Maim a woman: A novel way to make money in crime fiction?

She hit the local publishing scene with Random Violence, her first crime thriller, about the murder of a woman on a lonely farm. She's just launched her second, My Brother's Keeper.

Amanda Patterson, CEO Writers Write

“With her third manuscript complete and ready for publication,” says Amanda Patterson, CEO of Writers Write, “Jassy is a great example of a career novelist who takes her craft seriously.”

Random Violence was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize: Africa Region. Of course there's more to writing than winning prizes. Jassy recently secured a lucrative contract to have the book published in German. “This just proves that with talent, discipline, perseverance and the right publisher behind you, a writer can achieve great things in South Africa,” says Amanda.

Seeds of a Story

On the night, Jassy McKenzie shared some tips with the assembled writers on how to create a compelling thriller. The seed for Random Violence was found in newspaper articles.

“I realised that more than a few so-called random murders had actually been committed by the spouses of the victim,” she says. “This got me thinking. 'What better way to disguise a crime than by making it look like a botched hijacking?' The idea of Random Violence was born.”

Writers Write agrees that story ideas are all around us, in current news stories, conversations at dinner parties, our own experiences. “Prick up your ears,” advises Anthony Ehlers, Writers Write Creative Director. “Drink it in. Use it in your fiction.”

Strong Characters

Besides a cracking plot, she believes, crime fiction needs strong, dynamic characters to grip the reader's attention. She should know. Jade de Jonge, the lead in Random Violence, is a true alpha heroine: chilli-loving, a crack shot, and a fearless private detective.

“I made Nick Kenyon, the hero of My Brother's Keeper, a paramedic but paramedics are normally nice guys. I decided to give him an edge by making him an ex-mercenary with a dubious past.”

Jassy McKenzie with Amanda Patterson

Amanda Patterson believes that even the most dastard villain in your novel must also be written to create empathy within the reader. Most audiences reported that they want more background on the antagonist.

Setting the Scene

Writers Write emphasises sensory input in your writing. One of the best elements of an author's novels is attention to setting.

“We advise authors to think as a film director would. Visualise scene after scene in your novel,” says Amanda.

Jassy agrees and details the pace, mood and tensions of Johannesburg with a keen eye. The city pops. It becomes a memorable character in the story. “You need sensory input to make your story come alive,” she says. “The experience of a rainy night, the hum of an electric fence. Try to make it as visual as you possibly can.”

Believe it or not

Unlike an action film, where a reader will suspend disbelief when James Bond jumps off a building with his dinner jacket as a makeshift parachute, readers can go back, reread, and examine paragraphs in your novel. It has to be logical and believable. You must take time enough time to write the action sequences plausibly.

Jassy suggests that a writer really gets under the skin of a character. “Often I act out action scenes with my partner, Deon, to make sure it's physically possible. He often ends up with a couple of bruises - but it adds authenticity to the scene.”

The same must be applied when writing romance and writing plausible love scenes.

Waves of Plot

Jassy likens the plot of a novel to waves in a sea. The deeper the lead character ventures into the ocean, the higher the waves become, the faster they come at him. “There must a rising challenges for him,” she says, “and as you get to the end of the novel, they must be bigger and more dangerous. They must come at him so fast; he hardly has time to catch his breath.”

The difference between a thriller and mystery, she explains, is that in a mystery the identity of the antagonist is hidden and the detective has to unravel the clues. In a thriller, we often know the villain upfront. “From there on there is a cat-and-mouse game with the detective,” she says. “There's usually time limit for the case to be solved, so pacing is so important.”

She also believes it's important to plant clues throughout your novels to foreshadow future events.

“There was a great secret I wanted to reveal at the end of my third book,” she says. “Knowing how I wanted it to end made the plotting process easier.”

Write Within Your Boundaries

“There's a trend in the UK to write thrillers with graphic violence displayed to female characters,” Jassy mentions. “It's a trend that has caused some debate, with one side believing this type of fiction sells, the other believing it gratuitous. Graphic violence is always a matter of taste. I think it's important to write within your own personal boundaries. Personally, I'd never write gory, explicit violence against women or children.”

Writer's Block - Not Always a Curse

Writer's Block is not always the notorious curse most writers believe it to be. “Often it serves a specific function. It's a warning bell. It lets you know you're going down the wrong path,” says Jassy. You need to stop, back up a few steps. Look at your characters and the plot. Do you need to change something before you can go on?

“A writer often writes the incorrect character as a protagonist or an antagonist,” says Amanda Patterson.

The Next Chiller

Writers Write is taught by Amanda Patterson & Anthony Ehlers

Amanda Patterson says, “From the wealth of talent showed during the writing part of the evening, it was clear that we could have the next James Patterson emerging in the near future or the new Kathy Reichs. South Africa provides a rich vein of resource for a potential crime writer. We're hoping to cultivate those emerging voices.”

To this end, Writers Write is offering a great package of courses for local aspirant novelist: including its premier four-week novel-writing course (Writers Write) and one-day workshops on plotting (Plot Luck) and creating compelling baddies (Character Assassination). “Perhaps we can create the next chiller without resorting to violence against women,” she says.

STAR QUOTE

As author Graycie Harmom once famously said, “Being an author is like being in charge of your own personal insane asylum.”


Contact Details:

Email: info@writerswrite.co.za or info@thewrite.co.za for more details on Writers Write, Plot Luck & Character Assassination
Call Anton Behr on 0798753719
Visit www.itsallwrite.net