Murder,
He Wrote
Tips on
Writing a Thriller
By Susan
Bruner
Pulitzer Prize-winning
author John Sandford's seventeenth novel is now on booksellers'
shelves. His "Prey" series, featuring Minneapolis
police detective, Lucas Davenport, is a favorite read
for fans of the murder mystery genre. He considers his
books to be "thrillers" and in a recent interview
offered some insight into the writing of his successful
series. Here are a few writing tips gleaned from his comments.
The genesis of every book is the villain. With each villain,
there has to be some sense of excitement so the reader
has a personal interest in him -- not to see the villain
as a "good person" but interesting in his own
right. Sandford's villains are usually not too dreadful;
he fears the reader will turn away if the bad guy is too
distasteful. (A particularly squeamish friend of mine
literally threw "The Silence of the Lambs" in
the garbage after reading only a few chapters.)
Sandford feels there should be a lot of movement right
from the start. He wants the story underway when the reader
intersects with it so things don't slow down -- when you
read the first page you immediately want to read the second
page. In the opening, he doesn't spend any time setting
up the scene or the situation -- he just wants to get
the story going. Therefore, he creates stress at the very
beginning. The reader then has to wonder what happens
next.
In the first chapter, he strives for a sensuous, rather
than sensual, appeal so all the senses are engaged right
away. Odors, tactile impressions, music, taste, and what
the characters see are woven into the opening paragraphs.
Even the mood(s) of the participant(s) is conveyed so
the reader gets a feel of the villain's/victim's immediate
surroundings.
In the second chapter, Sandford introduces the main characters
and sets the scene. The story is laid out: the city/locale,
the lead character's profession, friends, etc., giving
the reader time to consider how the hero/heroine will
encounter the villain. Once the stage is set, the author
carefully parcels out clues and misinformation. He believes
that clues work best when the reader has a chance to contemplate
them. For instance, forensic evidence at the crime scene,
e-mails sent/received on a computer, etc. Missteps and
mistakes keep the reader involved and these are inserted
deliberately to keep things moving. Sandford quotes an
unnamed author, "When the action stops, have the
villain show up with a gun." If he comes to the end
or plot resolution too soon, he goes back to "engineer
more action."
Sandford feels his main drawback to writing a series is
in sustaining the characters. In each book, he has to
re-introduce the characters and this can cause problems.
Readers develop favorites and want more ink devoted to
that one particular person. His readers also like a romantic
element, specifically the beginning of a relationship
and they want to know how it will evolve or work out.
Sandford's readership is sixty percent women and to appeal
to his market, has his main character, Lucas, involved
in a personal relationship in each book. (Some liaisons
are strictly sexual and short term while others are more
committed and have an emotional involvement. He decided
to give Lucas a fiancée to make that aspect of
writing the newer ones easier.)
Sandford's first book sold for fifteen thousand dollars.
Then an editor gave him what he calls "a two minute
lesson in writing." He was told a good thriller must
have: more evolutions of action, more character development,
a sense of motion and it must be a certain length because
people spend a lot of money on a book and they want some
bulk for all the bucks. This same editor said, "Do
these things and I can get you more money." His second
book resulted in a two book contract for four hundred
thousand dollars.
If you're interested in writing a thriller, he offers
these tips: Find your favorite thriller novel and read
it two or three times, until you're tired of reading it
and can't wring anything more out of it. Then with "a
cold mind," go back and dissect the book. For example,
look at the first ten paragraphs. Think to yourself: This
is what the author did. Why did he do that? Then examine
the next ten paragraphs and consider the same.
Then ask yourself: When did he start moving the plot along?
When did he start introducing characters? When did he
have a killing? Why did he do that? Once you have a coldly
analytical outline of the book you'll be able to see how
the structure works.
Sandford's advice to would-be writers is to finish the
book. "If you finish the book, there's a good chance
that you can get published, probably not that first book
but at some point down the line."
Susan Bruner is a member of Southern Magic and lives in
Pelham. She is a big fan of John Sandford's work and wanted
to share some of the author's tips she plans to use in
her own writing. You can email her at WBRUNER@AOL.COM.
This article appeared in the June issue of Magic Moments,
the newsletter for the Southern Magic Romance Writers.
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