Welcome back to another year of great writing advice on the CRAFT OF WRITING blog. This year we’re focusing on Genres. We’ll be looking at approaches to writing thrillers, mysteries, romances, and more. Each month I’ll interview an accomplished author who writes in a particular genre, so get ready to learn from the experts!

Today, we’re going to talk about thrillers, and I’m thrilled 😊 to welcome back James Scott Bell. Jim is not only an award-winning author of thrillers, but he’s also well-known for his books on the craft of writing.

His current series is the Mike Romeo Thriller series. Book #1 in that series is shown below.

So read, enjoy, and engage with one of the masters, James Scott Bell.

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Good news! In recognition of my Lady Pilot-in-Command series, my good friend and master craftsman Dr. Steve Hooley has provided me with this unique and fabulous “Wilbur and Orville 1903” propeller pen. Hand crafted by Steve, the pen is made from Ash, one of the woods the Wright brothers used to build their first aircraft. The market value of this beautiful creation is around $80.00.

The name of each person who enters a comment will be put into the drawing for the pen. So join the conversation and earn a chance to win. I’ll post the name of the winner after 9 PM Central Time tonight.

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Welcome back to the Craft of Writing blog, Jim. Let’s jump right into the deep end of the pool: What is your definition of a thriller?

A mystery asks “What happened, and how do the pieces fit?” A thriller asks, “What’s happening, and why is it getting worse?” There’s an atmosphere of imminent danger and death in a thriller.

How are thrillers different from other forms of fiction?

Thrillers are the oldest form of storytelling. A hero goes out to fight dragons or giants. Danger and death! By overcoming the danger, the story gave the community, or tribe, courage, which they needed, because there was always some dread of what was out there in the darkness.

Thus, thrillers reinforce the idea that we—individually and collectively—can make it out of danger alive. And in doing so, defeat evil. That’s an ancient and universal longing.

What’s the most important aspect of a thriller?

A lead character you give a hoot for. No matter how “big” the plot, if a readers doesn’t care that much about the hero, the book will not thrill as it should. We’ve got to be pulling for the hero from page one.

The other important aspect is the villain. A villain has to be fleshed out as much as the hero. A villain never thinks about how evil he is (except Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers movies). A villain thinks he’s justified in what he does. I tell my writing students to write a “closing argument” for the villain, as if he’s trying to convince a jury he was right. That’s so much more chilling than a moustache-twirling stereotype. Read Herman Goering’s testimony in the Nuremberg trials sometime. Talk about chilling. He thought the Nazis were doing good.

Why did you decide to write in the thriller genre?

I was practicing law when I started, and the legal thriller was the big genre. I quickly realized that the quest for justice was the theme I’m most interested in, and the thriller is a natural venue for that. I’ve written stand-alone thrillers, legal thrillers, lone wolf thrillers (my Mike Romeo series), classic Hollywood thrillers (Trouble is my Beat) even nun thrillers (my Force of Habit series). But they all coalesce around justice.

Can you give us a brief outline of the process—from concept to completion—that you use to write a thriller?

I usually start with an idea for an opening chapter. Some bad stuff happens. Why? That’s when I start thinking about plot. I then turn to the possible villain and his motive. Motive is all important. If I have that motive, I can also plot out what I call “the shadow story.” That’s the stuff that is happening “off screen” if you will. While the hero is going along, the villain is making moves and strategizing behind the scenes. I use the shadow story to come up with things that happen in the main plot, the stuff we see in real time.

Then I start putting together a cast. Such as those who help the villain, who are, in mythic terms, shapeshifters. I try to have four or five characters who have motives. Then allies for the hero.

I lay out scene cards in Scrivener, with my 14 signpost scenes (as explained in my book Super Structure). It gives me a map of where I’m going but with plenty of room to “play” with how I get there. My “mirror moment” is what holds it all together.

I write a draft, go over it myself, rewrite and give it to my trusted editor, Mrs. Bell. She gives me great notes. I incorporate those, give a draft to beta readers, rewrite as needed, and finally send it out for a proof read.

What advice would you give an author who decides to write a thriller?

Make sure that something about the plot grabs your heart. It’s not just about being clever. It’s about caring deeply for the characters and issues at stake. And there must be some form of death on the line. It’s usually physical death, but there’s also professional and psychological death to consider.

Besides your own books, what thrillers would you recommend?

Tell No One by Harlan Coben

Intensity by Dean Koontz

Lost Light by Michael Connelly

Are you working on a book now?

I’m always working on a book, and have at least one or two “in development.” I try to be like a movie studio. I’m always pitching myself ideas: “What ifs”, hooks, characters, even opening lines. I have a big document full of great opening lines. All I have to do is put a novel after them. Ha!

Where can we find out more about you and your writing?

It’s all on JamesScottBell.com

I’m also writing whimsical essays on my Substack.

I love the written word. I love to entertain. I love to thrill. And I love creating some smiles along the way.

Thank you, Jim, for being with us today and giving us insight into writing thrillers.

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Meet James Scott Bell

JAMES SCOTT BELL is a winner of the International Thriller Writers Award and the author of many bestselling thrillers. He is a popular writing instructor and conference speaker, and formerly served as the fiction columnist for Writer’s Digest magazine. Jim attended the University of California, Santa Barbara where he studied writing with Raymond Carver, and graduated with honors from the University of Southern California Law School. He lives and writes in L.A. and blogs weekly at Kill Zone — http://www.killzoneblog.com

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“a spectacular tale of decades-old murder mystery, human drama, and a hint of romance…” —Prairie Book Reviews

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