Aika asked Dan Brown:

Hello! My name is Aika and I'm a fifteen year-old aspiring author. I'm a huge fan of your books especially the Langdon Series. It would mean a lot to me if my idol gave me some tips and guidelines on making a great page turner. Thank you :)

Dan Brown Hi Aika, best of luck with your writing. In response to your question, I believe that research is the most overlooked facet of writing a successful page turner. Solid research enables genuine description—that is, writing filled with specifics. Examples of “specifics" might include the exact flora or fauna of a given setting, the accurate jargon of a technician, or something as simple as the step-by-step method for cooking a regional recipe. The inclusion of specifics will increase your writing's credibility, depth, and appeal. What's more, the research process often unveils dramatic options that take your plot in directions that you (and your readers) did not expect.

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Biju http://carm.org/da-vinci-code ...more
Dec 12, 2014 11:00PM · flag

Jorge Pabon Awesome advice Dan! Thank you.

Once when I was taking a Creative Writing course we went over this exercise where we had to go somewhere and carefully l ...more
Jul 14, 2016 09:22AM · flag

Abdullah Abdullah OPEN LETTER TO DAN BROWN
What I’m doing here is not writing an academic letter, it’s rather a heart-felt suggestion. I am a feverish fan of your novels OPEN LETTER TO DAN BROWN
What I’m doing here is not writing an academic letter, it’s rather a heart-felt suggestion. I am a feverish fan of your novels, and I admire your brilliant way of tackling numerous fundamental issues.
I have a single verse of Quran for you. It will stimulate your incredible intelligence and motivate your creative curiosity, as it will bring you back to a decisive moment in your childhood that affected deeply your character. The Quran verse is:
And chide not him who asks (93, 10)
So if a priest tells you not to ask too many questions, Quran invites you to ask as many questions as you want. If Christianity restrains you from asking questions, Islam tells you you should ask all the complex questions tormenting you, and you will find rational, simple answers that will satisfy your sharp mind and put it at ease.
You have an inner strive towards the truth. You have a beautiful mind and a beautiful soul. You should discover and study Islam through a thorough reading of the Holy Quran. You will be thrilled to explore countless symbols and satisfying answers Quran is able to offer you. And here’s an “avant-gout” to motivate you to discover Quran: Robert Langdon’s favourite number is the golden ratio 1.618 (phi). As a matter of fact, the proportion of distance between Mekkah and the North Pole to the distance between Mekkah and the South Pole is exactly 1.618. The same thing is also true as to the eastern and western elongation. Astonishingly, there is a unique verse in Quran with the word Mekkah (or Bekkah) in it, this verse holds the golden ratio in it. There is a very interesting youtube video that explains this: Golden Ratio Point of the World.
In a word, Islam is a religion of faith and rationality. Quran and science go hand in hand. A perfect harmony unifies the two. You can check the works of Dr. Maurice Bucaille related to this matter.
Dr. Jeffrey Lang also has a magnificent lecture entitled “The Purpose of Life”. It’s about how he ingeniously deciphered some of Quran’s most beautiful symbolical secrets. I suggest you watch it on youtube.
I hope this letter reaches you, and you kindly take the time to respond to it.
Sincerely ...more
Jan 26, 2019 07:44AM · flag