Jeffery Deaver

Sleuthfest: Part 2

In his keynote luncheon speech on Friday, bestselling author Jeffery Deaver said, "Writing is a craft, and it can be largely taught." He writes multi-length thrillers in the crime genre. There are certain rules that he follows.   

Rule One: "Writing is a business. We are manufacturers of our product, not 'artistes'. We are professionals and meet our deadlines." We work with partners, who are publishers, booksellers, etc.

Rule Two: "We need a business model." Who is your audience? Write for your fans, to make them happy and to keep them turning pages.

Rule Three: Your book should move like lightning. What's going to happen next? Write a compelling book. Move the story forward. It shouldn't just be interesting but should cause sweaty palms.

Rule Four: We don't want the book to digress. For example, his tales move so fast that there's no time for a romantic interlude.

Rule Five: Avoid "give me a break" moments, or things that are illogical or convenient excuses.

Rule Six: Do not have ambiguous endings. Have a definite resolution. Jeffery prefers happy endings for his stories.

Rule Seven: Make your characters real and give them depth. The good guy should have flaws and the bad guy should have niceties.

Rule Eight: We rewrite. Jeffery writes a first draft quickly and then rewrites.

Where do his ideas come from? "I look for an idea that will scare you and keep you turning pages." He does an outline and research first.

What the fans think is more important than reviews. Find out what people are saying about your book. Jeffery prefers to keep the gore off-camera and to focus on the emotional component of suspense.

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Disclaimer: Any errors in interpretation or transcription are mine.

Coming Next: The Power of Publicity