Paging Mr. Grisham

Aug 16

I spotted a book online that grabbed me as soon as I read the premise. The great thriller writer John Grisham agreed to coach a personal friend of his write a first-time thriller novel. I was hooked, mostly because I was curious what Grisham’s advice would be. I’m a professional writer, and I’m always fascinated by how highly successful commercial writer work their magic. This book seemed too good to pass up. The book is called Writing with the Master, and before you run out and buy it, I think you ought to read my article first, because it will tell you for sure if it’s the right kind of book for you.

My piece is running today at SleuthSayers, the mystery blog. It is entitled:

Mr. Grisham Has Thoughts About Your "Book"

The book, by the way, is called Writing with the Master, by Tony Vanderwarker. (Affiliate link.) The two men lived in Charlottesville, VA, and hung out frequently, so the prospect of writing a book naturally came up. I have been there, let me tell you. Tons of people ask me for writing advice. Actually, they mostly ask how they can sell the book before they have even written it. They usually assume that the writing will be a piece of cake. It never is.

As you can imagine, that’s sort of how Vanderwarker’s book came to be.

Here’s part of what I’m saying over at SleuthSayers today:

Speaking as a writer who struggles to juggle my own writing with the demands of ghostwriting clients, admin tasks, my wife’s work, the house and garden, and all the other things life throws one’s way, including friends who want advice on their writing, I was frankly astonished that someone of Grisham’s caliber would surrender so much of his time to help a friend. In promo interviews, Mr. Vanderwarker said Grisham was inspired by his recent reading of an account of Chef Daniel Boulud’s mentoring of a younger chef.
In the course of 196 pages, the two writers embark on a process that is both fascinating and brutal to watch. Fascinating because it’s probably the best look anyone is ever going to get of Grisham’s creative process. (That’s the reason I bought the book. Grisham granted permission to excerpt his critiques.) Brutal because, let’s face it, unless you are a very special individual, the first few books you write will be unpublishable. They’re critical to your development, but they are usually not something you can sell. And thrillers are among the toughest genres to nail.

I hope you’ll go check out the post. I had lot of fun writing it and thinking about the writing process.

Thanks for stopping by! In my article, I mention Wanderwarker’s book, which is a thriller about nuclear submarines. The book was actually published! Definitely go check it out. And while you’re here, I hope you’ll check out some of my thrillers.