Dan Brown’s masterclass #takeawaykeysย
1. The most important stones to build a perfect thriller are:
- world
- the sole dramatic question
- a hero
- a goal
- obstacles
- a moment when a hero concurred a villain
2. Think 3 Cโs
First C – The Contract
That promise you are making with the reader (do NOT break it!)
Second C – The crucible
Something that holds things together and doesnโt let them escape (fill life of your hero with: obstacles, monsters, danger, personal challenge).ย Ex: โJawsโย
Third C – The clock
Itโs ticking. Thereโs a time pressure. The hero doesnโt have the entire life to save the world, family, job situation, planet.
Lay on top of any problem in your book – time pressure!!
Remember: Suspense exist in every genre. But what makes the book a triller is a pace – it hit you on the first page, hold in the middle & donโt let you go until the end.
Trick: Ask a lot of questions (in the book) very quickly = give answers very quickly too. Always promise to your reader: if you turn this page – Iโll give you the answer on the next & so… on each page.
3. Finding the idea
a) create what you personally like.ย You should NEVER be chasing somebody elseโs taste.ย Write the book that you would want to read. Some will love, some will hate.ย Stay your course!!
b) write what you want to know!
Advice: choose a topic, choose a world that you are excited about.ย Read books about this topic or world, watch documentaries, get excited… talk to people. #educateyourself
Before writing, think:
What is the world where I wanna set my novel?
Identify your sole dramatic question!
Focus on the โHOWโ, not the โWHATโ (how it will happen?)
You donโt need new big ideas, they arenโt new.
You need NEW โHOWSโ!
4. Choosing location
Think of locations as a character.
Choose exciting places, locations with personality or stories.
Fall in love with your location. Share enthusiasm with your reader.
5. Creating heroes and villains
- always start with your villain (he defines your hero)
- dynamic heroes – a #must (why they are doing wrong things – maybe for the right reasons?)
- give them all flaws – there isnโt pure evil!!
- introduce villain with a bang!
- you can be easy on your villain, but not on your hero!
6. Universal character tools
- popular the world with secondary heroes (remember, they have to complement your main hero!)
- romantic involvement gives instant tension
- advice: tell the story with a few characters as you possibly can
- master confusion & suspense in your story (give characters opposing ideas, add former relationships)
- use internal monologue (no better way to reveal your character)
7. Research (Dan Brown’s personal weapon)
- read all arguments (even if you donโt agree)
- structure for novel is much more easier if you’ve done a good research (it help you make decisions)
- if you can – talk to real people and see real things
- make connections between different scenes
8.ย Plan.ย Building a story from the ground – UP!
- select the world
- choose the moral gray area
- create the hero
- extraordinary set of circumstances (apply pressure!) = create a villain
- make your hero panic (because the clock โฐ is ticking)
- check 3 Cโs
- introduce conflict as soon as you can (prologue?)
- write the finale first (remember: the hero wins)
- develop the supporting characters & turn up the tension
- build the obstacles
9. Creating Suspense
- surprise your reader (…a good character can die any day lol)
- compress the timeline
- start scenes with a sense of urgency or the sense of discomfort
- experiment with a different kinds of cliffhangers
- withhold information, go through series of tusks (keep the plot moving!)
- use flashbacks (like in โBreaking Badโ)
- use โpulseโ (tiny moments to remind the reader โdonโt forget the killer is outside this fkn’ door!โ)
10. Writing chapters and POV
- before writing – write the purpose of each chapter!
- choose 1 person in each chapter and write from his/hers point of view (you canย write from 2/3 different points of view, but choose one (best) for your story
- use POV to withhold information
- appeal to your readers senses
- remember how the eye travels in real life (follow-notice-describe) = powerful effect
11. Dialogue is an acceleratorย
- it is always driven by heroes agenda.ย What do they want? – ask yourself
- nobody ever standing in conversations – make them move (physically)
12. Editing, rewriting
Commit to your idea and do NOT be a lazy editor. Thereโre no bad & good writers… only bad editors.ย Delete & try again.
150 pages in the garbage? Fine! Let’s start again.ย
Use 4 different colors for editing on paper (red, green, blue & black).ย Red means ‘disaster’.
13. Writers block
a) Writing is about time and process, not only about inspiration or ideas.ย Protect your process.ย Limit distractions.
b) Dan Brown is writing every morning, early ย (from 4am to 11am) – all 365 days a year, in the room withoutย internet or phone.
c) Dare to suck … – every single writer is bad sometimes (thatโs why they edit and delete)
d) Write in hours – not in pages/chapters
e) Dan Brown never finishes chapter without writing 1st paragraph of the next. Itโs a trick. It will give you the feeling – “the story is here and waiting for you”
f) Move – exercise – think… Dan Brown is using dictaphone on walks or beach.ย #brainstorm (order of the story doesnโt matter).ย Donโt focus on the details too early!
Personal: Dan Brown spent 2 years on his first novel.ย His 3 first books didnโt sell well.ย But after ‘Code’ – he became popular lol
Persistence!
Invest in yourself!
Any promotion you make is believing in yourself!
14. Career of the writer
Success is usually a group effort!ย Build a team around you – people who believes in what you do.ย Agent – is a #must!
Create your own ritual of writing and commit to it!
Good Luck!
Next post –ย โDare to beโฆโ, short storyย
My #YA fantasy & adventure book Dulcinea and The Death Code (Child of Illusion series)ย is available on Amazon for pre-order, 0,99 –ย go grab it
Also add my book to – want to read – onย Goodreads
And here’s my full cover for “Book Reviews” book. Hope you like it! โ๏ธโ๏ธย Ray loves you all, have a great weekend!
This is so fascinating. You never appreciate what goes into something like this.
Yeah crazy amount of work…
That’s very interesting. I have read all the dam brown novels except for the origin and I can relate.๐
Cool ๐ I read his novels too, my husband is his fan :)) It was very interesting to listen about DBโs writing process & ideas / lots of useful info for those who writing suspense
๐
How about a moment when a villain concurres a hero?! An antihero.
Hero always wins lol so Dan Brown says.
But I guess we could go against the rules once in a while…
Mmm this was a good question but Iโd be careful with that in a triller book ๐
Why don’t we make a new genre?
Heartbreaking genre ? :))
God no. I hate sentimentality.
Lol then letโs kill villain & save our hero. We can break him/her a bit tho…
It’s all or nothing, baby.
๐ค๐๐๐
What if we donโt know who villain is…we simply donโt see him/her or it. It is everything & everywhere- life itself.
Actually from my young adult book – this idea ;))
Life’s a villain, lurking. That’s a good one.
Yes. Exactly my point! ๐๐
Not that I wanna brag, but I’m good. You are, that is. Ok, we both are. Sold.
I mean โat the endโ of coz
Conquer, I meant.
I like antiheroes. I can’t help it.
I like them too ๐๐ญ but I guess if at the end our villain conquers our hero – the reader gonna feel shitty …cuz everything is exactly like in real life ๐ and I guess fictions main goal = entertain + bring hope. If thereโs no hope in fiction , ๐คทโโ๏ธ I dunno …
My writing is totally about hopelessness. I love watching a good thriller, but I don’t think I could ever write one. I think I’d kill everybody in the end because of how they piss me off.
To kill everyone at the end is fine. Why not? ๐
There you go. We could work together just fine.
Lol ๐ no doubt.
Hopelessness – is a great theme for poetry ๐ so you are on the right path
And well as my melancholic flash. Agreed.
๐๐ even better. Where would be all classic poetry without a touch of melancholy? ๐๐
At a dead end.
๐๐๐
Thanks for sharing what you learned. I agree with what Dan says about gettin a process for writing. Without it one staggers around trying to come up with something. I like the word trillers. I have read a lot of books that trill not thrill. Have a super weekend Victoria Ray.
Yes ๐ agreed too… & next – M Atwoodโs class ๐ I already watched it, yesterday ev ๐บ๐ค
wow so much goes into it , never thought about it hats off to the writers !
True…enormous job of 1-5 years for 1 book to read ๐
Worth saving this post and rereading. Thanks for sharing Ray! Valuable input!
Yes, especially you r writing in this genre or suspense:)
Read your entire thread. I constantly remind myself there is a big market for “hope.” Gotta have hope. Hope sells. Regardless of the “truth” people want HOPE. Even politicians sell it. “Hope and Change.” Etc. Religion sells HOPE. But the question is, what are people hoping for? Money? Freedom? Better life? Life forever? I HOPE I figure this out. Anyway, thanks again for the executive summary.
Hope sells better than sex ๐ true that ๐๐
Cool comment about hope ๐ something to think about ๐ค๐๐
Yeah, I’ve been thinking about HOPE since it is a critical emotional element.
I did enjoy this, I’m quite into writing tips at the moment,
Cool ๐ hope it was helpful:)
Really interesting post. Thatโs for sharing this. ๐
Glad if helpful ๐๐
Sticking with current occupation thanX!
๐๐ป๐โ๏ธ
Excellent advice, Ray! Thanks for explaining such great tips so clearly ๐
Thank you ๐ cool you enjoyed & hope it will be useful. Dan Brownโs class was very โpracticalโ…