Jessikah Hope Stenson is a young writer not afraid to take risks.
Having previously released a book of short stories A Single Drop of Perfect , Jessikah is now embarking on a new and very exciting venture with a Psychological Thriller Trace This Scar, due for release by Excalibur Press November 24th.
I am delighted to be kicking off the blogtour with a wonderful piece from Jessikah entitled ~ Top Tips for Writing Thrillers
So without further ado, I’ll hand you over to Jessikah…
First off, I’m not the know-it-all of thriller writing (is anyone?) and I’m not going to pretend that by reading these tips you will suddenly transform into the next million-copy bestseller, after all I haven’t managed that yet myself!!!
But here are some tips I’ve picked up so far on my extremely short career which I’d like to share.
While these are geared at writing thrillers, most of them work for any genre.
Make sure it’s what you love
Save yourself a lot of time and heartache by asking yourself: do you really want to write a thriller?
If your heart lies with romance or YA or whatever, don’t be scared of going straight for that. Don’t be worried about writing a thriller about teenagers or a romance with some thriller tropes – genres don’t have to be set in stone.
Sometimes I get all excited about a book I’ve just finished reading and it’s my favourite book ever, until the next book I read. If I got hyped about every genre I read I’d have loads of unfinished manuscripts on my computer right now.
So ask yourself the hard question: do you love it enough to dedicate your time to writing it?
Read, read, and read some more
Always have a book on the go, it doesn’t even have to be a thriller if that’s the genre that you are writing, any kind of book can teach you about writing. From the basics of spelling and grammar, to how to craft a plot and create convincing characters, we can all be constantly learning.
Be patient with yourself
Remember that you’re not going to write a whole novel overnight and there really is no rush. Set yourself a realistic daily goal and live comfortably in the knowledge that if you stick to it, one day you’ll have a full-length manuscript.
Free Write
Lots of writers are obsessively self-critical and edit as they go which can suffocate inspiration and leave you feeling low. My advice is just to write.
Accept that first drafts are often crap and write, write, write. When you edit it back you might find that free-writing allowed you to conjure some hidden gems of sentences that you’re actually quite proud of.
What’s the worst than can happen?
A great exercise for writing thrillers is to ask yourself what is the worst thing that could happen to your protagonist? What is the worst thing that could turn their lives upside down? Don’t be afraid of the answers.
Maybe someone steals their identity, murders their loved on, kidnaps their baby and raises it as their own. Figure out what makes your skin crawl with horror because that’s what will leave an impact on your readers.
Remember to chill
Writing is a love/hate process.
There’s nothing more fun than sitting down and letting my imagination go wild, but at the same time there’s nothing that makes me want to slam my head into a wall more than writing. It’s so difficult and that’s why it’s fun.
So if you find yourself feeling rubbish about it, take a little break. Have a day off or write your characters into a random situation (without the intention of ever using this short story) and rediscover your inspiration.
Book Blurb:
A Lie. A Betrayal. A Murder.
Daphne has everything she’s been dreaming of since the day her parents died when she was a teenager. A husband, a home and a job. The only problem is her beloved Rich’s ex girlfriend Gina who won’t leave them alone. Filled with jealousy, Gina’s interference soon escalates into harassment.
But one day, Gina disappears. When Rich is sentenced to sixteen years in prison for murdering Gina, Daphne refuses to believe he is guilty.
But what else could explain his mysterious disappearances?
And if Rich didn’t kill Gina…
… Then who did?
Purchase Link : Trace This Scar
Jessikah on Twitter
Thank you so much for joining me today Jessikah with such wonderful tips.
Please follow the tour for Trace This Scar as in the poster attached…
I would like to wish this young writer, Jessikah Hope Stenson, all the very best with Trace This Scar and with her future writing career….One To Watch!!!!
