How to Write a Damn Good Thriller

2010-03-30
How to Write a Damn Good Thriller
Author: James N. Frey
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Total Pages: 301
Release: 2010-03-30
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1429913630
GET BOOK

A quick look at any fiction bestseller list reveals that thrillers make up most of the titles at the top. HOW TO WRITE A DAMN GOOD THRILLER will help the aspiring novelist or screenwriter to design, draft, write, and polish a thriller that is sure to grab readers. Frey uses examples from both books and movies and addresses the following hot topics: *Germinal ideas *Breathing life into great thriller characters *Crafting a gripping opening *Maintaining tension *Creating obstacles and conflicts *Writing a mean, lean thriller scene *Adding surprise twists *Building a smashing climax and many more. In his trademark approachable and humorous style, Frey illuminates the building blocks of great thrillers and gives the reader the tools to write his or her own.

How to Write a Damn Good Novel

2010-04-01
How to Write a Damn Good Novel
Author: James N. Frey
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2010-04-01
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1429997850
GET BOOK

Written in a clear, crisp, accessible style, this book is perfect for beginners as well as professional writers who need a crash course in the down-to-earth basics of storytelling. Talent and inspiration can't be taught, but Frey does provide scores of helpful suggestions and sensible rules and principles. An international bestseller, How to Write a Damn Good Novel will enable all writers to face that intimidating first page, keep them on track when they falter, and help them recognize, analyze, and correct the problems in their own work.

How to Write a Damn Good Mystery

2007-04-01
How to Write a Damn Good Mystery
Author: James N. Frey
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Total Pages: 286
Release: 2007-04-01
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1429974133
GET BOOK

Edgar award nominee James N. Frey, author of the internationally best-selling books on the craft of writing, How to Write a Damn Good Novel, How to Write a Damn Good Novel II: Advanced Techniques, and The Key: How to Write Damn Good Fiction Using the Power of Myth, has now written what is certain to become the standard "how to" book for mystery writing, How to Write a Damn Good Mystery. Frey urges writers to aim high-not to try to write a good-enough-to-get-published mystery, but a damn good mystery. A damn good mystery is first a dramatic novel, Frey insists-a dramatic novel with living, breathing characters-and he shows his readers how to create a living, breathing, believable character who will be clever and resourceful, willful and resolute, and will be what Frey calls "the author of the plot behind the plot." Frey then shows, in his well-known, entertaining, and accessible (and often humorous) style , how the characters-the entire ensemble, including the murderer, the detective, the authorities, the victims, the suspects, the witnesses and the bystanders-create a complete and coherent world. Exploring both the on-stage action and the behind-the-scenes intrigue, Frey shows prospective writers how to build a fleshed-out, believable, and logical world. He shows them exactly which parts of that world show up in the pages of a damn good mystery-and which parts are held back just long enough to keep the reader guessing. This is an indispensable step-by-step guide for anyone who's ever dreamed of writing a damn good mystery.

How to Write a Damn Good Novel, II

2011-04-01
How to Write a Damn Good Novel, II
Author: James N. Frey
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
Total Pages: 182
Release: 2011-04-01
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1429997826
GET BOOK

"Damn good" fiction is dramatic fiction, Frey insists, whether it is by Hemingway or Grisham, Le Carre or Ludlum, Austen or Dickens. Despite their differences, these authors' works share common elements: strong narrative lines, fascinating characters, steadily building conflicts, and satisfying conclusions. Frey's How to Write a Damn Good Novel is one of the most widely used guides ever published for aspiring authors. Here, in How to Write a Damn Good Novel, II, Frey offers powerful advanced techniques to build suspense, create fresher, more interesting characters, and achieve greater reader sympathy, empathy, and identification. How to Write a Damn Good Novel, II also warns against the pseudo-rules often inflicted upon writers, rules such as "The author must always be invisible" and "You must stick to a single viewpoint in a scene," which cramp the imagination and deaden the narrative. Frey focuses instead on promises that the author makes to the reader—promises about character, narrative voice, story type, and so on, which must be kept if the reader is to be satisfied. This book is rich, instructive, honest, and often tellingly funny about the way writers sometimes fail their readers and themselves.

The Key

2002-08-03
The Key
Author: James N. Frey
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2002-08-03
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9780312300524
GET BOOK

Offers aspiring authors of novels and screenplays advice on using the classic themes of universal folklore and mythology to structure their works, and provides examples from well-known fiction and films.

How to Write a Mystery

2010-12-01
How to Write a Mystery
Author: Larry Beinhart
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2010-12-01
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 0307776050
GET BOOK

WHODUNIT? YOUDUNIT! So you want to write a mystery. There's more to it than just a detective, a dead body, and Colonel Mustard in the drawing room with the candlestick. Fortunately, Larry Beinhart--Edgar Award-winning author of You Get What You Pay For, Foreign Exchange, and American Hero--has taken a break from writing smart, suspenseful thrillers to act as your guide through all the twists and turns of creating the twists and turns of a good mystery. Drawing on advice and examples from a host of the best names in mystery writing--from Raymond Chandler and Mickey Spillane to Scott Turow and Thomas Harris--plus some of his own prime plots, Larry Beinhart introduces you to your most indispensable partners in crime: *Character, plot, and procedure * The secrets to creating heroes, heroines, and villains ("All writers draw upon themselves and their experience. While the whole of yourself might not be capable of being either a serial killer or an FBI agent, there are parts in each of us that are capable of almost anything.") * The fine art of scripting the sex scene *The low-down on violence ("A crime novel without violence is like smoking pot without inhaling, sex without orgasm, or a hug without a squeeze." ) *And much more! From the opening hook to the final denouement, Larry Beinhart takes the mystery out of being a mystery writer.

How to Write Damn Good Fiction

2002
How to Write Damn Good Fiction
Author: James N. Frey
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Total Pages: 161
Release: 2002
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9780333907597
GET BOOK

The one book that should be on every fiction writer's shelf...From the author of How to Write a Damn Good Novel, this book offers powerful advanced techniques in fiction writing - how to build suspense, create fresher, more interesting characters, and achieve greater reader sympathy, empathy and identification. Quoting a range of writers from Stephen King and Kafka to Peter Benchley and Stephen Crane, this is a practical, readable, down to earth and concise book which analyses what makes good (and commercial) fiction work and shows how to apply this understanding in an author's own writing. It is a must for any serious writer.

Write a Bestselling Thriller

2012-10-26
Write a Bestselling Thriller
Author: Matthew Branton
Publisher: Teach Yourself
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2012-10-26
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9781444168686
GET BOOK

LEARN HOW TO WRITE A BESTSELLING BOOK THAT STANDS OUT - AND GET IT PUBLISHED. Write a Bestselling Thriller is a step by step guide to putting together an unputdownable narrative. It takes you on a journey through each component of the thriller, breaking the process down into key factors such as the Hero, the Trigger, the Story, Scenes and Style, showing you how to write a thriller from start to finish. The whole of the second part is devoted to the publishing process, while the book features hundreds of pratical exercises. There are diagnostic tests, case studies, practical exercises and Aide Memoire boxes. Each chapter concludes with a reminder of the key points of the chapter (Focus Points) and a round-up of what to expect in the next (Next Step) will whet your appetite for what's coming and how it relates to what you've just read. ABOUT THE SERIES The Teach Yourself Creative Writing series helps aspiring authors tell their story. Covering a range of genres from science fiction and romantic novels, to illustrated children's books and comedy, this series is packed with advice, exercises and tips for unlocking creativity and improving your writing. And because we know how daunting the blank page can be, we set up the Just Write online community at tyjustwrite, for budding authors and successful writers to connect and share.

Writing a Killer Thriller

2014-09
Writing a Killer Thriller
Author: Jodie Renner
Publisher: Jodie Renner
Total Pages: 196
Release: 2014-09
Genre: Detective and mystery stories
ISBN: 9780993700422
GET BOOK

ESSENTIAL STRATEGIES FOR SUPERCHARGING YOUR STORIES! Respected editor Jodie Renner offers indispensable advice for creating fast-paced, compelling fiction. Whether you're planning your first novel or revising your fourth, you'll discover lots of concrete ideas here for taking your fiction up a level or two, entertaining your readers, gaining fans, and creating buzz. Both published and aspiring authors of suspense-thrillers and other fast-paced, popular fiction will find these tips indispensable for plotting your story, creating compelling characters, writing a gripping opening, designing suspenseful scenes, picking up the pace, ramping up the tension and intrigue, revising for power, and creating a page-turner that sells. PRAISE FOR WRITING A KILLER THRILLER "Finally, someone who understands the thriller! More than ever, an author must also be his own best editor, and Jodie Renner is there to help. Writing a Killer Thriller should be on every thriller writer's desk. It breaks down the thriller into its must-have component parts to write a scintillating, edge-of-the-seat novel that will get readers buzzing and sales flowing." ROBERT DUGONI, New York Times bestselling author of The Jury Master and Murder One "Writing is hard, editing harder, and self-editing almost impossible. Writing a Killer Thriller demystifies each of these steps on the road to a published manuscript. Read this book. It will help you now and for many years to come." DP LYLE, award-winning author of many nonfiction and fiction books "Writing a Killer Thriller by Jodie Renner is an in-depth journey through each component of the thriller. Renner breaks down the process into key elements, each essential to keeping the reader turning those pages. From character development to building suspense, Writing a Killer Thriller should be on the desk of every thriller author out there. A staple for the beginner, a refresher for the pro." JOE MOORE, #1 Amazon and international bestselling co-author of The Blade, The Shield, and The Phoenix Apostles A companion guide to this one, Jodie's FIRE UP YOUR FICTION - An Editor's Guide to Writing Compelling Stories, is available in both e-book and trade paperback.