title: How to Write a Damn Good Thriller: A Step-by-Step Guide for Novelists and Screenwriters
author:  James N. Frey 
description: The authors fifth guide to writing damn good fiction offers a useful and entertaining look at the process of writing a thriller. Some readers may be confused, at first, by his seemingly overbroad definition of a thriller (the Iliad? Miss Congeniality?), but thrillers, Frey argues, should be defined by their key elements: heroes with impossible missions, theatrically extreme villains, a series of obstacles, a rousing climax. The author leads us through the process of putting together a thriller by creating several stories and then showing us how to elaborate their plots and how to design their characters. Its an interesting approach, sort of a hands-on seminar. He also refers frequently to various well-known thrillers (The Boys from Brazil, Jaws, The Day of the Jackal, etc.) and explains why they work the way they do. By adopting a practical approachshowing us in specific terms how to build a character, for example, rather than simply giving us general pointersFrey makes the prospect of writing a novel feel considerably less daunting. --David Pitt
zlib_text: 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  PRAISE FOR JOHN MARRS
  
  
  
  
  
  ‘Provocative, terrifying and compulsive.’
  
  
  
  
  
  —Cara Hunter, author of _Close to Home_
  
  
  
  
  
  ‘Really clever concept and some great characters and twists. It’s a real joy
  to read something totally original, smart and thought-provoking.’
  
  
  
  
  
  —Peter James, author of the Roy Grace series
  
  
  
  
  
  ‘One of the most exciting, original thriller writers out there. I never miss
  one of his books.’
  
  
  
  
  
  —Simon Kernick
  
  
  
  
  
  ‘Gorgeously written, and pulsing with heart.’
  
  
  
  
  
  —Louise Beech, author of _The Mountain in My Shoe_
  
  
  
  
  
  ‘This is a superb heart-pounding chiller of a thriller.’
  
  
  
  
  
  — _The Sun_
  
  
  
  
  
  ‘A brilliantly inventive thriller.’
  
  
  
  
  
  — _Good Housekeeping_
  
  
  
  
  
  ‘Gripping from the start and full of surprises, this kept us up long after
  lights out.’
  
  
  
  
  
  —Isabelle Broom, _Heat_
  
  
  
  
  
  ‘Full of twists, vividly drawn characters you’ll love or love to loathe and
  pacy action.’
  
  
  
  
  
  — _SFX_
  
  
  
  
  
  ‘As topical as it is tense . . . No skill is required to rec