How to Write a Damn Good Thriller: A Step-by-Step Guide for Novelists and Screenwriters

James N. Frey

Mar 2010 · Sold by St. Martin's Press

About this ebook

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.

Ratings and reviews

Very great knowledge. When you have so many genres such as thriller, suspense, mystery, etc, you may not know what's the difference or you may group them in the same category, but this book really tells you information that will allow you to group a thriller in it's own category. Impressive writing that adds more strength and power whenever I write a story that happens to be a thriller. Love it!

I first bought this book as an e-book and then I ordered the hard back. Unfortunately, I lent the book and must order another copy. Im a nobody writer published a few times. First you read for over all content then your weak areas in the writing craft. Write. Pick it up again and examine each scene. Are the pillars of a great thriller present? Buy this book if you are serious about working the writing craft.

Love how honest he was

About the author

JAMES N. FREY is the author of internationally bestselling books on the craft of fiction writing, including 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. He is also the author of nine novels, including the Edgar Award-nominated THE LONG WAY TO DIE. He has taught at the University of California, Berkeley, Extension, the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, and the Oregon Writers' Colony, and he is a featured speaker at writers' conferences throughout the United States and Europe. He lives with his--he says, "truly heroic"--wife, Liza, in Berkeley, California.