LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

THE IMPORTANCE OF SETTINGby Sonja StoneLet me begin this post with a disclaimer: setting and description are the weak links in my writer's arsenal. Recently, my blog sisters have written about the importance of setting in thriller novels, and I wholeheartedly agree that setting enhances plot (like...

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AN EXERCISE IN CREATIVITY

By Francine MathewsOne of the teachers who made a difference in my son's life contacted me this past summer and asked if I would mentor a young writer during the coming school year.I agreed, because I know how important it is to have the support of an adult when your dream is impossibly big,...

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Fascinating Settings for Thrillers

The Sahara desertSettings mean a lot for thriller writers. In some cases the settings are the thriller. I'm thinking of stories like The Perfect Storm and Into Thin Air. The latter in particular utilizes the endlessly fascinating setting of Mount Everest. What could be more nerve-wracking...

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INTRIGUING—AND EXOTIC—SETTINGS

posted by Karna Small Bodman     Have you ever seen a Legislative chamber that looks like this? Do you have any idea where this is - what country? What capital city? When I was sent to this particular location back when I was serving on the National Security Council staff at...

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FULL IMMERSION: Don’t Just Dip Your Toe In

by K.J. HoweInternational intrigue offers readers an exceptional opportunity to travel--without leaving their couch. And the more lush, precise, and immersive the setting, the better.  Like all elements of the writing craft, the way setting is utilized has evolved over the years, but the goal...

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In the eye of the beholder

S. Lee Manning:  International espionage thrillers, by definition, include scenes in countries besides the United States. The reader needs to know something about the location of the action. Yet what matters most is not merely the description, but pulling the reader into that description.In...

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HOW DO WRITERS CHOOSE SETTINGS?

In 1918, it was a thriving city of commerce and culture.By Gayle Lynds.  Here’s a brain teaser for you, dear readers. Can you identify the location of the following?Night gave the city little relief. Electricity was fitful, garbage rotted along the boulevards, and clean running water was a...

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FADE TO BLACK

by Chris GoffNicole Kidman and Tom Cruise in Eyes Wide ShutTruth be told, I love a good sex scene. I love nothing more than curling up in front of the fireplace on a snowy Colorado night with a great romantic suspense novel, or a steamy Regency romance. Sex in thrillers is another matter.I’m not a...

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