Writing Tips, Workshops, and Inspiration from Bestselling Authors

OUTLIERS WRITING UNIVERSITY OUTLIERS PSYCHOLOGY AND WRITING: How Place Exposes Character by Katherine Ramsland   Whether crime writing involves fiction or fact, writers might treat the location as just a way to orient readers: It took place here. However, the ways in which different people experience a place—especially the same place—can enhance your character development, tension, and pace. A wooded place might be scary to some, a birder’s paradise for others, and means of e

OUTLIERS MEDICAL-FORENSIC FILES: Knife Wound Analysis by DP Lyle, MD Can the ME Determine the Type of Knife Used in a Murder By Examining the Wounds?   Q: I am writing a story about a killer who uses a specific knife and kills the same way every time. The knife is unique in that it has a long blade that is serrated on one side, curvy on the other. I'm trying to determine if the wound can be used to identify at least some aspects of the knife.   Her method of kill is to plunge

Use Nonverbals To Add Dimension To Your Scenes by Dr. Katherine Ramsland At “The Write Stuff” conference, editor and author Tiffany Yates Martin discussed using “nonverbals” to add more dimension to our scenes. She explained that a vast amount of communication can occur beyond the dialogue. Demeanor, expression, body language, silences, and gestures, when used effectively, can provide a vivid sense of the characters and their interactions. To demonstrate, she played a clip fr

Best-selling Author and Outlier instructor Shirley Jump sat down with Terry Shepherd and Jennifer Dornbush in the Outliers Studio at Bouchercon 2025 in New Orleans for a lively and fun chat. @shirleyjump WATCH: Outliers YouTube Channel: GET TO KNOW: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLia8l2DJ_EnXVqej3dnFj-48RJetAYpcl LISTEN: Outliers Podcast Series On Your Favorite Outlet: https://www.outlierswritinguniversity.com/shows

What's a Psychological Autopsy? By Dr. Katherine Ramsland When a manner of death cannot be clearly identified as natural, accident, suicide or homicide, police might seek a mental health expert's help. With a psychological autopsy, they will evaluate the likelihood that a decedent's mental state aligns with known factors for suicide in order to rule it in or out. They might also suggest ideas for a deeper investigation. I have done this for coroners and cops, and I provide de

OUTLIERS MEDICAL-FORENSIC FILES: Alice in Wonderland Syndrome by DP Lyle, MD What Drugs Might Cause Side Effects in My Character With Alice in Wonderland Syndrome?   Q: I have a question about Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS) My character is in his mid-30s. From what I've gathered from reading this syndrome, it is fairly common with children and with migraine sufferers and it is controllable. However, I want my character to have side-effects. In other words, even though hi

OUTLIERS ONE MORE THING: The Power of Delusion by Jenny Milchman When I am writing a new novel, I always suffer from a perseverative delusion. Except that suffer  is really the wrong word because this is a delusion of the most blissful order. It’s that I am writing the world’s first perfect first draft. Now, we all know this is impossible, right? Even I know it’s impossible–and I’m the one suffering from it! Still, the delusion persists. Over the course of six (soon to be sev

OUTLIERS PSYCHOLOGY AND WRITING: Your Inner Muse by Katherine Ramsland, Ph.D. Welcome to my column on how psychology and writing interact. I’ve been writing and publishing since the 1980s. Initially, it was for academics. Then in 1991, I published a commercial book, Anne Rice’s biography. Over the years, I’ve shifted between these frames, adding fiction and learning much about the writing process. In this column, I’ll offer tips for your work from clinical, cognitive and fore