We are now coming to the 4th question of the June Author Interview series. We had posted the answer for the first three question recently. If you have not read the post, do it so now to learn more about them. So, it’s time to check out the answers for the 4th question from the Murder Mystery/Thriller/Suspense/Horror genre participating in the group interview. “Shorter stories (below 350 pages) are better for mystery/thriller or suspense books. Do you agree with this statement? Do you think the suspense elements in a book are difficult to retain when the story is longer?”
Just in case if you are wondering who we are interviewing this month, you can check out this link and get all your author friends from The Memoirs/Biography genre to participate in the next group interview.
1) Author #1: J. J. DiBenedetto
In general, I think that makes sense. With mysteries, you also run into the problem that either the reader figures things out before the characters do, which is frustrating; or things are drawn out unreasonably.
But there are exceptions to everything – if the story warrants it, and it’s done well, a longer suspense story can work just fine.
2) Author #2: Fran Veal
Well, since my books are around 225 to 250 pages each, I’d have to give that question a resounding YES! I think much longer than 350 pages would be exhausting – especially for someone like me who wants to sit down and read a mystery from beginning to end with no breaks.
3) Author #3: Jim Strait
It depends on the story, but I do believe that books that go beyond the page count mentioned will often contain too much character development for my tastes. Keeping the story taught is more difficult the longer the story…there is an optimum length for each story, but I’d not limit my page count if my story races beyond 350 pages. Basically, the story is told when the story is told. To this point I’ve been able to sense when the story is complete and have wound up with novel page counts of 303, 345, and 394. I guess your number represents the standard deviation.
4) Author #4: Kelli Sue Landon
No, I do not agree. I actually think novels are better for mysteries, because more of the story unravels as the reader gets more and more involved with the characters’ lives. I’d say it’s more difficult for a short story, because you don’t have much room for a full mystery to start, unfold, and be explained.
Do you think shorter stories make better mystery novels? I look forward to reading your comments below.
Next, we will be revealing the answers for question #5 which is “What makes you feel good writing a thriller/mystery novel? ”
Stay tuned for the next post! Thank you! 🙂
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