Essential Lessons in Writing Addictive Stories from Dan Brown
How to use Brown’s lessons in thriller writing for any story
Dan Brown’s thrillers are controversial, addictive, sell millions of copies, are turned into blockbuster films starring Tom Hanks, and are loved by many. He is one of the world’s most successful thriller writers.
I’ve never written a thriller before, but I have followed Brown’s Masterclass years ago (which I highly recommend). I found that the lessons for thriller writing are universal and can be applied to any type of writing.
I’ve used some of his tips in writing short stories and in the current book I’m working on. Certain essentials make a story addictive, whether it’s a thriller, a romance novel, or a biography.
Coming up with an idea
“If you’re excited about it, it will come through in your writing. The reader will notice.” — Dan Brown
Dan Brown has a thing or two to say about coming up with ideas for a story, the most important one is to write the book that you’d like to read.
Every story I wrote was about a topic I was excited about. Something I wanted to explore. An angle I wanted to investigate. A few examples: what if you could choose how to lead your afterlife…