Always striving to improve my writing, I make notes when readers complain about what they don’t like in a story. I reviewed my notes recently because I’m working on a rewrite of a new novel. Here’s a long list of  dislikes from readers on a mystery listserv I participate in:

• portents, particularly the “had-I-but-known”
• cliffhangers at the end of the chapter or the book
• an abundance of coincidences Read more →