[stylist] Blogging--how do you go about it?

[The Crowd]

Michael Crichton's Top 5 Writing Lessons
April 28, 2009

Karen Dionne, author of Freezing Point, reveals what her late hero, Michael 
Crichton, taught her about crafting solid fiction.

Think velociraptors on distant islands. Murderous gorillas guarding fields 
of diamonds. Dramatic doctors tending to trauma patients galore. Even if you 
never read him, you probably recognize the intense imagery he created over 
the last few decades-be it Jurassic Park, Congo or his television epic 
"ER"-and that's a testament to Michael Crichton's role as a master of 
intelligent, modern storytelling.

In memory of the author, who died in late 2008 at the age of 66, we asked 
Karen Dionne-a writer David Morrell deemed "the new Michael Crichton" for 
her thriller debut Freezing Point-to share what she learned from her idol's 
books. Here's what she said:

1. CHALLENGE YOUR READER. Don't be afraid to tackle complex topics such as 
quantum physics or manipulating the genetic code. Readers love learning 
something new. Stirring their curiosity is just as important as grabbing 
them from the first page.

2. SURPRISE YOUR READER. No one reading The Andromeda Strain could have 
guessed the ending. Novels should be novel. Unpredictability is key.

3. KEEP THE CLOCK TICKING. Timing, tension, momentum, pace-Crichton set the 
bar. A pounding heart keeps the reader reading.

4. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT. Whether the details pertain to science, history 
or setting, readers expect your research to be accurate.

5. PLAY FAST AND LOOSE WITH THE FACTS. Story trumps all. Crichton's gift was 
making the impossible believable. Everyone knows that dinosaurs can't be 
cloned from fossilized DNA, but if they could .
This article appeared in the March/April issue of Writer's Digest. Click 
here to order your copy in print. If you prefer a digital download of the 
issue, click here.


That last link doesn't seem to work in this email. Sorry guys.

Atty


"Qui docet, discit."
"He who teaches, learns"

I have learned that people will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Maya Angelou