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Stuart Doughty

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March 2020

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What mystery in your own life could be a plot for a book?

Stuart Doughty I must have lived a dull life because I can't think of any mysteries in my own life, let alone any that could become a book. Most authors make up stor…moreI must have lived a dull life because I can't think of any mysteries in my own life, let alone any that could become a book. Most authors make up stories and plots as they go along. Yes, some stories have an element of truth behind them, but most are simply imagination. (less)

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Did you plot out Paint It Blackmail in advance, or did you "just start writing," as you advised below? Did you outline, use index cards, draw diagrams or are you just incredibly intelligent to have kept that whole awesome plot in your head?

Stuart Doughty Ann: I'm so sorry. I've only just seen this question. Apologies for slow reply. I can't write a novel without plotting it out in advance, at least to …moreAnn: I'm so sorry. I've only just seen this question. Apologies for slow reply. I can't write a novel without plotting it out in advance, at least to some extent. I'm not a "pantser" i.e. those writers (like Lee Child I believe) who just start writing and work it out "by the seat of their pants" as they go. I write a plot breakdown, or beat-sheet as it's often known, which gives the main points of the story. I do this in Word with numbered paragraphs. I don't draw diagrams, nor use index cards, but some writers do. Inevitably this outline will change as I write, and new ideas arrive. In Paint It Blackmail I changed who the villain was at least twice, I think. You keep the overall idea of the plot in your head but not all the nuts and bolts. Am I incredibly intelligent? I couldn't possibly comment. The thing about "just start writing" was directed at those who say "how do I start to write?" For many years the advice from writers famous and not famous has always been: pick up a pen and get going; write something, whatever it is. You can always revise it later. Many thanks for you question.(less)

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Stuart Doughty’s books

Average rating: 4.17 · 1,931 ratings · 120 reviews · 14 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Art of Danger (John Kite #1) 4.08 avg rating — 598 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Paint It Blackmail (John Kite #2) 4.11 avg rating — 371 ratings — published 2020 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Pictures to Die For (John Kite #3) 4.14 avg rating — 362 ratings — published 2021 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Shooting Gallery (John Kite #7) 4.32 avg rating — 171 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Art Trap (John Kite #6) 4.17 avg rating — 138 ratings — published 2022 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Killing Art (John Kite #4) 4.38 avg rating — 100 ratings — published 2021	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Scam Artists (John Kite #5) 4.27 avg rating — 64 ratings — published 2022 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Captured (John Kite Book 9) 4.47 avg rating — 36 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Brushes With Death (John Kite Book 8) 4.27 avg rating — 37 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Deadly Landscape (John Kite Book 10) 4.60 avg rating — 20 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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John Kite (6 books)
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Stuart Doughty (Goodreads Author)

4.13 avg rating — 1,642 ratings

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Stuart Doughty rated a book liked it A History of Water: Being an Account of a Murder, an Epic and Two Visions of Global History by Edward Wilson-Lee	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This is an odd book in many ways. It’s not really a history - let alone a ‘History of Water’, whatever that means. It’s more an exposition of the author’s view that Europeans have long preferred “what they know” (i.e. European stuff) to the cultures, ...more
Jul 13, 2026 01:47PM · like · see review
Stuart Doughty rated a book liked it Capital by John Lanchester	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Unsure why professional critics raved so much about this book, maybe it's because Lanchester is something of a literary 'name'. In spite of the book's length (577 pages in my edition), I found it a thin read. What's it about? I wasn't sure. What the ...more
Mar 03, 2026 01:23AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Capital by John Lanchester. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Capital by John Lanchester <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Stuart Doughty and 19 other people liked Breakingviews's review of Capital: "By Peter Thal Larsen Banking is fiction’s hidden profession. Despite decades of financial expansion, novelists and playwrights have struggled to imagine a contemporary Shylock or Augustus Melmotte, the shadowy star of Anthony Trollope’s “The Way We Li" Read more of this review »
Feb 28, 2026 10:32AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Capital by John Lanchester. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Capital by John Lanchester <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Stuart Doughty made a comment in the group Beta Reader Group — Experienced Script Editor, TV Producer, Writer will Beta read your novel topic " Preferred fiction genres: thriller, mystery, crime, action-adventure, romantic suspense, general fiction. Afraid I'm not into: horror, SF, paranormal, ...more "
Jul 27, 2025 02:21AM
Stuart Doughty finished reading Tick Tock by Simon Mayo	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 12, 2024 03:55AM · like

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Quotes by Stuart Doughty (?)

“piercing”
― Stuart Doughty, Pictures to Die For

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“Chapter 1”
― Stuart Doughty, The Art of Danger

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