2010 SFU Mystery Writers' Retreat, Salt Spring Island: Michael Slade

Michael Slade, author of classic novels like Ghoul and Red Snow talks about the value of a name.

For characters and authors! Zinc Chandler or Michael Slade, for instance.

Check out the Summer Publishing Workshop taught by Michael Slade called
How to Write a Thriller

http://www.ccsp.sfu.ca/pubworks/HowToWriteAThrillerWithMichaelSlade

The three elements of suspense: fear, hope, and time. Five Ws and an H: Who is involved? Who is at risk? Where is it taking place? When will it occur? Why is it happening? How will it be resolved? Ten rules for a thriller: how to perch readers on the edge of their seats. Subgenres: soft-boiled, hard-boiled, and "Just the facts, ma'am."

Which comes first, the plot or the sleuth? Whodunit tricks and traps: creating a riddle wrapped in a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Flatfoot and gumshoe: elements of the police procedural. How much sex and violence? Blood runs cold: shock and horror. Research: how to live your plot. Suspending disbelief: injecting verisimilitude. Skeletons in the closet: writing historical mysteries. Screaming pitch: building a story arc. Write the good fight. Genre bending.
Faculty

Michael Slade, in real life, is a criminal lawyer. He has acted for both the defence and the prosecution in more than 100 murder cases. He argued the last death penalty case in the Supreme Court of Canada. From Headhunter (1984) to Red Snow (2010), Slade is the author of 14 bestselling mystery thrillers. Visit the Morgue at his website: www.specialx.net. See also The Mystery Writers Retreat

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• Michael Slade
• Thriller
• Horror
• writer
• advice
• Salt Spring Island
• Mystery
• Mystery Writers' Retreat

[noirnoticvibe]

a wealth of knowledge 4:09... thanks