Writing the Thriller

TM Skillman's book is excellent for not only thriller writing, but suspense writing as well. Its clear, concise, helpful and laid out in the manner a working writer approaches a story. I wish I'd read this earlier in my career. Each time I re-read it, I pick up something that helps me give punch to my writing. I've published over 30 novels and novellas, and I'm a firm believer in keeping my craft honed, and relearning every aspect from time to time. Skillman's book is one of the best I've read for plotting any fiction, not just a thriller.

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.

"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!

Trish Skillman has done what few others in this genre have: produced an amazingly insightful guide into the making of a thriller. The clarity, style and pace of this book should be an example to future writer's writers. Stymied with several stumbling blocks of my own, just reading a few pages in the bookstore convinced me that I was doing something wrong; having read the whole thing now has proven it. The opening structure of my work has changed dramatically now, and I feel I'm back on track. Definitely a must for your reference shelf.

This book accomplished for me what skads of other writing books have not to this point: it motivated me to actually start writing instead of just reading and dreaming about it. Skillman covers all the basics, but what I found most useful was the chapter "Case Studies in Plotting." Here she gives the synopses of several possible suspense plots using the same cast of characters in each. By so doing, she shows that coming up with a storyline isn't as complicated or mysterious as some beginning writers may think. The second section of the book, in which famous suspense/thriller writers discuss their writing methods, is worth the price of the book alone. I have read many "how to write a mystery" type manuals, but few adequately address stories that go beyond the-detective-solves-the-puzzle format. Skillman's "Writing the Thriller" definitely fills a needed niche in the writing instruction category. I'm just surprised that such a book hasn't been written before, considering how popular suspense/thriller novels are these days. It will remain next to my computer, dog-eared and highlighted, to readily supply me with boosts of confidence and inspiration along the writing journey.