited about this workshop and hope attendees get a lot out of it. My workshop explores how to write a killer plot twist – examining illusionists’ techniques, exploring tools such as Red Herrings, MacGuffins and…