How Hammett's classic 'The Maltese Falcon' showed me what kind of writer to be As an undergraduate I studied English literature at Oxford …
Write a thriller: Bad experiences make you a better writer
Remember how it feels to feel bad, endure it positively, and write it down When something bad happens to a writer, the experience is great material …
Write a thriller: Bad experiences make you a better writerRead More
If you read only one Robert Harris thriller, read Archangel
The story of a Stalin bloodline is truly chilling What? Not Enigma? Not The Ghost? Right, not Enigma. Definitely not The Ghost. In Archangel, …
If you read only one Robert Harris thriller, read ArchangelRead More
If you read only one Lee Child thriller, read ’61 Hours’
Child’s evocation of the Dakota winter shows how well he writes Lee Child is justly famous for creating a compelling main character in the …
If you read only one Lee Child thriller, read ’61 Hours’Read More
Thriller plot: Figure out destination to build climax
Figure out the end of the novel before you start to write The great thriller writer Joseph Finder told me that figuring out the end of a thriller …
Thriller plot: Figure out destination to build climaxRead More
If you read only one Martin Cruz Smith, read Polar Star
Isolated on an arctic ship, Cruz Smith’s detective is even more heroic What? If you read only one thriller by Martin Cruz Smith, it's not Gorky …
If you read only one Martin Cruz Smith, read Polar StarRead More
Write a thriller: How Don Winslow propels a plot around its Midpoint
The key to the pace of a thriller lies in the Midpoint The Midpoint is a plot point that lies, of course, at the halfway point of the book. What …
Write a thriller: How Don Winslow propels a plot around its MidpointRead More
Write a thriller: Find a good ‘What if’
A "What if" situation is a great way to start your plotting A “What if” question can spark your entire thriller. Try to imagine any situation and …
Two tips to start thriller writing
Just write, don't wait for inspiration. Start thriller writing. And understand the 3-Act structure Nora Roberts (aka J.D. Robb) knows what she's …
Write a thriller: Plot a thriller with this diagram
Plot a thriller The diagram shows the major points in how to plot a thriller This diagram is a framework for writing a thriller. In …
Write a thriller: Plot a thriller with this diagramRead More
Write a thriller: Get inside your character
A writer must feel what his characters feel to convey the emotion and sensation The great Belgian crime noveliest Georges Simenon described writing …
Write a thriller: Do you plot or not?
Should crime fiction writers figure out the details of their plot before they write? Harlan Coben doesn't. John Grisham does. Robert Ludlum did, …