Anatomy of an Antihero
When you read a good story, you want to identify with the hero. Which I think is why we like our heroes to be less than perfect. Flawed. Complicated. The post Anatomy of an Antihero appeared first on...
View ArticleTo Write a Killer
For years I wrestled with this question: not how to write a convincing killer, but whether I wanted to do so at all. And if so, for what purpose? The post To Write a Killer appeared first on John David...
View ArticleThe Anatomy of Suspense
Reviewers are calling my novel STEEL FEAR “action-packed.” It’s not really true—but it FEELS like it is. Exactly how does that work? The post The Anatomy of Suspense appeared first on John David Mann.
View ArticleA Leadership Parable Disguised as a Crime Novel
Someone asked, “Is STEEL FEAR about leadership?” and I realized, I’ve been writing this book my whole life. The post A Leadership Parable Disguised as a Crime Novel appeared first on John David Mann.
View ArticleNo Such Thing as a “Minor Character”
How do you make a fictional character come to life? Same way you breathe life into a relationship: You notice little things. The post No Such Thing as a “Minor Character” appeared first on John David...
View ArticleThe Heroes Behind the Pages
The only reason novels work is that they are solidly rooted in the reality of our experience. Here are some tidbits of real life that we sewed into the cloth of Finn’s story — real places, real people,...
View ArticleWhat’s a Nice Guy Like Me Doing in a Homicidal Place Like This?
We don’t live in a world of Great Men or Great Societies. We live in a world of Ordinary Men and Broken Societies. Crime writing taught me how to fall in love with that world. The post What’s a Nice...
View ArticleOn the Hot Seat
I recently sat down for an interrogation -- I’m sorry, I mean INTERVIEW -- with crime writer Elena Hartwell Taylor. Here’s the confession she pried out of me. The post On the Hot Seat appeared first on...
View ArticleMy Dinner with José
I recently sat down with the accomplished Honduran author/screenwriter José H. Bográn for an interview for ITW’s monthly magazine, The Big Thrill. It was, as you will have already guessed … a big...
View ArticleThe Start of Something Big
This is a book Ana and I have been dreaming of writing for 17 years. It is our love letter to the world. The post The Start of Something Big appeared first on John David Mann.
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