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So...if you have a character who stutters or has tourette's you'll be writing, 'he couldn't pronounce his s's...' or 'random wordage spewed out of his mouth at inopportune moments...' throughout the manuscript? Giving your character realistic dialogue, because no one ever speaks correctly all the time, is not tarnishing the dialogue.

But really, isn't dialogue just a way of giving the reader information in a character's voice? And doesn't giving a character a verbal tick a way of distinguishing them from other characters?

Dirt,
Wise decision on your part. Prologues set up your story, provide information you readers can draw on as they read the book. In some cases it tells the reader information that the characters don't have, giving your reader a sense of superiority. As for starting with a character who's going to die, in that editors opinion, For Whom the Bell Tolls should never have been written. If I were you I'd find another blog, imo this guy doesn't know what he's talking about. 

I could probably write all three but I would only enjoy writing thriller/mystery!

I love Anthony Horrowitz! I just read The House of Silk and Moriarty.

Dallas you wrote: A thoughtful friend is not one who spouts platitudes aimed at reinforcing bad behavior or glossing over it.  A thoughtful friend is one who tells you when you are being a jerk, then gives you a hug.

I rarely defend myself, but that description of my post was simply wrong.

I reminded JP it was her story and she was a strong writer, which she is, and has a clear vision of what her story should be, which she does.

I also saw no reason to label her a jerk just because I couldn't relate to her reaction. Why judge when you can make an effort to understand?

I gave her a solution to think about, as any friend would.

As for hugs, JP and I were raised with brothers, we don't do that.

PS...you might examine why you feel the need to change people's behavior. That sounds a little controlling to me. The only thing you can control is your own behavior. (Now, THAT'S a platitude.)

Jp--
I ran into this in my flash fiction piece, Grace After, Grace Before. I wanted to use a Prince song to illustrate someone playing an air guitar. I just used Princes' name and the title of the song and then described my character's reaction to it. I agree with you, nothing is more boring than reading through song lyrics, and the way I solved it was not 'telling' but 'showing.' 

JP--
The police would also question the victim's friends and family and construct a time line of victim's whereabouts, what they did and who they saw the days before the murder.

Stephen,
This is a really hard question to answer. I've read 6000 word chapters that flew by, and 600 word chapters that moved so slowly I thought they'd never end. I think the best thing for you to do is use your own judgement. With a novel a chapter usually ends with a hook that will make the reader go on to the next chapter. That might help you break up your 6000 word chapter if you want to.

Please read: http://billmoyers.com/story/trump-russia-timeline/

NJC..with all due respect you have no idea what Mueller has or doesn't have. You just have Trump's assessment. And he doesn't know. No one knows for sure what Mueller has found. However, it is significant that he wants to interview Trump. 

Dear Newbies,
This is how I review: I read the work and then tell the author my reaction to it as a reader. This lets the author know if they're getting their points across. You don't have to correct anything, just tell the author what you liked, what you didn't. I know a lot of writers on this site, me included, that would appreciate a review like that amid all the 'correction' reviews.

Hope this helps, dags

Jake, no, I wouldn't read it. It's obviously worded to make me angry and to trigger a response.