Wednesday's Writer's Tip #mysteries and other fiction

For awhile I'll be looking at things I've found interesting in How To Write Mysteries by Shannon OCork but first a few thoughts. Good writing is good writing and I've found I can learn from reading and analyzing other genres, And of course, I tend to write in several. One of the first things I'd like to look at is all the sub-genres of writing mysteries. Most of the ones I write are cozies and I recall having a fellow writer ask me what I meant by a cozy mystery. I gave my thoughts and other people added their ideas and the lines became sort of blurred. I believe a touch of mystery can be found in other genres of fiction. In fact I've read some great ones in historical, science fiction, fantasy, romance and probably any genre one can imagine.

But back to looking at the variety of mysteries.

The Amateur Detective for this think Sherlock Holmes.  These detectives can run the gamit from hard-boiled to more ordinary characters. They usually do not have to work for a living and can spend their time solving murders or other crimes.

The Cozy mystery. The main character is an amateur but there is a difference here. The voilence is muted and can mostly take place off camera. My own Katherine Miller mysteries fall under this category.

The Puzzle can be a tour de force sort of story. The murder takes place in a locked room. The weapon has disappeared and can't be found. Someone is stealing money, jewelry but there's no way this can be done.

The Private Detective and this is a man or woman who runs a detective agency and takes on cases. Can be hard-boiled or sophisticated and anywhere in between. There are many takes on the private detective.

Police Procedurals professionals take on crime and the stories follow the actual procedures.

Romantic Suspense brings the mystery to romance with a hero and heroine who are involved and often in great danger.

The Thriller often involve spies and bounce from country to country. I've been reading James Rollins' Sigma series again and the mystery and the action advent stirred in equal parts.