APRIL HENRY, WRITER
  • Home
  • Past News
  • Bio
    • Goodbye, 2021
    • How my Apple watch saved my life
    • Masks for Covid-19
    • In the name of research
    • Why I write scary things
    • Roald Dahl Made Me a Writer
    • Fun Facts about April
    • Questions teachers often assign
    • 10 Reasons I Love Martial Arts
    • Learning to Fight Back
    • Dear Teen Me
    • My Parents >
      • My Dad, Hank Henry >
        • Witnessing Nat King Cole's Greatest Hit
      • My Mom, Nora Henry >
        • My Mom and the Round Rock
    • My great-grandfather, the killer
    • I come from a long line of criminals
  • Books
    • For Teens (and Adults) >
      • Future books
      • Girl Forgotten
      • Two Truths and a Lie
      • Eyes of the Forest
      • Playing with Fire
      • The Girl in the White Van
      • Run, Hide, Fight Back
      • The Lonely Dead
      • Count All Her Bones
      • The Girl I Used to Be
      • Blood Will Tell (2nd in the Point Last Seen series)
      • The Body in the Woods (1st in the Point Last Seen series)
      • The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die
      • The Night She Disappeared
      • Girl, Stolen
      • Torched
      • Shock Point
    • For Adults (and Teens) >
      • Lethal Beauty (3rd in the Mia Quinn series)
      • A Deadly Business (2nd in the Mia Quinn mystery series)
      • Matter of Trust (1st in Mia Quinn series)
      • Face of Betrayal (1st in the Triple Threat series)
      • Hand of Fate (2nd in the Triple Threat series)
      • Heart of Ice (3rd in the Triple Threat series)
      • Eyes of Justice (4th in the Triple Threat series)
      • Learning to Fly
      • Circles of Confusion (1st in Claire Montrose series)
      • Square in the Face (2nd in the Claire Montrose series)
      • Heart-Shaped Box (3rd in the Claire Montrose series)
      • Buried Diamonds (4th in the Claire Montrose series)
    • Foreign Covers
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • About My School Visits
    • A Sneak Peek at a School Visit
  • Fun
    • FAQ
    • Does Your Character Need a Job?
    • Girl, Stolen Alternative Covers
    • I Get Letters
    • Blob on the Side of the Filing Cabinet
    • Books I Like
    • JB's Cinnamon Rolls
    • Vanity Plates
    • Diary of My First Book Tour (From 2000)
    • 1999 Interview with James Lee Burke
    • 1997 Interview with Carol Shields
    • Oregon, the Writer's Toronto
    • Stealing From Myself to Create A Character
    • Panties in a Twist
    • Heteronyms
  • Write
    • How to get an agent
    • Videos with writing tips
    • Writers writing during Covid-19
    • Tips for writers
    • Story starters
    • Write what you know?
    • What if you get stuck?
    • More tips about writing
    • Need to create a fake social media profile?
    • How to start a new book
    • My daughter is 14 - how can she be published?
    • I'm a teen writer-can you give me feedback?
    • Student Writing
    • How to get it right
    • Questions about writing from two teens
    • Should I pay to be published?
  • Blog
  • Contact

Videos about writing - created during the pandemic 

How to write a novel (or anything) when everything else is falling apart
How to write:  Start with a "What if?" 
How to write: tips on creating a character
How to write: more tips on creating characters 
Friday AMA - plus a quick tour of all the weird and wonderful things I have in my office! 
Top 10 tips for all writers/top 10 tips for mystery writers
How, when and why to find an agent
Writing for teens (or even younger readers:  What's different and what's the same?  
A pep talk for all of us - plus ask me anything answers, including naming characters and the pitfalls of travel 
Tips on writing dialog - including said is NOT dead
Tips on voice. Voice changes everything in a book. It can be dispassionate, or as gossipy as old friend. How to think about and find your voice when writing.
When to write in first person - plus a sneak peek from the book I'm working on now! 
Tips on writing in third person 
Writing tools that could help you - something for everyone! 
Turn a character into a career. Series mysteries are very popular. Put some thought into your set up and it will pay off for years to come. 
Three ways to handle violence in your writing
Clues, red herrings, and foreshadowing in your mystery writing
Tips on editing yourself 
How to select POV characters - plus some general tips that are keeping me sane.
Five things I learned writing mysteries and thrillers - plus the exciting moment when I spilled ketchup all over my keyboard! 
Showing vs. teeing - and how do you tell when you're telling?"
Plots are made up of scenes - but what goes into a scene?
Ideas on incorporating your theme - plus a demonstration of how to get out of handcuffs! 
How to create kick-ass chapter endings
Mystery tips: how to get characters to talk and ideas for future plots
How to keep readers turning the pages: 15 tips for turning up the tension 
Five more ways to turn up the tension, including pain, fear and striving
More ideas on getting out of restraints: rope, zip ties, duct tape, handcuffs
More ways to turn up the tension, including the fake scare, dramatic irony, unhealthy choices, and short sentences/paragraphs/chapters
More, more ways to turn up the tension, including betrayals, deaths, secrets and putting off confrontations.
I sold two new books! And how to take an idea and begin to turn it into a book. 
More ways to spice up your book with twists, turns and surprises
Tips on lots of stuff: curly hair, ebay, and using lyrics in your work
Plot basics:  many ways of looking at the same thing 
Two kinds of plotters - and how each can improve
Talking about Act 1 in the 3 Act structure
What to do if you think you're being followed - plus some handy tips about adrenaline 
How to start your book - Action, Camera, Lights 
20 questions I ask myself when I begin a book 
How I stole from myself to create my first character
Juggling life and the creative process 
What to do when you've finished your book 
The story behind the story: where Shock Point came from
The story behind the story:  Girl, Stolen and Count All Her Bones 
The story behind the stories:  The Body in the Woods and Blood Will Tell
The story behind the stories: The Lonely Dead
The story behind the stories: The Girl in the White Van
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Past News
  • Bio
    • Goodbye, 2021
    • How my Apple watch saved my life
    • Masks for Covid-19
    • In the name of research
    • Why I write scary things
    • Roald Dahl Made Me a Writer
    • Fun Facts about April
    • Questions teachers often assign
    • 10 Reasons I Love Martial Arts
    • Learning to Fight Back
    • Dear Teen Me
    • My Parents >
      • My Dad, Hank Henry >
        • Witnessing Nat King Cole's Greatest Hit
      • My Mom, Nora Henry >
        • My Mom and the Round Rock
    • My great-grandfather, the killer
    • I come from a long line of criminals
  • Books
    • For Teens (and Adults) >
      • Future books
      • Girl Forgotten
      • Two Truths and a Lie
      • Eyes of the Forest
      • Playing with Fire
      • The Girl in the White Van
      • Run, Hide, Fight Back
      • The Lonely Dead
      • Count All Her Bones
      • The Girl I Used to Be
      • Blood Will Tell (2nd in the Point Last Seen series)
      • The Body in the Woods (1st in the Point Last Seen series)
      • The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die
      • The Night She Disappeared
      • Girl, Stolen
      • Torched
      • Shock Point
    • For Adults (and Teens) >
      • Lethal Beauty (3rd in the Mia Quinn series)
      • A Deadly Business (2nd in the Mia Quinn mystery series)
      • Matter of Trust (1st in Mia Quinn series)
      • Face of Betrayal (1st in the Triple Threat series)
      • Hand of Fate (2nd in the Triple Threat series)
      • Heart of Ice (3rd in the Triple Threat series)
      • Eyes of Justice (4th in the Triple Threat series)
      • Learning to Fly
      • Circles of Confusion (1st in Claire Montrose series)
      • Square in the Face (2nd in the Claire Montrose series)
      • Heart-Shaped Box (3rd in the Claire Montrose series)
      • Buried Diamonds (4th in the Claire Montrose series)
    • Foreign Covers
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • About My School Visits
    • A Sneak Peek at a School Visit
  • Fun
    • FAQ
    • Does Your Character Need a Job?
    • Girl, Stolen Alternative Covers
    • I Get Letters
    • Blob on the Side of the Filing Cabinet
    • Books I Like
    • JB's Cinnamon Rolls
    • Vanity Plates
    • Diary of My First Book Tour (From 2000)
    • 1999 Interview with James Lee Burke
    • 1997 Interview with Carol Shields
    • Oregon, the Writer's Toronto
    • Stealing From Myself to Create A Character
    • Panties in a Twist
    • Heteronyms
  • Write
    • How to get an agent
    • Videos with writing tips
    • Writers writing during Covid-19
    • Tips for writers
    • Story starters
    • Write what you know?
    • What if you get stuck?
    • More tips about writing
    • Need to create a fake social media profile?
    • How to start a new book
    • My daughter is 14 - how can she be published?
    • I'm a teen writer-can you give me feedback?
    • Student Writing
    • How to get it right
    • Questions about writing from two teens
    • Should I pay to be published?
  • Blog
  • Contact