During the holiday season, I realized I have A LOT of books about writing fiction. And of course, I added a few more titles to my shelves last month. So, I’ve decided to start a fairly regular feature where I review non-fiction books on writing that I either own or have borrowed from the library. These posts will occur either on a Monday (in lieu of that week’s photography tips) or on Wednesdays. They won’t, though, be weekly.
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In addition to writing YA, I’m now venturing into the world of romantic suspense. Face it, I’m a sucker for anything filled with romance and danger (which also describes the YA novels I write). This is why I decided to check out Writing the Thriller by T. Macdonald Skillman.
This is an advance writing book. After exploring the different categories of suspense, the requirements for writing them, and reader expectations for each, she focuses on the important elements of fiction and the considerations you need to be aware of when writing the different types of suspense. However, she already expects you to have a good understanding of these elements beforehand, which include:
- Characterization
- Plot
- Setting and atmosphere
- Point of view
- Backstory
- Goals and motivation
- Dialogue
- Pacing
- Theme
- Style
- Action-adventure
- Legal thrillers
- Medical thrillers
- Political thrillers
- Psychological suspense
- Romantic suspense
- Women-in-jeopardy suspense
- Techo-thrillers