N.L. Holmes

Jan 17, 2025 | floridawriters.blog | N.L. Holmes

A long time ago, I wrote about this topic, but now that I find myself writing cozy mysteries, I think I need to reflect on it again. Genre books should be good. Should even flirt with being “literary.” Because, let’s face it, there’s no excuse for writing bad books, no matter what kind. The informal definition of a genre book—whether romance, cozy, police procedural, or thriller—is that it follows certain closely constraining rules. And that leads readers to have definite expectations.

Dec 20, 2024 | floridawriters.blog | N.L. Holmes

Sitting here in front of the fire (no, I’m not in Florida!) makes me think of fire-like concepts. Like intensity, burning fiercely. Emotional intensity that leaves you physically limp. Intense suspense, so gripping you can’t put the book down. Hilarity that has you holding your sides while tears roll down your cheeks. These are the virtuous extremes that make a book unforgettable, unputdownable. They melt us onto them like a hot pan set down on a plastic lid.

Nov 15, 2024 | floridawriters.blog | N.L. Holmes

I’ve reflected before on the power of surprise in novels. But I’d like to share a few thoughts now about a certain kind of surprise—perhaps the most heart-wrenching kind, because it’s so relatable. That is, the “good” character who turns out to be bad, or the “bad” one who finally shows himself to be good(ish). It’s true, of course, that no human being is fully good or bad, and our fictional personages should reflect that.

Oct 24, 2024 | floridawriters.blog | N.L. Holmes

You don’t have to have read too many books to realize that breadth of vocabulary is a great attribute for a writer. It goes back to Flaubert’s idea of  the mot juste—using just the right word. We tend to think of adjectives here because they’re descriptors. To describe the house precisely, we need the right adjectives, correct? A cozy little house. An impressive house. A dirty, sagging house. But adjectives are only one of many parts of speech that can be refined by making a judicious choice.

Aug 23, 2024 | floridawriters.blog | N.L. Holmes

One usually approaches this topic as “filling scenes with emotion” although, if you think about it, it’s people who experience emotion. If your characters are feeling it, then they’ll embue the whole scene with it. And, because of the wonderful faculty of compassion, readers will start to twang with the same emotional resonance. The exact way we, the authors, will go about this depends on what point of view we’ve chosen. Is it omniscient third person?