Mystery Writing Research Guidelines
Research tips to get the most out of the time you spend without getting lost in research.
Mystery Writer Stumbling Blocks
Four major stumbling blocks to writing a mystery novel.
Background Research for Your Mystery
Research Before You Write The Story The first round of research is background material for your story. You may look for settings, hidden alleys, a great beach. Murder weapons or poison. The psychology of being a mistress. How to clean a Glock. Pharmaceutical drug research lab procedures. Base your research requirements on your story premise….
Get Your Cop Right
Derek Pacifico conducting Homicide School for Writers Real Cop Details in Your Fictional World Unless you have worked in law enforcement, writing realistic cops for your mystery involves getting to know law, law enforcement procedures, and a realistic picture of how cops think, act, and work. Reading and online research will give you a general…
Research Discoveries for The Peach Widow
Discoveries I Made While Researching The Peach Widow Background Every story presents new research challenges when writing an historical mystery. For The Peach Widow I needed background on farm dogs, inheritance law, and natural poisons. My first challenge was looking for background on inheritance law concerning a second wife and children by a previous marriage. After…
Roman New Year Games at the Circus Maximus
New Year Roman Games: No Lanes. No Rules STEPPING BACK IN HISTORY TO ANCIENT ROME WITH AUTHOR ZARA ALTAIR Zara Altair writes traditional mysteries set in the time of Ostrogoth Rule in Italy in The Argolicus Mysteries. Learn more about her and her books at her website. The New Year: A Time for Games In Ancient…
Historical Mystery Research: Details Behind the Story
Gathering Research Bits While The Roman Heir is in editing process, I’m scouring for ideas for the next several stories. Never forgetting setting, I’m looking at meadows and woods for The Vellum Scribe. The Vellum Scribe A monkish scribe. A gored noble. A tantalizing daughter.Argolicus unravels the threads. When Argolicus’ pious uncle arrives to complete…
Setting: What’s In The Room
Domestic Details Setting is important in any story. In historical novels, setting details give the reader a sense of what is around the characters. Without setting the characters are “floating in space” with nothing to ground them to surroundings. In the video of the mosaic discovery, the details of vibrancy and varied images are a…
Discovery Process on a Research Trip
Research Trip: Plan for No Plan My day job is ghostwriting. My current project is a thriller. The culmination of the story takes place at Chichen Itza on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Pictures, Google Maps, and other resources cannot replace the experience of being on site. The author had personal reasons for visiting over and above…
Research: Going Deep for Details
Research details about the Roman sauce garum. Easy modern recipe.