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Printed from https://shop.writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/722-.html
Mystery: November 16, 2005 Issue [#722]

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Mystery


 This week:
  Edited by: InkyShadows Author IconMail Icon
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Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

Something mysterious is lurking out there ... just beyond the edges of your peripheral vision. What is it? Did that shadow move? Is that cigarette smoke I smell? Whose footsteps are following me everywhere I go? Eyes dart every which way, trying to catch a glimpse of the danger that lurks ... out there.

Such are the panicked feelings and thoughts of the victim in a mystery story...

** Image ID #948096 Unavailable **


Word from our sponsor

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Amazon's Price: $ 4.99


Letter from the editor

The strange and mysterious can be found in the most ordinary of items and most innocent of situations. As mystery writers, we must be ever on the alert for inane items and situations that can be used in a story to lull the reader into a sense of complacency, as thoroughly unaware of the impending danger as the young woman in so many mystery/horror flicks who hears and sound and opens the cellar door only to find herself being murdered in a most gruesome manner.

What sort of items can you find around you that could become the focal point of an as yet unwritten myster story? A child's toy? A sock? A number two pencil? Maybe even an innocent-seeming flower in your front garden? Think about it. What sort of twist could you put on these objects to make them the sinister tool of a villain?

What sort of situations do you witness on a daily basis that could form the basis of a plot for a chilling mystery story? The changing of a baby's diaper? Two people sitting on a park bench eating lunch and reading the paper or a cheap novel? A group of children playing stickball in the street? A mother pushing a baby carriage in the center of town? A father remonstrating his teenaged daughter/son on her/his current infraction of the parentally enforced family code of conduct? What sort of evil could you insinuate into these everyday, inane situations that would make a prospective reader want to keep reading about them?

Try brainstorming about one or more of these items and/or situations to see what you could come up with. Granted, you may not be able to use all of your ideas in a single story, and to prevent them from vanishing without a trace from your mind once you chose the one(s) that you want to work with in your current story, write them down in an idea journal. That way, when you are hardpressed for another idea sometime down the road a bit, you'll simply have to open your idea journal and pour through your ideas to find one that you will be able to use.

Hope these ideas were helpful to you! This is InkyShadows signing off till next time!


Editor's Picks

This week, my editorial picks are the winners from my "Invalid Item"  Open in new Window. by A Guest Visitor :

FIRST PLACE:
I See You Open in new Window. (13+)
A chilling halloween tale of fear.Winner of the Happy Hauntings contest.
#1025765 by Lee L Strauss Author IconMail Icon


SECOND PLACE:
 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#883185 by Not Available.


THIRD PLACE:
 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#1025500 by Not Available.


HONORABLE MENTIONS:
 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#1031207 by Not Available.


 The Labyrinth Open in new Window. (13+)
When an archaeologist enters the Labyrinth of Oxkintok, weird things happen.
#1026974 by WilkeCollins Author IconMail Icon


 Death in the Mind’s Eye Open in new Window. (13+)
A man is trapped in a dream and cannot wake.
#1020097 by Yuggoth Author IconMail Icon


 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#1032630 by Not Available.


Congratulations to all of these fine winners!

Hopefully, more mystery/horror writers will enter the contest when I run it again in a month or two.

 
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Word from Writing.Com

Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
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Ask & Answer

What would you like me to write about in my next news letter? Address your comments to "Inky" and I'll be sure to consider your topic suggestions next time I come up as newsletter editor.

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Word from our sponsor
ASIN: 197380364X
Amazon's Price: $ 15.99

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