Ask the Author: Lyon Bell
Answered Questions (6)
Lyon Bell
The Bad Samaritan starts with a real art robbery in Boston. The book I am currently working on starts with a series of gas explosions in the Merrimack Valley in Massachusetts. These explosions really happened. So I get ideas from actual events and weave a story around them.
Lyon Bell
A crime novel set in New England. The working title is Death Valley.
Lyon Bell
Read, read and read again as widely as possible. To be a good writer you must be able to appreciate good writing by others. See how they do it but don't try to copy them. Then just get stuck in and start writing. I prefer to write in longhand in a notebook and then transfer to my computer. That way I can edit whilst typing up the first draft. I'm old school and prefer to use a fountain pen. Once you've got your first draft on the computer, read it and start chipping away. You'll find that you delete more words than you add. Pay particular attention to adverbs (as few as possible) and adjectives (ditto). Most importantly, enjoy it. Writing should be fun!
Lyon Bell
It's fun getting lost in a world of your own imagining.
Lyon Bell
Classic detective fiction by Margery Allingham, Josephine Tey and Agatha Christie. I will also read some modern authors, such as Lee Child and Elly Griffiths.
Lyon Bell
Take a break. Have a cup of good strong coffee. Get back to it. I keep a notebook and jot down random thoughts on plots and characters. So when I'm blocked, I skim through the notebook and it sometimes sets me off again. A bit like using jump-leads to start a car engine.
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