2. “If you decide to become a professional writer, you
must, broadly speaking, decide whether you wish to
write for fame, for pleasure, or for money.”
Ian Fleming
How to Write a Thriller
4. Non-Fiction - The Hungry Market
• Being - or becoming - the expert?
• Pursuing a subject - or letting life happen?
• Scratching itches - or entertaining?
• How much to tell and what’s next?
• Query letters
• Full-on book proposal
5. Non-Fiction vs. Fiction:
What’s Needed to Sell It
• Non-fiction: What are you going to write?
• Fiction: How are you going to write it?
7. “For me, I gotta write, and it’s the adventure of it that’s
hooked me. As the writer, I can do it all. I get to be the
National Security Advisor who recommends the action
to the President who must commit the forces. I’m the
senior officer who sends his men into action and who
feels the pain if they don’t make it back. I’m the enemy
and the defender; logistician and staff planner. But
most of all, I’m a young man again, that fresh
lieutenant who must lead his men into battle.”
Dick Couch
“So you Want to be a Writer”
8. “The Great American Novel”
• Great or not-so-great? What you need to know
getting started
• Mainstream or genre? Which way should you go?
• Defining your audience and picking a “voice” and
point of view
• Getting the sale with a publisher
9. Mr. Clancy said none of his success came easily, and he
would remind aspiring writers of that when he spoke to
them. “I tell them you learn to write the same way you
learn to play golf,” he once said. “You do it, and keep doing
it until you get it right. A lot of people think something
mystical happens to you, that maybe the muse kisses you
on the ear. But writing isn’t divinely inspired — it’s hard
work.”
Tom Clancy
Quoted in the New York Times
October 2, 2013
10. Great or Not-So-Great?
What You Need to Know Getting Started
• Lots of decisions to make:
– Mainstream or genre
– Publisher or self-publish
– Single work or a series
– Time-bounding to complete
• The competition is intense
– Increasing number of novels published
– This means that far-fewer are commercially successful
– In many ways, the market is over-saturated
– Compared to non-fiction, there are fewer barriers to entry
12. Defining Your Audience and Picking a
“Voice” and Point of View
• Who are you writing for?
• What voice should you pick?
– What voice do you most enjoy in the fiction you read?
– What voice seems most natural to you?
• Go for a test drive
– Write three chapters in third-person
– Write the same three chapters in first-person
13. Getting the Sale
Well save this for later…for now…
let’s work on what you want to sell
14. …so what does your novel need to
have to get the sale?
18. “There is only one recipe for a bestseller and it is a very
simple one. If you look back on all the bestsellers you
have read, you will find they all have one quality; you
simply have to turn the page.”
Ian Fleming
How to Write a Thriller
20. Dean Koontz
On Generating New Story Ideas
• Read!
• Write!
• Tickle the imagination and generate story ideas by
playing around with exotic titles
• Type out a bunch of narrative hooks and find one
that is intriguing
• Prime the idea pump by building up a couple of
characters in enormous detail
• Whatever you write, you must begin your novel by
plunging the hero or heroine into terrible trouble
21. What the Average Reader
Demands of a Novel
• A strong plot
• A great deal of action
• A hero, or heroine, or both
• Colorful, imaginative, & convincing characterization
• Clear, believable, character motivations
• Well-drawn backgrounds
• At least some familiarity with the English language
• A style with lyrical language and striking images (MC)
22. Let’s talk about two of the most
important ingredients in writing a
successful novel…
23. Let’s talk about two of the most
important ingredients in writing a
successful novel…plotting and
characterization
25. “There are only two plots: The hero takes a journey and
a stranger comes to town.”
Timothy Spurgin
“The Art of Reading”
The Great Courses
26. The Classic Plot
• The writer introduces a hero or heroine who has just been –
or is about to be – plunged into terrible trouble
• The hero or heroine attempts to solve his or her problem but
only slips deeper into trouble
• As they try to climb out of the hole they’re in, complications
arise, each more terrible than the one before, until the
situation could not become more hopeless, then one final
unthinkable complication arises and makes matters worse.
• At last, deeply affected and changed by his awful experiences
and intolerable circumstances, the hero learns something
about himself and the human condition. He then understands
what he must do to get out of the dangerous situation in
which he has wound up. He takes the necessary actions and
either succeeds or fails, succeeding more often than not.
27. “You can distill anydrama – a Greek tragedy, a
Shakespearian play, a modern novel, a TV drama or
comedy, whatever – into a simple equation: ‘What do
these guys want, and what’s keeping them from getting
it?’”
Bill Bleich
Writing advice
28. Plots
• Create a compelling plot
• Write a grabber opening
• Write a successful ending
• Create a middle that keeps the reader involved
29. James Hall – Hit Lit
• Gone with the Wind
• Peyton Place
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• Valley of the Dolls
• The Godfather
• The Exorcist
• Jaws
• The Dead Zone
• The Hunt for Red October
• The Firm
• The Bridges of Madison County
• The Da Vinci Code
35. Character Traits
• Physical appearance
• Voice and speech
• Movement and gestures
• Past life
• Religion
• Sexuality
• Vocation
• Skills and talents
• Fears
• Dreams
• Pleasures
• Plans for the future
• Sense of humor
• Politics
36. Character Traits
• How many major and minor characters to have
• Develop a “job description” for each character
• All major characters must have a biography
• You will know what your characters will do
• You are writing a novel – not a movie script
– You have to get your characters from Point A to Point B
– Your characters are not dead when they’re off the page
• What is each character doing?
– On stage
– Off stage
37. James Hall – Hit Lit
• Gone with the Wind
• Peyton Place
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• Valley of the Dolls
• The Godfather
• The Exorcist
• Jaws
• The Dead Zone
• The Hunt for Red October
• The Firm
• The Bridges of Madison County
• The Da Vinci Code
38. “It’s not what you know that counts, it’s whether the
reader believes that you know something. This effect is
called the suspension of disbelief.
Oscar Collier and Frances Leighton
How to Write and Sell Your First Novel
41. Plot or Characterization
• You have to have plot to make the reader turn pages
• People a the story and the whole story
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• Plot has the entertainment value to pull the reader
along
• The characters are the vehicle, the tools through
which you tell your story
• Readers want you to tell them a story
• Dialogue brings your characters to life!
42. “There is only one recipe for a bestseller and it is a very
simple one. If you look back on all the bestsellers you
have read, you will find they all have one quality you
simply have to turn the page.”
Ian Fleming
How to Write a Thriller
43. But That’s Not All!
(Mainstream and Genre)
• High Concept (Think in movie terms)
– The Coronado Conspiracy
– For Duty and Honor
• Theme
– The Coronado Conspiracy
– For Duty and Honor
• Balancing scene and summary
• Don’t ever forget about the action
44. Wait – There’s More!
What Are you Writing?
• The king died and then the queen died
– A story
• The king died and then the queen died of grief
– A plot
• The queen died, and no one knew why, until it was
discovered that it was through grief at the death of
the king
– A mystery
46. Getting the Sale
• Query agents – get the statistics on your side:
– Forty years ago – 30% of books were agented
– In the last decade – Over 85% of books were agented
• Small publishers – you will likely bear some risk
– Likely no advance
– Limited print run
• Be your own agent – to find an agent: Richard Curtis
How to Be Your Own Literary Agent
47. Getting an Agent to Read Your Manuscript
• It starts with being familiar with books in your “field”
• Then you find out which agents agented those books
• Stay in the library: Contact info for agents
• Go back to what we learned about query letters:
– High Concept (back to the movies)
– Treatment
– Narrative Outline
– Full Manuscript
• Tom Clancy’s Op-Center: One example
48. Let’s Deconstruct a Novel Treatment
• Cover
• Organization
• Organizing Impulse and High Concept
• The “Old” OpCenter Dies
• The “New” OpCenter is Born
• New Character Details
– Preamble
– Those who spend a great deal of time physically at OpCenter
– Those who deal with crises overseas in each scenario
– Those who deal with crises domestically in each scenario
• OpCenter Plot and Scenario Plan
– Preamble
– Short Plot Synopsis
• 17,000+ words
49. Let’s Deconstruct a Narrative Outline
• Cover
• Front matter
• Chapter summaries
– Separate sections
– One or two paragraphs per section
• Epilogue
• 19,000+ words
50. Resources
• E.E. Forster Aspects of the Novel
• Francine Prose Reading Like a Writer
• Richard Curtis How To Be Your Own Literary Agent
• James Hall Hit Lit
• Dr. Linda Seger
– The Art of Adaptation
– Advanced Screenwriting
• Robert Masello
– Robert’s Rules of Writing
– Writer Tells All
51. “Being a comparatively successful writer is a good life.
You don’t have to work at it all the time and you carry
your office around in your head. And you are far more
aware of the world around you. Writing makes you
more alive to your surroundings and, since the main
ingredient of living, though you might not think so to
look at most human beings is to be alive, this is quite a
worthwhile by-product, even if you only write thrillers.”
Ian Fleming
How to Write a Thriller
54. Establishing an Online Presence
• Review of weeks one through four
– Writing in general
– Writing for and selling for publication
– Writing and selling non-fiction
– Writing and selling novels
• What makes your online material unique?
• Beating the competition for “eyes”
• Balancing content and entertainment
• Doing-it-yourself…or…?
Hinweis der Redaktion
Great or not-so-great? What you need to know getting started
Mainstream or genre? Which way should you go?
Defining your audience and picking a “voice” and point of view
Getting the sale
Mainstream fiction: The plots acts as a skeleton upon which the writer adds layers of action, characterization theme, symbolism, background and mood, until a living thing has been constructed.
In genre fiction: The plot is usually the skeleton and the tendons and the vital organs and the muscle. Other elements of the writer’s art – characterization, theme, background – are seldom given such full expression as in mainstream work..
Dean Ray Koontz (born July 9, 1945) is an American author. His novels are broadly described as suspense thrillers, but also frequently incorporate elements of horror, science fiction, mystery, and satire. Several of his books have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List, with 14 hardcovers[1] and 14 paperbacks reaching the number one position.[2] Koontz wrote under a number of pen names earlier in his career, including "David Axton", "Leigh Nichols" and "Brian Coffey". He has sold over 450 million copies as reported on his official site.
Odd Thomas (2013) – starring Anton Yelchin
Frankenstein (2004) – USA Network – starring Adam Goldberg, Parker Posey, Michael Madsen, Vincent Perez, and Thomas Kretschmann (Koontz pulled out of the project midway through production because he did not like the direction the film was headed. He ended up writing his own books with the storyline he had originally created. The project continued without him.)[26]
Black River (2001) – Fox – starring Jay Mohr, and Stephen Tobolowsky
Sole Survivor (2000) – Fox – starring Billy Zane, John C. McGinley, and Gloria Reuben
Watchers Reborn (1998) – Concorde Pictures – starring Mark Hamill
Phantoms (1998) – Miramax/Dimension Films – starring Peter O'Toole, Ben Affleck, Rose McGowan, and Joanna Going.
Mr. Murder (1998) – ABC – starring Stephen Baldwin, Thomas Haden Church, and James Coburn
Intensity (1997) – Fox – starring John C. McGinley, Molly Parker, and Piper Laurie
Hideaway (1995) – Tristar Pictures – starring Jeff Goldblum, Christine Lahti, Jeremy Sisto, and Alicia Silverstone
Watchers 3 (1994) – Concorde Pictures – starring Wings Hauser
The Servants of Twilight (1991) – Trimark – starring Bruce Greenwood
The Face of Fear (1990) – CBS – starring Pam Dawber and Lee Horsley. Also includes Kevin Conroy.
Watchers II (1990) – Concorde Pictures – starring Marc Singer and Tracy Scoggins
Whispers (1990) – Cinepix – starring Victoria Tennant, Chris Sarandon, and Jean LeClere
Watchers (1988) – Universal Pictures – starring Corey Haim, Barbara Williams, and Michael Ironside
The Funhouse (1981) – MCA Universal – starring Elizabeth Berridge, Shawn Carson and Jeanne Austin
The Intruder (1977) – MGM – starring Jean-Louis Trintignant (French film adaptation of Koontz's novel Shattered)
Demon Seed (1977) – MGM – starring Julie Christie, Fritz Weaver, and Robert Vaughn as the voice of Proteus
Dean Ray Koontz (born July 9, 1945) is an American author. His novels are broadly described as suspense thrillers, but also frequently incorporate elements of horror, science fiction, mystery, and satire. Several of his books have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List, with 14 hardcovers[1] and 14 paperbacks reaching the number one position.[2] Koontz wrote under a number of pen names earlier in his career, including "David Axton", "Leigh Nichols" and "Brian Coffey". He has sold over 450 million copies as reported on his official site.
Odd Thomas (2013) – starring Anton Yelchin
Frankenstein (2004) – USA Network – starring Adam Goldberg, Parker Posey, Michael Madsen, Vincent Perez, and Thomas Kretschmann (Koontz pulled out of the project midway through production because he did not like the direction the film was headed. He ended up writing his own books with the storyline he had originally created. The project continued without him.)[26]
Black River (2001) – Fox – starring Jay Mohr, and Stephen Tobolowsky
Sole Survivor (2000) – Fox – starring Billy Zane, John C. McGinley, and Gloria Reuben
Watchers Reborn (1998) – Concorde Pictures – starring Mark Hamill
Phantoms (1998) – Miramax/Dimension Films – starring Peter O'Toole, Ben Affleck, Rose McGowan, and Joanna Going.
Mr. Murder (1998) – ABC – starring Stephen Baldwin, Thomas Haden Church, and James Coburn
Intensity (1997) – Fox – starring John C. McGinley, Molly Parker, and Piper Laurie
Hideaway (1995) – Tristar Pictures – starring Jeff Goldblum, Christine Lahti, Jeremy Sisto, and Alicia Silverstone
Watchers 3 (1994) – Concorde Pictures – starring Wings Hauser
The Servants of Twilight (1991) – Trimark – starring Bruce Greenwood
The Face of Fear (1990) – CBS – starring Pam Dawber and Lee Horsley. Also includes Kevin Conroy.
Watchers II (1990) – Concorde Pictures – starring Marc Singer and Tracy Scoggins
Whispers (1990) – Cinepix – starring Victoria Tennant, Chris Sarandon, and Jean LeClere
Watchers (1988) – Universal Pictures – starring Corey Haim, Barbara Williams, and Michael Ironside
The Funhouse (1981) – MCA Universal – starring Elizabeth Berridge, Shawn Carson and Jeanne Austin
The Intruder (1977) – MGM – starring Jean-Louis Trintignant (French film adaptation of Koontz's novel Shattered)
Demon Seed (1977) – MGM – starring Julie Christie, Fritz Weaver, and Robert Vaughn as the voice of Proteus
1936 Margaret Mitchell Gone with the Wind
1956 Grace Metalious Peyton Place
1960 Harper Lee To Kill a Mockingbird
1966 Jacqueline Susann Valley of the Dolls
1969 Mario Puzo The Godfather
1971 William Peter Blatty The Exorcist
1974 Peter Benchley Jaws
1979 Stephan King The Dead Zone
1984 Tom Clancy The Hunt for Red October
1991 John Grishgam The Firm
1992 Robert James Waller The Bridges of Madison County
2003 Dan Borwn The Da Vinci Code
1936 Margaret Mitchell Gone with the Wind – Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler
1956 Grace Metalious Peyton Place – Allison MacKenzie
1960 Harper Lee To Kill a Mockingbird – Scout Finch and Atticus Finch
1966 Jacqueline Susann Valley of the Dolls – Anne Welles, Neely O’Hara, Jennifer North, Lyon Burke
1969 Mario Puzo The Godfather – Don Vitto Corleone, Michael Corleone
1971 William Peter Blatty The Exorcist – Regan MacNeil and Father Karas
1974 Peter Benchley Jaws – Martin Brody, Quint, Matt Hooper
1979 Stephan King The Dead Zone – Johnny Smith and Greg Stillson
1984 Tom Clancy The Hunt for Red October – Marko Ramius, Jack Ryan
1991 John Grishgam The Firm – Mitch McDeere and Abby McDeere
1992 Robert James Waller The Bridges of Madison County – Robert Kincaid and Francesca Johnson
2003 Dan Borwn The Da Vinci Code – Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu
High Concept (Think in movie terms)
The Coronado Conspiracy
Clear and Present Danger meets No Way Out
For Duty and Honor
Heart of Darkness on an aircraft carrier
Theme
The Coronado Conspiracy
The enormous power – for good and evil – of military men
For Duty and Honor
The enormous autonomy of a CSG Commander
What makes yours unique?
Beating the competition for “eyes”
Balancing content and entertainment
Doing-it-yourself…or…?
