Thriller Roundtable
Weather was long a neglected stepchild in settings, with a few perfunctory descriptions at the start of a book along the lines of “It was a dark and stormy night.” Have concerns about climate change turned that around? Or has climate change become the next perfunctory aspect of setting? This week we join ITW Members Terri Anne Stanley, Merry Jones, J. H. Bográn, Susan Froetschel, Luke McCallin, Rachel Howzell Hall and Amy Lignor to discuss!
You write what you read, or so the old saying goes. This week join ITW Members and thriller writers Amy Lignor, Steve Philip Jones, David M. Salkin, Terri Anne Stanley, Merry Jones, Maegan Beaumont, Steve Attridge, Wendy Tyson, Sam Cabot, Alan Brenham, Luke McCallin, A.J. Colucci, Robert K. Lewis and Brian Poole to ask: “Do you read or write in other genres?”
We’re back from ThrillerFest IX with ITW Members Terri Anne Stanley, DiAnn Mills, Alan Brenham, Merry Jones, Matthew Quirk, Steve Attridge, Wendy Tyson, Rachel Howzell Hall, Arthur Kerns, Sam Cabot, Kathrin Lange and Amy Lignor answering the question: “As a writer, how do you organize plot?”
Summer is upon us! This week we ask ITW Members Cat Connor, Susan Israel, Kate White, Kym Brunner, Tim Waggoner and Amy Lignor how their reading and writing habits change in the summer?
This week we turn to editorial advice and ask ITW Members Meg Gardiner, Kate White, Sheila Lowe, Tom Wither, Kym Brunner, Ridley Pearson, Tim Waggoner, Kathrin Lange, Amy Lignor and Neil Plakcy: “How has an editor’s advice helped with your story?”
This week ITW Members Don Helin, Joan Hall Hovey, Cat Connor, Karen Keskinen, Graeme Shimmin, Tim Waggoner, Kathrin Lange, Amy Lignor and Rory Flynn discuss biases and stereotypes: “Are thriller writers biased? Or do some of us go too far in trying to beat down stereotypes?”
This week ITW Members Karen Dionne, Cat Connor, Susan Israel, Kate White, Robert Rotstein, Ridley Pearson, Amy Lignor and Tim Waggoner discuss writingreallyfast and answer the question: “Are thriller writers particularly pressured to write too fast?”
This week ITW Members Shiloh Walker, Thomas M. Malafarina, Bill DeSmedt, Michael Niemann, Lisa Von Biela, J. H. Bográn and Alan Field discuss setting limits. “At what point does a book require a map, a list of characters, a genealogical diagram? Can a plot get too intricate?”
With the Hollywood summer blockbuster season right around the corner, the Big Thrill can’t help but ask: “What happens when Hollywood calls?” This week, ITW Members Johnny Shaw, Ralph Pezzullo, Neil Russell, Thomas M. Malafarina, Rex Burns, Ted Scofield, Lisa Von Biela and Alan Field will answer that call!
Anti-heroes are popular on television. This week ITW Members Bill DeSmedt, Alan Field, Patrick Freivald, William Dietrich, Ralph Pezzullo, Gary Kriss, Thomas M. Malafarina, Ted Scofield, Lisa Von Biela, and Brandon Hebert will answer the question: “What are the secrets to making a popular anti-hero?”
This week ITW Members William P. Wood, Amy Shojai, William Dietrich, Ralph Pezzullo, Gary Kriss, John Lescroart, Thomas M. Malafarina, Rex Burns, Michael Niemann, Ted Scofield, Lisa Von Biela, Bob Walton, Brandon Hebert and Tom Avitabile answer the question on everyone’s mind: “How do you separate the author from your characters?”
This week ITW Members Mark Alpert, Colin Campbell, Paige Dearth, Tim Waggoner Bernard Maestas, Donald Bain, Neil Russell and Shelley Coriell share an anecdote from when they used a real-life incident in a novel. Bonus question: “Do readers sometimes relay their own stories from real life that dovetail with your story?”
Reading a Christmas story in July? Who does that? This week ITW Members Mark Alpert, Colin Campbell, Paige Dearth, Tim Waggoner and Nancy J. Cohen discuss reading books our of season.
Is fact really stranger than fiction? This week, ITW Members Daniel Suarez, Laura Griffin, Phillip Donlay, Tom Wilde, Michael McBride, Colin Campbell, Paige Dearth, Tim Waggoner and Kathleen George will answer that question while exploring how weave the two to make a really compelling story.
This week we’re discussing the dangers of modeling characters after people you know. Join ITW Members Brian Poole, Tom Wilde, Richard Mabry, Colin Campbell and Paige Dearth as they discuss when they, as authors, resort to using this device.
