Thrillerfest: Off to a Great Start!

It's been an amazing start to the convention and I have to admit to being a little star-struck. Lisa Scottoline, Steve Berry, Heather Graham, R.L. Stine the list just goes on and on of great authors I've seen so far.

I sent out tweets on Twitter for those who want to follow that. You can find us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/thrillerwriters and if you're on Twitter and want to see what others are tweeting about use #ThrillerFest2010 to find news on Twitter about the convention.

A lot of pictures are going up on the ITW Facebook. You can find the main ITW page at www.facebook.com/thrillerwriters but you can also look up the group site as well and join (aka "like") us there! I hope to have some video tomorrow.

I attended Lisa Scottoline's session where she gave out great advise and the contact information of her agent with instructions to attendees as to how to send their manuscript along with Lisa's referral. What a generous gift! You could actually hear gasps in the audience when she did it! It was a great moment! The offer is only open to those who attended the session as far as I'm aware. This session was amazing and I highly recommend getting the CD for the session when it becomes available. I'll let you know when that happens.

I also attended Buzz Your Book with Douglas Clegg and M.J. Rose. That isn't a session that gets recorded since they do the session as part of their teaching course. But you can find out more about it on Amazon since the book "Buzz Your Book" will be out in a new edition this year. Definately something I recommend picking up.

I got just the end of R.L. Stine's session, but what impressed me was that he stayed after the session and gave his time to every person that wanted it. He gave advice, shared information and just chattd with fans and aspiring authors. He was so gracious with his time and I thought to myself, "Now THAT is why ITW is special." So many people here are willing to share their ideas, knowledge, experince and time.

I can't wait for tomorrows session!

- Sheila

Thrillerfest Schedule, Friday July 9th!

THRILLERFEST FRIDAY, JULY 9, 2010 Registration 7:30 am - 11 am, 3 pm - 4:30 pm
Barnes & Noble Bookstore, open 9 am- 6 pm, Booth-Plymouth Room



ROOM : URISI/JULLIARD

8:30 am - 11:00 am MORNING COFFEE Hosted by HARPERCOLLINS (BALLROOM I FOYER)


9:00 am-9:50 am HOW TO MAKE YOUR PULSE RACE? Cliche's and How to Avoid Them - Raffi Yessayan, Panel Master, John Altman, Ted Dekker, Karen Harper, David Liss, Leslie Silbert

10:00 am-10:50 am Spotlight Guest Gayle Lynds interviewed by Lisa Gardner (BALLROOM I)

11:00 am- 11:50 am HOW TO BE NOVEL WITH YOUR NOVEL?: E-books, audio books, Vooks, etc. - And Industry Panel - Douglas Clegg, Panel Master, Richard Doetsch, Steve Feldberg, Tammy Nam, Jeremy Robinson, Liz Scheier, Matt Schwartz

11:45 am - 1:00pm SNACK SERVICE - Hosted by THE LOS ANGELES TIMES (Ballroom I Foyer)

11:50 pm - 12:20 pm Authors from all morning sessions will be signing in the bookstore.

12:15 pm - 1:00 pm Bonus Session - INTERROGATING THE FBI - FBI Profiler Mark Safarik interviewed by Alan Jacobson (BALLROOM I)

1:00 pm - 1:50 pm ITW General Membership Meeting (BALLROOM I)

1:45 pm - 3:15 pm AFTERNOON SOFT DRINKS Hosted By HARPERCOLLINS (BALLROOM I FOYER)

2:00 pm - 2:50 pm ARE YOU YOUR MAIN CHARACTER? Allen Wyler, Panel Master, Julie Kramer, Deborah LeBlanc, A. Scott Pearson, Rick Reed, Wendy Corsi Staub

3:00 pm - 3:50 pm Spotlight Guest Harlan Coben interviewed by Kathleen Antrim (BALLROOM I)

4:00 pm - 4:50 pm IS SOCIAL NETWORKING A WASTE OF TIME? : An Industry Panel - Allison Brennan, Panel Master, Emi Battaglia, Tess Gerritsen, Meryl Moss, Jason Pinter, Amy D. Shojai CABC, Pam Spengler-Jaffee

5:00 pm - 5:30 pm All authors from afternoon sessions will sign inside the bookstore

6:00 pm - 7:30 pm ITW PUBLICATIONS COCKTAIL PARTY - Featuring the authors of: Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads, Watchlist: The Chopin Manuscript & The Copper Bracelet, First Thrills, and Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror (BALLROOM I)

7:30 pm - 9:00 pm Daktona Banks - SNAP CRITIQUES



ROOM : BROADWAY

8:30 am - 11:00 am MORNING COFFEE Hosted by HARPERCOLLINS (BALLROOM I FOYER)

9:00 am-9:50 am WHICH RULES CAN YOU BREAK? Andrew Gulli, Panel Master, William Bernhardt, Brandilyn Collins, W.G. Griffiths, Katia Lief, Erica Spindler, Mark T. Sullivan

10:00 am-10:50 am Spotlight Guest Gayle Lynds interviewed by Lisa Gardner (BALLROOM I)

11:00 am- 11:50 am WHAT'S THE WORST ADVICE YOU EVER GOT? THE BEST? Matt Richtel, Panel Master, Richard Aaron, Alex Dryden, Lisa Gardner, Alex Kava, Daniel Palmer

11:45 am - 1:00pm SNACK SERVICE - Hosted by THE LOS ANGELES TIMES (Ballroom I Foyer)

11:50 pm - 12:20 pm Authors from all morning sessions will be signing in the bookstore.

12:15 pm - 1:00 pm Bonus Session - INTERROGATING THE FBI - FBI Profiler Mark Safarik interviewed by Alan Jacobson (BALLROOM I)

1:00 pm - 1:50 pm ITW General Membership Meeting (BALLROOM I)

1:45 pm - 3:15 pm AFTERNOON SOFT DRINKS Hosted By HARPERCOLLINS (BALLROOM I FOYER)

2:00 pm - 2:50 pm WHY BE NORMAL WHEN YOU CAN BE PARANORMAL? Dakota Banks, Panel Master, Allison Brennan, Heather Graham, Christopher Golden, Jonathan Mabery, Dave Sakmyster

3:00 pm - 3:50 pm Spotlight Guest Harlan Coben interviewed by Kathleen Antrim (BALLROOM I)

4:00 pm - 4:50 pm DO YOU SPY? Anthony Tata, Panel Master, Mike Angly, Andy Hayp, Ward Larsen, Andrew Peterson, David Salkin

5:00 pm - 5:30 pm All authors from afternoon sessions will sign inside the bookstore

6:00 pm - 7:30 pm ITW PUBLICATIONS COCKTAIL PARTY - Featuring the authors of: Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads, Watchlist: The Chopin Manuscript & The Copper Bracelet, First Thrills, and Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror (BALLROOM I)

7:30 pm - 9:00 pm SHEILA CLOVER ENGLISH - SOCIAL MEDIA FOR THE THRILLER GENRE



ROOM : CARNEGIE/ALVIN

8:30 am - 11:00 am MORNING COFFEE Hosted by HARPERCOLLINS (BALLROOM I FOYER)

9:00 am-9:50 am ARE FORENSIC TRILLERS DEADLY? D.P. Lyle, M.D., Panel Master, Lisa Black, Robin Burcell, Kathryn Fox, Jonathan Hayes, Cheryl Paradis

10:00 am-10:50 am Spotlight Guest Gayle Lynds interviewed by Lisa Gardner (BALLROOM I)

11:00 am- 11:50 am HOW DO YOU PACK FOR A THRILLER? : Research & Settings - Jess Buick, Panel Master, Hilary Davidson, Maria Hudgins, Katherine Neville, Peter Steiner, Taylor Stevens

11:45 am - 1:00pm SNACK SERVICE - Hosted by THE LOS ANGELES TIMES (Ballroom I Foyer)

11:50 pm - 12:20 pm Authors from all morning sessions will be signing in the bookstore.

12:15 pm - 1:00 pm Bonus Session - INTERROGATING THE FBI - FBI Profiler Mark Safarik interviewed by Alan Jacobson (BALLROOM I)

1:00 pm - 1:50 pm ITW General Membership Meeting (BALLROOM I)

1:45 pm - 3:15 pm AFTERNOON SOFT DRINKS Hosted By HARPERCOLLINS (BALLROOM I FOYER)

2:00 pm - 2:50 pm SHOULD YOU LIVE TO WRITE, OR WRITE TO LIVE? Pat Gussin, Panel Master, Sandi Ault, Joshua Corin, CJ Lyons, Carla Neggers, Tom Sawyer

3:00 pm - 3:50 pm Spotlight Guest Harlan Coben interviewed by Kathleen Antrim (BALLROOM I)

4:00 pm - 4:50 pm WHO'S YOUR HERO? In fiction and real life - Julie Compton, Panel Master, Linwood Barclay, Ted Dekker, David Hagberg, James Hayman, Nate Kenyon

5:00 pm - 5:30 pm All authors from afternoon sessions will sign inside the bookstore

6:00 pm - 7:30 pm ITW PUBLICATIONS COCKTAIL PARTY - Featuring the authors of: Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads, Watchlist: The Chopin Manuscript & The Copper Bracelet, First Thrills, and Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror (BALLROOM I)

7:30 pm - 9:00 pm ROBERT DUGONI - GETTING STARTED AND STAYING HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION



ROOM : BALLROOM I

8:30 am - 11:00 am MORNING COFFEE Hosted by HARPERCOLLINS (BALLROOM I FOYER)

9:00 am-9:50 am HOW DO YOU EXCITE YOUR EDITOR AND GET MORE OUT OF YOUR PUBLISHER?: And Industry Panel : John Lescroart, Panel Master, Dan Conaway, Eric Van Lustbader, Steve Martini, Neil Nyren, Eric Raab, Kate White

10:00 am-10:50 am Spotlight Guest Gayle Lynds interviewed by Lisa Gardner (BALLROOM I)

11:00 am- 11:50 am ARE YA NOVELS FOR GROWNUPS TOO? F. Paul Wilson, Panel Master, Jennifer Allison, A.J. Hartley, Andrew Harwell, Robert Liparulo, Ridley Pearson, R.L. Stine

11:45 am - 1:00pm SNACK SERVICE - Hosted by THE LOS ANGELES TIMES (Ballroom I Foyer)

11:50 pm - 12:20 pm Authors from all morning sessions will be signing in the bookstore.

12:15 pm - 1:00 pm Bonus Session - INTERROGATING THE FBI - FBI Profiler Mark Safarik interviewed by Alan Jacobson (BALLROOM I)

1:00 pm - 1:50 pm ITW General Membership Meeting (BALLROOM I)

1:45 pm - 3:15 pm AFTERNOON SOFT DRINKS Hosted By HARPERCOLLINS (BALLROOM I FOYER)

2:00 pm - 2:50 pm HOW CAN WE INNOVATE MORE?: An Industry Panel - M.J. Rose, Panel Master, Rom Doherty, Joseph Finder, Libby McGuire, Mark Nichols, Barbara Peters, Daniel Slater

3:00 pm - 3:50 pm Spotlight Guest Harlan Coben interviewed by Kathleen Antrim (BALLROOM I)

4:00 pm - 4:50 pm WHY DO THRILLERS KICK ASS? Wendy Corsi Staub, Panel Master, Steve Berry, Grant Blackwood, Eric Van Lustbader, John Lutz, Carla Neggers, Ridley Pearson

5:00 pm - 5:30 pm All authors from afternoon sessions will sign inside the bookstore

6:00 pm - 7:30 pm ITW PUBLICATIONS COCKTAIL PARTY - Featuring the authors of: Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads, Watchlist: The Chopin Manuscript & The Copper Bracelet, First Thrills, and Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror (BALLROOM I)

Craftfest Schedule for July 8th!

CRAFTFEST THURSDAY, JULY 8, 2010 Registration - CraftFest only 8 am - 11 am
REGISTRATION FOR THRILLERFEST 3:30 pm - 6:30 pm Barnes & Noble Bookstore, open 9 am- 6 pm, Booth-Plymouth Room



ROOM : URIS/JULLIARD

8:30am - 11:00am MORNING COFFEE Hosted by THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

9:00am - 9:30am Alex Kava, JT Ellison, Erica Spindler - CREATING AUTHENTIC, TOUGH, SMART FEMALE PROTAGONISTS (Lipstick optional)

10:00 am - 10:50 am R.L. Stine - THE WORLD OF YA PUBLISHING : The Top 10 & The Flop 10

11:00 am - 11:50 am Lisa Scottoline - HOW TO WRITE A THRILLER

11:50 am - 1:50pm All authors from CraftFest classes will sign inside bookstore - CRAFTFEST LUNCH An Interactive Q&A with Gina Centrello President and Publisher, The Random House Publishing Group (Ballroom ll)

2:00 pm - 5:30 pm AGENTFEST - Uris/Alvin

5:30 pm - 6:20 pm BUZZ YOUR BOOK: And the New Reality (Open to all attendees) - M.J. ROSE AND DOUG CLEGG (Edison/Winter Garden)

6:30pm - 8:00pm - THRILLERFEST OPENING RECEPTION Co-Hosted by THE RANDOM HOUSE PUBLISHING GROUP and WRITERS HOUSE Featuring Random House and Writers House Authors (Ballroom II)


ROOM : BROADWAY

8:30am - 11:00am MORNING COFFEE Hosted by THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

9:00 am - 9:50 am Douglas Preston - USING NON-FICTION TECHNIQUES TO WRITE THAT BREAK-OUT THRILLER

10:00 am -10:50 am Michael Palmder - FROM SOUP TO NUTS : Crafting a Thriller from First Notion to Completion

11am - 11:50am Donald Maass - WHAT MAKES A HERO?

11:50 am - 1:50pm All authors from CraftFest classes will sign inside bookstore - CRAFTFEST LUNCH An Interactive Q&A with Gina Centrello President and Publisher, The Random House Publishing Group (Ballroom ll)

2:00 pm - 5:30 pm AGENTFEST - Uris/Alvin

5:30 pm - 6:20 pm BUZZ YOUR BOOK: And the New Reality (Open to all attendees) - M.J. ROSE AND DOUG CLEGG (Edison/Winter Garden)

6:30pm - 8:00pm - THRILLERFEST OPENING RECEPTION Co-Hosted by THE RANDOM HOUSE PUBLISHING GROUP and WRITERS HOUSE Featuring Random House and Writers House Authors (Ballroom II)


ROOM : CARNEGIE/ALVIN

8:30am - 11:00am MORNING COFFEE Hosted by THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

9:00 am - 9:50 am David Hagberg - LOVE THINE ENEMY

10:00 am -10:50 am John Gilstrap - BROKEN BONES, BALLISTICS AND BACKDRAFTS : Technical Stuff That Writers Should Get Right

11am - 11:50am Robert Dugoni - POWER EDITING

11:50 am - 1:50pm All authors from CraftFest classes will sign inside bookstore - CRAFTFEST LUNCH An Interactive Q&A with Gina Centrello President and Publisher, The Random House Publishing Group (Ballroom ll)

2:00 pm - 5:30 pm AGENTFEST - Uris/Alvin

5:30 pm - 6:20 pm BUZZ YOUR BOOK: And the New Reality (Open to all attendees) - M.J. ROSE AND DOUG CLEGG (Edison/Winter Garden)

6:30pm - 8:00pm - THRILLERFEST OPENING RECEPTION Co-Hosted by THE RANDOM HOUSE PUBLISHING GROUP and WRITERS HOUSE Featuring Random House and Writers House Authors (Ballroom II)

Craftfest Schedule for Wednesday, July 7th!

CRAFTFEST WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2010 CraftFest Registration,
8:30 am -1 pm, 3 pm - 4:30 pm Barnes & Noble Bookstore, open Noon - 6 pm : Booth-Plymouth Room


CRAFTFEST BONUS POWER SESSIONS Presented by WRITER'S DIGEST

ROOM : URIS/JULLIARD

10:00 am - 10:50 am Kathleen Antrim and Jon Land WHAT IF? SO WHAT? Learn To Pitch To An Agent or Editor

11:00 am - 11:50 am William Bernhardt - EIGHT STEPS TO WRITING - AND FINISHING - YOUR NOVEL

CRAFTFEST CLASSES

12:30 pm - 1:50 pm Steve Berry - WHO'S TELLING THE STORY AND WHAT ARE THEY SAYING. Point-of-view and Dialogue

2:00 pm - 2:50 pm David Morrell - THE PROS AND CONS OF THE FIRST PERSON VIEWPOINT

3:00 pm - 3:50 pm Gayle Lynds - NINE SECRETS TO WRITING BESTSELLING THRILLERS

4:00 pm - 4:50 pm Al Zuckerman - CRAFTING BIG SCENES FOR THE BLOCKBUSTER NOVEL

5pm - 5:30 pm Authors from all CraftFest classes will sign inside Bookstore

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm CRAFTFEST COCKTAIL PARTY Hosted by GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING Manhattan Ballroom



ROOM : BROADWAY

9:00 am - 9:50 am Lorenzo Carcaterra - FOR THE THRILL OF IT : From Book to Screen

10:00 am -10:50 am Sophie Littlefield, Carla Buckley & Barbara Poelle - SETTING WORKSHOP - Creating a Sense of Place

CRAFTFEST CLASSES

11:00am- 11:50am Eric Van Lustbader - THE RED ZONE

11:50 am - 12:20 pm Andrew Gross - AND THE WINNER FOR THE BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IS...

12:30 pm - 1:50p am David Hewson - KEEPING A BOOK DIARY - Simple Secrets That Can Keep Your Book On Track

2:00 pm - 5:30 pm Lisa Gardner - SUCCESSFUL REWRITING : Pairing Down and Fleshing Out

5:30 pm - 6:20 pm Authors from all Craftfest classes will sign inside Bookstore

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm CRAFTFEST COCKTAIL PARTY Hosted by GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING Manhattan Ballroom




ROOM : CARNEGIE/ALVIN

9:00 am - 9:50 am Allison Brennan - NO PLOTTERS ALLOWED

10:00 am -10:50 am D.P. Lyle, MD - VOICE. WHOSE STORY IS IT?

CRAFTFEST CLASSES

11:00am- 11:50am D.P. Lyle, MD - THE PSYCHOLOGY OF CHARACTER MOTIVATION

11:50 am - 12:20 pm Grant Blackwood - THE ELEMENTS OF BIG THRILLERS

12:30 pm - 1:50p am William Bernhardt - THE CHARACTER-DRIVEN THRILLER: Giving Readers a Reason to Care

2:00 pm - 5:30 pm Steven James - SIX SECRETS TO NOVEL WRITING THAT NO ONE EVER TOLD YOU ABOUT

5:30 pm - 6:20 pm Authors from all Craftfest classes will sign inside Bookstore

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm CRAFTFEST COCKTAIL PARTY Hosted by GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING Manhattan Ballroom

Steve Berry and Jon Land talk about Thrillerfest

ThrillerFest is days away! 


I caught up with Steve Berry and Jon Land at BEA and asked them what they're looking forward to most.
Steve gets to interview Ken Follett and Jon gives us some humor and insight!


Steve Berry

Jon Land

You can find out more about Steve Berry at www.steveberry.org and you can find Jon Land at http://www.jonland.net.

Celebrate Craft : Validate My Parking

Celebrate the Craft! - from the Newbie's Guide to Publishing blog

Writers crave validation.

It's built into our psyches. We believe our words are good enough to put down on paper, and then we have the narcissism to think that others will not only enjoy our words, but pay for the privilege to read them.

Because of that, we tend to get attached to what we write. These words are our babies, and criticism is hard to bear. We take it personally.

This is silly. Everyone has an opinion, and all opinions are valid. Yes, if your writing failed a reader, it's your fault. But your job isn't to enthrall every reader. Your job is simply to enthrall more than you fail.

The fact is, you'll fail some readers. Lots of them.

You'll get bad reviews. You'll get angry emails. You'll get snotty comments. Some will be aimed at your writing. Some will be aimed at you personally.

This is a good thing.

Not because these comments are correct---though if enough people say the same thing, you should really start to listen. But because getting feedback, good or bad, means you're reaching people.

The bigger you get, the more negative feedback you can expect.

So how do you deal with people who don't like you?

If you want to be a grown-up, you should ignore them. I've never seen anything good come out of engaging a critic. Once you begin to defend yourself--or even worse, attack--you've pretty much lost some face.

What Peter says about Paul shows more about Peter than about Paul.

As for how you should feel, well, you should act like a grown up there as well. Sticks and stones. Unless someone is burning a cross outside on your front lawn, you really can't take negative people seriously.

You shouldn't take positive people seriously, either. But you can say "thanks" to those who offer kind words. If you're really grounded, you can thank the naysayers too.

But JA, isn't validation the reason we become writers in the first place? Didn't you read your opening sentence?

Yes. But get your ego boost from your royalty check, not from reviewers, critics, fans, blogs, awards, peers, and message boards.

Then who are the people you should listen to?

That's easy. Turn on your cell phone. Look at your contact list. Those are the important people in your life. Take praise and criticism from them. Everyone else is window dressing.

Some people won't like you. Get used to it. If you can't, don't be a writer.

You're a pompous, egotistical, self-important know-it-all.

Thanks for your comment, and thanks for reading. :)

Find out more about great authors at ThrillerFest 2010!

Celebrate Craft: Do you fall into the Muddle-in-the-Middle Trap?

Celebrate the Craft! - from the Write by You blog

When attempting to write a novel—that is, fiction that's book-length, say 80,000 words or so—some novice writers never get past the first few chapters. All of the excitement and enthusiasm they felt when inspiration grabbed them by the throat and shouted, "You must write this story!" suddenly leaves them high and dry. Sure, you have a good idea where the story needs to end. That's part of the reason you're writing--to share that fantastic scene you envision near the end of your tale that blows away your readers. But how to get from Point A to Point Z?

Although most writers recognize the danger of running out of steam in the middle of a book, those who are experienced realize that a lot of work is done in those central chapters. In fact, if you do all you should as a novelist, there's so much material for you to play with, you need to choose carefully to avoid stuffing too much into one story. Here are six tips you can use to keep your novel on track, moving forward, and holding your readers' attention without wandering, repeating information, or padding with unnecessary scenes.

1. Further develop the main character(s). Instead of dumping details about your characters' personalities, childhood, education, jobs, or friends and family at the beginning of your novel, save these for the middle. By now you've hooked your reader with strong writing, active scenes and conflict that readers will want to see resolved. Now, you can use conversations, flash-back scenes, or a character's thoughts to reveal more about what makes this character tick. You'll enrich your paper people and create an even stronger bond between reader and character.

2. Move the plot forward by increments that feel natural. Instead of leaping from conflict revealed in the beginning to conflict resolved (resulting in a far-too-short book), give the characters time to work things out for themselves (with a little help from you). This creates a much more realistic feeling story and will help avoid the dreaded deus ex machina conclusion. (In a children's book God takes the form of Mom or Uncle Joe, who supplies the solution to the child's problem.) Readers generally want their favorite characters to resolve their own problems.

3. Steadily increase the level of conflict and tension by making things worse, then even worse again for the central character. When the same problem occurs over and over throughout the story, the reader becomes immune to the danger, threat, or issue at hand. Using the middle of the story to "up the stakes" will guarantee your readers will stick around to see how their favorite character handles the ever-more-complex crisis.

4. Details make the story, but writers often forget to continue filtering them throughout the book. You may have described Main Street or the family homestead in Chapter 1, but by the middle of the book several days may have passed for the reader. Work, family demands, interruptions of all sorts may have wiped away the vision of the story's setting that you worked so hard to create in early chapters. Now you need to refresh the reader's mind. And my returning to a particular setting in your story, you strengthen the reader's belief that it might actually exist. However, never stop the forward motion of the plot to spend a few pages of solid description. Some readers simply skim passages that seem to have nothing happening in them, that are simply picture windows into the setting. Better to weave details through active scenes and keep the plot moving forward.

5. If you get lost in the middle of your story and don't know what should happen next, or you have written yourself into a corner, return to your plot outline. If you didn't write one, now is an excellent time to take a short break and brainstorm possible scenes, complications and solutions for your mid-story. Relax, pour yourself your favorite beverage, sit down in a comfy chair and write down everything that comes to mind without censoring yourself. In fifteen or twenty minutes you may come up with a dozen or more possibilities. The next day, look over your list of ideas. Some will be off the wall, not at all useful, and you can eliminate them. But there will be a few gems. Recharging your muse in this way will usually break you out of your block and give you new fuel for those middle chapters.

6. Reach out for support. Sometimes we need to know what's working and what isn't. We lose confidence and need someone to tell us we're on track and need to keep going, or there really is something wrong that needs fixing. Finding a writer's organization, critique group, professional writing mentor, or another author willing to partner up with you can be just the help you need to urge you on toward completion of your novel. Many published authors today rely on a personal support system they've developed for those times when they become too close to the book to make effective decisions about one or more elements.

Remember, writing to completion is important. To sell a novel you need more than a great idea. You have to get it down on paper—all of it—before you can hope to interest an editor or literary agent. Fight your way through that nasty middle by using the skills above, and you'll soon arrive that that exciting climax scene you've been dying to write! Happy writing, all--Kathryn

Find out more about great authors at ThrillerFest 2010!