Writing

It's the question that keeps so many novelists up late at night: How do you start a thriller? What exactly makes a book grab a reader in the first few pages and leaves them eager to read more?   When I read the thriller I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes, I was mesmerized from the first paragraph. Read on to find out 10 specific things that...

Learning how to make readers care about your fictional characters largely comes down to one thing: Showing them what your characters' motivations are. Those motivations can take them from seeming cookie-cutter or caricature-like to real and unforgettable.   Whether you're talking about thrillers, romances, literary fiction, or any other genre, writing characters well is one of the most important tasks an author faces in making...