It’s a great way to map out how information is passed to the reader. For each chapter write down what questions are being asked and what questions are being answered. Find the first mystery novel you fell in love with as a kid (The Westing Game!) and dissect it. Read Agatha Christie and Dashiell Hammett. Read, of course, but don’t feel like you have to read every new release or everything that’s hitting the bestseller lists. Write your way through.ĭo you have any specific advice for thriller authors? That doesn't mean you can stop coming into work. You'll have ruts, you'll have less productive days. lol.) The reality is that this is a job and we have to work at it, just like everyone else. I think a lot of readers and beginning writers have a somewhat romanticized view of how an author works (cue image of Joseph Fiennes with his Shakespearean quill and images of Gwyneth Paltrow swimming in his head. To get back on track, I put my butt in the chair and keep writing. I get into lots of ruts, I have days when I'm sure my WIP is a steaming pile no one would ever want to read. I’m constantly writing the worst-case scenario, because if I can write into my fears, I can write through and beyond them.ĭo you have any advice for aspiring authors?ĭon’t wait for inspiration and don’t worry about the ruts. It was a strange moment hearing about this over three decades later and realizing that’s the whole key to why I write thrillers and crime fiction. Obviously, my teacher was a little concerned and my mom was like, “Um, she wants me dead?” The counselor said it was exactly the opposite I was terrified she was going to die and writing the story was a way for me to process my fear. My mom recently told me about how she was called into the guidance counselor at my school when I was in kindergarten because I’d written a detailed account of her death and funeral. Is there any particular incident that has happened along your writing journey that you’d like to share? I know it’s sad I find those things motivating, but otherwise I could get lost in a single paragraph or a side project for hours. I also give myself deadlines and daily word count goals. It’s a new day and it seems like there’s nothing in the world except me and that story. Right now my favorite time to write is early morning and that’s a struggle because I also love sleep, but I’m motivated by how I feel in that chair in the morning. I generally work from my home office, but a coffee shop or a library will do just fine. My routine varies depending on a lot of factors, such as whether my kids are in school or if I have a new book coming out.
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