Top Tips

Snippets of advice for budding writers from some of Penguin’s crime and thriller authors

Jonathan Kellerman
Write, make no excuses.

Nick Stone
Don’t follow a formula.  Invent your own.  And if you’re going to repeat yourself invest in a thesaurus. 

Francesca Weisman
Write about characters and topics you really care about.  That way, you’re much more likely to make your readers care, too.

Sue Walker
Read a lot, both in and outside of the genre. The ‘dark’ is everywhere in fiction.

John Boyne
Cliff-hangers at the end of chapters are good – makes people keep turning the pages!

Michael Ridpath
Delay the murder for a few pages; long enough to make the reader care about the murder victim.

Barry Eisler
Planning, committing, and getting away with a good crime in the real world is hard.  If the crime in your book is easy, it won’t be believable or compelling.  Challenge yourself.  Use your twisted imagination to ask, “How would I go about this for real?” 

Jon Fasman
Even if you put a cliché in fancy dress and makeup, it’s still a cliché.

Katy Gardner
Start with the ending.

Kevin Guilfoile
Read outside the genre. The best mysteries are ones that transcend the idea of a “crime novel.” Get inspiration from all kinds of stories.

Elizabeth Rigbey
Write it badly, then write it better, then write it again. Then cut it in half. Then you might have something worth reading.

Nicci French
Think of what intrigues/frightens you.

Stav Sherez
Novels should be like dreams and show things not seen and rarely imagined.

Jilliane Hoffman
Write every single day, even if it is just a sentence that you ultimately get out. 

John Rickards
Don't be afraid to be different. The good guy doesn't always have to win.

John Matthews
If you find the words aren't flowing in one place that you normally write, try another. Or try moving around. I've found myself at times writing scenes on trains, in cafes, all sorts of places. And sometimes the movement and activity helps rather than distracts. 

Jim Kelly
Keep the chapters short. Most readers have busy lives and there is nothing more daunting than the prospect of having to plough through a 10,000-word chapter – especially if it’s the first! 

Charles Cumming
Don’t start drinking until 11am.