I attended the inaugural WhoDunIt - A Day of Mystery Madness that was part of the Virginia Literary Festival at the Library of Virginia. There were a variety of panels, and now, I've got eight or ten more books that I want to read.

Here's what I learned today...

1. Alan Orloff talked about the importance of microconflict. Keep the action moving by inserting conflict and tension in the story.

2. Meredith Cole reminded writers to listen to themselves as a critical voice. (If you're bored with a piece of writing, your readers will be too.)

3. Donna Andrews highlighted the importance of outlining and planning for novels, and she reminded us that planning is part of the writing process.

4. You need to know what you're writing. You need to be able to describe it to editors and agents.

5. Donna Andrews reminded writers not to put in too much backstory. The audience doesn't need toothbrushing scenes. (You don't need to describe every mundane detail.)

6. JB Stanley/Ellery Adams uses food in her series to add dimension to characters and to make them more realistic.

7. Andy Straka is a licensed falconer.

8. Jan Neuharth considers her novels' settings as characters. The location is as important has the humans.

9. Most of the writers said that they use real towns and places; however, they rarely have murders take place there. They usually fictionalize those locations.

10. Donna Andrews reminded new writers that they need to take their work seriously and treat it as a business.

11. Use dialog to add backstory and to construct a scene.

The day and discussions were a lot of fun. I look forward to next year's Virginia Literary Festival!