In honor of the birthday of Edgar Allan Poe, Jan. 19, 1809, I am starting a new series today: How to Write a Mystery.

Posts will be based on the 2021 book of that title, with the subtitle “A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America,” edited by Lee Child with Laurie R. King.

From defining genres — what’s a cozy, anyway? — to continuing a character, various writers provided essays for the book. Mine is sprouting bookmarks and Post-it tabs all over, so I’d like to look at some of my favorite essays to reveal things about mysteries, as well as about writing in general.

Like the essays themselves, some posts will be longer than others. For instance, Steve Hockensmith’s list of “Dos and Don’ts for Wannabe Writers” consists of five paragraphs on one page — three Dos, two Don’ts. My favorite?

“DO read.”