Thrilling Time for a ThrillerFest Newbie

One of the best investments I made in myself as a writer was ThrillerFest in July in NYC. Some personal highlights:

Steve Berry’s “The Six C’s of Story Structure: Character, Conflict, Crucible, Complications, Crisis, Conclusion.” I loved his logic and diagrams, and great advice overall including the importance of establishing POV immediately in a scene.

Lisa Unger was inspiring in her defense of guarding the writer’s “blank space,” with the blank page as a portal to the universe. Inspiration, she notes, is found when you are on the page. “Be open to inspiration. Keep heart and mind present in the work all the time.” I scored a chat and a signed copy of Ink and Bone, both worth the price of admission.

Daniel Palmer’s Thriller Writing 1-9 was terrific, too. I loved his advice to “find your rhinoceros” — the big idea to ground your novel before you begin.

PitchFest meetings with agents has lead to some rejections, but I continue to believe in my debut novel, The Banished. It may not fit neatly into a cookie cutter, but it will surprise, thrill and satisfy readers. I’ll update with any news from agents, or if I decide to self-publish.

Best of all was the sense of camaraderie with other writers, some published, some not, and the seeds of friendship that were planted. Looking forward to staying in touch as our journey continues.