Writing the Thriller

Rating:
Summary: Thrilling!
Review: "Writing the Thriller" by Trish Macdonald Skillman is an excellent piece for those who desire to write suspense thrillers. After defining and exploring the different categories of suspense, Skillman proceeds to assist the writer in setting up a gripping suspense novel. From goals and motivation to dialogue and pacing, this book opens up the reader's mind to the important aspects of the thriller. SUSPENSE! Without suspense, you have no thriller. "Writing the Thriller" provides wholesome instructions for the next Tom Clancy, John Grisham and Michael Crichton. Her interviews with the experts such as Clive Cussler, Tess Gerritsen, Judith Kelman and John Lutz is an exceptional tool she uses to provide insight into how an individual writer crafts a suspense novel. Hearing it from the pros is a step in the right direction in any genre. I recommend that all suspense writers pick this one up. Kudos!

Rating:
Summary: Well-written but doesn't stand out
Review: As a breakdown of the suspense/thriller genre it's an invaluable book. But its sections on style are ordinary. The sections on plotting were good but the story outlines are a little too brief, if you were to write an entire novel based on her examples you'd run out of ideas at the 60 page mark.

The interviews at the end of the book are mixed, some are helpful while others teach you very little beyond the basics.

Well-written but it doesn't stand above others of its ilk.

Rating:
Summary: Want to write a thriller? Or just need help plotting?
Review: I bought Ms. Skillman's book while preparing to give a workshop on Suspense at a Writers Conferece. There aren't a lot of how-to books on this subject, and I was desperate. To my surprise, it turned out to be one of the best books on writing I've read in a long time.

Whether you're interested in writing a thriller or simply need help plotting, this book will help. It also includes articles by eleven best-selling authors, including: Tess Gerritsen, Richard North Patterson, Clive Cussler, Michael Connelly and Mary Willis Walker.