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I have an idea for a murder mystery. I'd like to write a book, but I don't have the first clue how to start.
Anyone here published? Can you offer some insight?
If it's not broken, fix it until it is
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Once upon a time?
In the beginning?
It was a dark and stormy night?
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Kevin Marois wrote: the first clue how to start.
Write the book.
Kevin Marois wrote: Can you offer some insight?
Routes
1- Know someone personally
2- Have a widely known reputation via some aspect of your life not associated with writing.
3- Have a very well written book and get very lucky.
4- Prior art:
i. Have a fairly large amount of money and self publish and distribute
ii. Publish good short work on the internet and wait until someone asks for more. To be fair this is basically creating 2 above.
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It's like coding, art or anything else everyone has there own style.
Write an outline then fill.
Just start writing.
???
Biggest thing is to sit down and devote time to it. First step...
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Kevin Marois wrote: murder mystery ... don't have the first clue
Was this on purpose...? 
If so, well played, sir. 
The United States invariably does the right thing, after having exhausted every other alternative. -Winston Churchill
America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. -Oscar Wilde
Wow, even the French showed a little more spine than that before they got their sh*t pushed in.[^] -Colin Mullikin
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I'm glad someone else had that thought as well, from the other replies I thought maybe he was serious 
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity
RAH
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Write an outline so you don't get lost in the details.
Fill in the outline just enough to make a short story.
Fill in more details of the short story to make it a longer story.
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Time for my eye test. I thought the heading was "Speaking of boobs".
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Dude. You're spending waaaay too much time in front of that computer. 
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(self) publising is the easy part.
Writing and accepting user feedback is the hard part; have someone read and re-read whatever you write down.
Keep a notebook with you at all time; you will want to write down ideas as soon as you have them.
Have a plan, make a small synopsis of the story; split the story into chapters and sub-chapters
Describe the different characters, write their bio and personal history; describe the relation between them. (how is the killer related to the victim, what is the murderer modus operandi, ... )
Do research on the location and/or era of the book (is it now, in the past or in the future)
Define the atmosphere of the book.
...
I'd rather be phishing!
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Self-publishing is a very tricky business. Since your work does not go through the extensive editing and review that it would get by using a publishing house, it becomes very easy to put out work that has lots of misspellings and is grammatically sloppy. I've seen a number of otherwise good authors tank their careers because of that. Promotion can be a real challenge too: without a publishing house backing promo tours, bookmarks and other forms of advertisement, chances of building up an audience large enough to make a living at writing is very small.
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--Since your work does not go through the extensive editing and review that it would get by using a publishing house, it becomes very easy to put out work that has lots of misspellings and is grammatically sloppy. I've seen a number of otherwise good authors tank their careers because of that.
I've seen a number of self-published authors put out stuff with lots of spelling and grammar issues.
When you publish via a normal publisher, editors and proofreaders are automatically part of the process.
However, getting someone to proofread/edit isn't hard. Friends will do it for free (usually). If you want a professional job, there are those on the internet that will do this for a small fee.
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Start with the research, you need to try out your idea and see if it works.
Be excellent to each other. And... PARTY ON, DUDES!
Abraham Lincoln
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Quote: but I don't have the first clue how to start.
Perhaps start off with a murder in the work break room. The victim has purple on their face and a broken mug of coffee on the ground next to them. It can only get better from there. 
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
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Here is insight from one author.
"One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson
"Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons
"Show me a community that obeys the Ten Commandments and I'll show you a less crowded prison system." - Anonymous
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+5
/ravi
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I have never been published but I have been rejected. At least I got a response.
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How do you mean, "start"? Are you talking about how to start writing, or how to get published? Are you asking about things like plot structure and story arc, or how to motivate yourself to writing, or how to find an agent?
Your best bet is to track down a writers coffee-klatch or support group, and actually speak with local authors. A lot depends on where you live: in the US Pacific Northwest, where I live, there are a great many resources that range from weekly "type and gripes" to annual conventions and workshops of international repute. If you live in Kansas or North Dakota, there will probably be fewer options.
If nothing else, get a few issues of Writer's Digest magazine, it usually has good articles suitable for beginners. Or go to a bookstore and ask for the Writing shelves, there are a number of good books that will outline what you need to know.
As one aspiring author to another, good luck!
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Rule #1: Writer's block is a lie. It's actually just laziness.
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This dude was born.
Then, many years later, he died mysteriously.
Now fill in the details...
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Hi, Kevin.
While I have a few books on the street, I tend to write non-fiction. However, after writing a screenplay for a sitcom I directed, I started thinking about writing fiction as well. The rules are different in that field, of course, so I've been reading a few books to get a feel for that style of writing. This is by far the best I've read.
How To Write A Damn Good Novel[^]
And at the risk of offering tired old advice, the most important thing is to just write. Like coding or any other creative pursuit, you'll get better and better at it. People love a good story, so have some fun and write one!
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lately, i fell in love with Homunculus. It's a manga, tells about trepanation.
Just try create a character, a girl. She is not good with math and computer, like the one of his old friend did. She always thinks she is a dull, so that's why she wants to put some trepanation surgery when she was seeking an internet. She takes too seriously that trepanation could make someone become smart, but she got to obsessed with it. Then she become smart, more than smart.
it will be a great opening though
KTBFFH
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Take a look at critters.org
I've taken part both as a critic and a submitter.
Provides a friendly and honest way of trying out your work and getting very useful feedback on it...
Lots of tips about writing available too...
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Story[^]
Seriously. It won't tell you anything you don't already know, but it will make you realize you already know it, why it's true, and what to do about it.
And/or go to www.zoetrope.com, sign up and write write write and read read read.
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