• Home
  • Writing
  • Book Reviews
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Writing
  • Book Reviews
  • Contact

Nonsense, She Wrote

dissecting stories - badly

Tag

Ruth Ware

Book ReviewsThriller

Review: The Woman in Cabin 10

written by M. J. Magee

If you’ve ever read one of the hundreds of books and blogs and pieces of particularly literary graffiti on how to write a story, you’ll be familiar with this – overly familiar, to the point it’s a little uncomfortable: ‘write something that completely surprises your readers but also feels inevitable, like there’s no other satisfactory way things could have ended‘.

But for the amount of writers who proffer this advice, very few seem to prescribe to it – and no wonder. It’s hard. But Ruth Ware’s The Woman in Cabin 10 is a masterclass on getting this right.

A tightly told thriller and murder mystery, where half the mystery is working out if there was actually a murder, The Woman in Cabin 10 should be recommended reading for anyone trying to write mystery, suspense, or unreliable narrators.

Continue Reading
Review: The Woman in Cabin 10 was last modified: February 25th, 2017 by M. J. Magee

Who writes this nonsense?

Who writes this nonsense?

It's me. Mell. I do. Hello.

I love stories. Books, films, comics, particularly indepth board games, inappropriate anecdotes overheard at the chemist - I love them all.
And I love writing stories.
Which isn't the same as being good at it.
But analysing what makes a story seems as good a way to learn as any.
Join me as I inexpertly insult famed and published authors, and work out how to write something that's not just nonsense.

Recent Posts

  • No-spoiler review: Moana
  • Review: Arkham Horror the card game
  • Review: Rattle
  • Review: Jolly Rover
  • Sickle and Reeves, Funeral Directors

Categories

  • Board Games
  • Book Reviews
  • Family
  • Fantasy
  • Film & TV Reviews
  • Game Reviews
  • Thriller
  • Video Games
  • Writing
  • Young Adult

Tags

100-word story 1940s X-Men in Wales Absurdist funeral directors Animation Are readers actually going to care about this subplot with the main character's girlfriend's brother's best friend? Better than Agatha Christie Collectable card game Damn you plot bunnies damn you straight to hell Disney Disturbing unnecessary and vaguely incestuous romance Dogs who are also pirates Family game night should always feature existential horror Fantasy Flight Games Fiona Cummins Genre identity crisis Helen Callaghan Is Ransom an actual name? Jolly Rover Middle-age writers shouldn't try to guess what 'bae' means Murder-mystery Naming characters Not being good at similies is like... something else that's rubbish at things Pirates who are also dogs Pusillanimous mumbling Quickie Ransom Riggs Reader's Digest Recommended read Review Robbed! Ruth Ware See me after class Spoiler-free review Storylines gone wild That awkward moment when your friends think you're begging for an end to a tormentous relationship when you just want your spelling checked The Evil Voice Unreliable - except maybe not so unreliable - narrators Unreliable narrators Was-there-a-murder-is-the-mystery Writing You can play as characters other than Roland Banks but why would you? Young Adult

Tweets

  • Halloween in the suburbs is CRAZY. It is 6.30pm and I have already had to run to the corner shop for extra supplies… https://t.co/DDcvwi3XVV
    Reply Retweet Favorite
  • I decided to talk to a therapist about my approach to work - how I put so much of my self-worth on how productive I… https://t.co/tdWT1bUmj6
    Reply Retweet Favorite
  • Pals, if you know anyone affected by Thomas Cook closing, please share this with them; @HitchedTweets will make sta… https://t.co/3qrC4S36vD
    Reply Retweet Favorite
  • Fellow people who run their own businesses: how do you get work done instead of watching Tom Holland lip sync Umbre… https://t.co/ZZBRgsgeqz
    Reply Retweet Favorite
  • I have a horrible feeling our takeaway's going to be cold when it arrives... https://t.co/BiHTu38FK2
    Reply Retweet Favorite
  • Contact
  • Privacy policy

© 2017 M. J. Magee, writing nonsense since 1985.


Back To Top