PROFESSIONAL TIPS – Dennis Palumbo

by Leigh Lundin

Traditional mysteries with clues fairly presented started me on a lifelong romance of the genre, enjoying the chase, the puzzle. Whereas I’m not fond of hinging a story upon so-called ‘psychological clues’, I appreciate the art of profiling and the psychology of well-drawn good guys and bad guys. Wouldn’t it delight us to engineer fantasy match-ups between, say, Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, and Hannibal Lector?

Psychotherapist Dennis Palumbo is also a screenwriter, blogger, and mystery author. He applies his professional training to writing, giving his character, Daniel Rinaldi, a psychologist with an edge.

Dennis also writes about the craft in Writing From The Inside Out. In another of our Writing Tips series, we peek at some of his tips– check his articles and his book for in-depth tutoring.

Three Cosmic Rules of Writing

1. You are enough.
   • Even the best writers struggle. Some may have more practice experience, but nothing is wrong with you.
2. Work with what you’re given.
• See the world around you, and use it in your writing.
3. Writing begets writing.
• If you’re stuck, write anyway. Use your frustrated emotions in your characters.

Drilling down, Dennis provides three additional guidelines for writing mysteries. Again, refer to the articles for particulars.

Three Rules of Mystery Writing

1. Establish the unique character of the protagonist.
   • The real mystery readers want is that between the characters and how order will be restored.
2. Make narrative use of the world in which the story takes place.
• Use a sense of scene to build dimension in your story.
3. Plant clues (only a few) derived from unique aspects of that world.
• Exploit your world to provide background, red herrings, and clues for your readers.