MYSTERY/THRILLER WRITER
JOHN REED
(WRITING TIPS BELOW)
HELP FOR WRITERS
Welcome
Thanks for visiting our site. It may mean you're thinking of using a professional editing and critique service. If that's true, we believe you've made a great decision. And your initial consultation is free. You've put a lot of time, energy and thought into your writing. It deserves to be the best it can be. This is where Writers Welcome can help. We will work with you to make sure your writing project is one you will be proud of, one that gets the notice you deserve.
We welcome beginners finishing a first draft, experienced writers looking for that extra polish and business professionals striving to be "a cut above the rest." It's your decision--take a look at Writers Welcome and if you'd like to work together, call or email us at johnrreed814@gmail.com
We welcome:
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Novels and short stories
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Essays
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Memoirs
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Articles
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Newsletters
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Proposals and reports
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Press releases
How To Submit Your Work
Your initial consultation is free. After we agree on the work to be done, send us your material via email (johnrreed814@gmail.com) or surface mail. We will read it carefully, do the agreed-upon work and return it to you with a written response. Quick, easy and efficient. All our services are confidential.
Who We Are
Our services are based on more than 20 years of professional experience working with clients, editors and publishers, as well as writing students and workshop attendees. During those 20 years we've met deadlines, pleased demanding executives and seen the joy of published work. This gives us a thorough understanding of the writer's real-world needs.
Payment
Writers Welcome accepts major credit cards, checks, and money orders. To use our Secure PayPal account go to www.johnreedbooks.com and click on the “buy now” button.
Writers Welcome
1320 Evergreen Drive
Eugene, OR 97404
(541) 520-7653
Services and Rates:
Free introductory telephone consultation
We get acquainted, find out about your writing projects, discuss your editing and critique needs and suggest possible strategies to help you reach your goals.
No charge
Line edit
We focus on the mechanics of your writing. We check your manuscript, line by line, for grammar, spelling, punctuation, typos and word usage.
$2.00 per page
Comprehensive edit
We take a broader look and concentrate on your sentence structure, syntax, word choice, conciseness, clarity and readability.
$3.00 per page
Critique and analysis
We provide a detailed, written analysis of all aspects of your work, including plot, character, dialog, scene momentum and style. We'll give you our thoughts on what works, and what may need work, and point out strengths and weaknesses. We'll make specific suggestions for changes and general suggestions about style and tone.
$35.00 per hour
We offer a comprehensive, personalized program designed especially for beginning writers. This special program features one-on-one consultation and support.
Three-month mentorship: $500
One-month mentorship: $200
Telephone consultation: $50 per hour
How to submit your work
Your initial consultation is free. Call us at (541) 520-7653 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Pacific Time. We look forward to discussing your project with you.
After we agree on the work to be done and the fee schedule, send us your work. Note: Your work should be typed and double-spaced in an easy to read font, such as 12-point Times New Roman, with at least 1" margins.
Email your work as an attachment using Microsoft Word or Word Perfect or cut and paste it into the body of your email.
You may also send your work by US Postal Service to:
Writers Welcome
John Reed
1320 Evergreen Drive
Eugene, OR 97404
Who's John Reed?
John is the author of four novels, Mountain of Ashes Thirteen Mountain and The Kingfisher's Call, Van Gogh’s Gypsy and Dark Forest as well as numerous shorter non-fiction works. His work recently appeared in a collection called Hurricanes and Swan Songs from Borda Books. You can find them all on Amazon. He has conducted writing workshops, classes and seminars around the country for the past 20 years; his sensitive and insightful critiques have inspired hundreds of writers. His classes on the novel, short stories, essays and magazine writing have given many students a stepping stone to publication. Currently, John is editing a book-length collection of essays by Northwest writers.
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MENORSHIP PROGRAM
We designed this program to help beginning writers. Let's face it, writing is hard. How do we know if our work is any good? Hemingway called his blank pages "the white bear." You may be feeling that way too—overwhelmed by it all—as you strive to find your voice and develop your style. That's when it's important to have solid, professional guidance and a sympathetic ear.
That's exactly what the Mentorship Program is designed to do. We give you ready access, via telephone and email, to a published novelist; an experienced writing teacher and consultant who has helped hundreds of people get started.
When you're enrolled in the program, you can call (weekday business hours) or email when you have a problem or concern about your writing:
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Is this character sympathetic?
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Does this story make sense?
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Am I using too many flashbacks?
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Where can I market my writing?
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Do I really have talent?
We answer questions like these for writers all the time.
We'll work closely with you to develop all aspects of your writing career, answer your questions and provide step-by-step guidance—and a sympathetic ear.
You'll receive a personalized packet of professional tips on staying motivated, developing productive writing habits and overcoming writer's block.
We'll send you material on fine-tuning your manuscript and preparing it for submission. We'll walk you through getting an agent, and marketing your work.
We focus on what's good about your work and what you can do to make it great.
Three-month mentorship: $500
One-month mentorship: $200
Telephone consultation: $50 per hour
Visit this link for some handy writing tips :
http://Facebook.com/writerswelcome
The Art of the Thriller
STARTING OUT (AND FOR ALL THE REST OF YOUR WRITING LIFE) READ A LOT OF THE BOOKS
YOU LIKE AND PLAN TO WRITE. WHAT’S SELLING? WHAT IS THE STRUCTURE? WHAT IS THE
LANGUAGE LIKE? THE POINT OF VIEW?
Now, what's the difference between a mystery and a thriller?
In a mystery–big crime at the beginning. The game is to find out who done it.
In a thriller–big crime at the end. The game is to keep it from happening
Four words that should be posted above your desk as you write your thriller:
TIME IS RUNNING OUT
UNDERSTANDING THE GENRE: THE CONVENTIONS
1. In a thriller people confront problems unsolvable by institutions or agencies. No 911, no psychiatrist.
2. The problem threatens not only the character’s physical and mental safety, but the whole of society. the family, the community, the nation itself. THIS IS WHAT IS AT STAKE. IT SHOULD APPEAR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
3. The solution usually involves some kind of violence, illegal act, technical expertise. Not more than our character could be expected to possess.
4. The POLITICAL THRILLER: characters go outside their society in order to save it. They must be at least as skilled and ruthless as their opponents, but are motivated by values we understand and admire–even if we don’t share them.
5. The DISASTER THRILLER: characters are isolated from their society. They will die, or their society will die if they do not accomplish their goal.
6. The characters must have adequate motives for the extreme actions they take.
7. The goal is to save or restore a threatened society, not create a new one. The thriller, in this case, is politically conservative.
8. The protagonist progresses from ignorance to knowledge through a series of increasingly intense conflicts.
HALLMARKS OF THE GENRE
HIGH STAKES.
A nation, a large group. Something really big.
Personal stakes for the main character and villain high also
At the very core of their being.
LARGER THAN LIFE CHARACTERS
They must strive and struggle with huge forces. they may be talented amatures forced to act valiantly, or professionals who go above and beyond the call.
A HIGH CONCEPT.
Borrowed from the movies. Easy to grasp instantaneously.
A riveting, catchy idea.
MULTIPLE VIEWPOINTS.
Each major character gets scenes or chapters from his or her point-of-view.
EXOTIC SETTINGS
Make sure the setting is a character also. Is there some reason
To be in this exotic setting?
SUSPENSE
Put the hero in Jeopardy
Make sure the Villain Menaces people. Not a cartoon monster,
But someone who presents a real danger–someone you’re afraid of.
Use ominous details.
About villains: People who do evil usually believe they are doing good.
No one but a complete psychopath sets out to do evil.
As you start your book, define THE CORE ISSUE:
What the villain wants
Or
What the hero wants.
In my book, Forests of the Night the core issue is:
Will the terrorist, Malik, trick the North Koreans into launching
a missile at the united states?
Or
Will the hero, Tom Hatcher, find him and stop him?
PLOTTING TOOLS:
Events in the plot are causally connected. Not just ODTAA (that's code for "One Damn Thing After Another.")
The events of the book laid out on SCENE CARDS. (Robert Ludlum's favorite trick.)
The beauty of using scene cards. You can add discard or reshuffle at will.
The first card may be the Ending. Others will include:
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The Inciting Incident (sets the plot in motion)
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The Prize (What your character wants)
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The Strategy (What does your character decide to do to get it?)
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The Conflict (Who are the people working against her?)
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The Stakes (Consequences if the plan doesn’t work)
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The Bleakest Moment (What happens when things look hopeless)
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The Lesson (what does your character learn about himself or others?)
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The Decision (What does your character do with what he has learned?)
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The Back Story (What is haunting your character as the story starts?)
Make enough cards to tell your whole story. Study them, rearrange them.
When you're satisfied with the order of your scenes, take the first card off the pile and write the scene. You can change or discard scenes if you think of something better or have a sudden revelation while you’re writing, but at least you’ll have a model to work from
A THRILLER MOVES FORWARD
(The faster the better)
A car hits a bump at ten miles an hour. Small problem
It goes a hundred miles an hour. Big problem
A car coming the other way is intent on stopping it. Huge problem.
THE MORE WE WANT THE PROTAGONIST TO WIN, THE BIGGER THE PROBLEM, THE BIGGER THE BOOK
DEFINING THE CHARACTER OF THE MAIN CHARACTER
The thriller focuses on the inner feelings of the hero: On the edge, lost or insecure, hovering in the void.
The hero has some sort of weakness, some quality that makes her susceptible to danger. THRILLERS ARE ABOUT CHARACTERS BEING THROWN INTO THEIR WORST NIGHTMARE. SITUATIONS THEY FEAR MOST.
THE GHOST. The defining moment from the hero’s past, motivates the hero to resolve the problem or avoid a repeat of the past.
Here's a good way to focus your thoughts (and prepare your agent pitch.) Fill out this form:
MY THRILLER
My story is about (protagonist)_____________________________________
Who is seeking (the goal)___________________________
Who will (the plan)_______________________________
________________________________________________
And by doing this, learn (your statement of theme, something about the human condition)_______________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
A FINAL TEST YOUR NOVEL
(answer true or false)
1. My book starts with a bang and plunges my hero into the main plot of the book
2. My chapters end with a “hook”, either a climax or a cliffhanger.
3. My ‘Climax’ chapters are often followed by a “Breather” chapter in which the reader can catch her breath.
4. My dialog creates tension, develops character, moves the story forward and is free of “social chit chat.”
5. At least half of my chapters involve action scenes.
6. My plot twists keep the hero (and the reader) off balance.
7. I have a main subplot and at least one lesser subplot.
8. The ending, after reading the book, seem inevitable?
AND FINALLY, HAPPY PUBLISHING!
Dr. John
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