So You Want To Be A Thriller Writer, A Discussion Group discussion

I would like to welcome all new members to the group. I hope you have an enjoyable and insightful experience. This group is a work in progress and I welcome any ideas and suggestions to make the group better. Look forward to what you have to say.

We could have a writing book of the month, where you get the author to chime in and respond to questions and wisecracks.

Hi Jim,

Thanks for your wonderful idea. I like it. Can you clarify what you mean by, "writing book of the month"?

So every month we have a selected book about writing to read and discuss. I read a lot of James Scott Bell and his book Plot & Structure is a good one to start with.

So you announce the book two weeks before the first of the month. Then you open the discussion thread on the first. You could just leave the threads open for comment forever.

Those who are interested should have fun with it. Also, you could invite the author to drop in. Some will and others won't. Bell posts at The Killzone Blog, which is a great writer hangout. The entire site has been indexed by topic, thanks to Jodie Renner, a superb editor.

Hi Jim,

I'm very familiar with James Scott Bell. He teaches creative writing at Pepperdine University and lives locally to me. His books would be a good one to start with. Let me give it a little thought. Thanks for the clarification.

He's a great guy. I met him at Bouchercon two years ago in Long Beach. I have been reading most of his Kindle books, too.

I thought it might be interesting to have a discussion on the evolution of the mystery/thriller novel. Maybe find books that are considered the earliest know mystery/thriller novels and compare them to some of todays novels. How has the novel changed through the years, and what seems to remain the same?

Golly! We could read Red Harvest!

Janessa, this is an ingenious idea.

Jim, do you plan to attend Bouchercon in NOLA this fall? I shall definitely be there.

I broke the bank coming down to Long Beach last year. I love NOLA and Trombone Shorty, Galactic and Ms Charm Taylor. If I hit the jackpot, I'm goin'. Otherwise, I'll watch it on Facebook. Ha!

Michael wrote: "Hi Jim,

I'm very familiar with James Scott Bell. He teaches creative writing at Pepperdine University and lives locally to me. His books would be a good one to start with. Let me give it a little ..."

No relation. In fact, I wish he would stop riding my coattails.