I love it, but as David Allen Coe said about the perfect country song, it leaves out some essential elements:
1. A crime (can precede the timeline of the narrative)
2. Tough wise-cracking dialogue
3. An unsympathetic protagonist (with whom you none-the-less identify)
4. A femme fatale
5. Sexual tension
6. A tough brutal thug (the nemesis of the main character)
7. Ironic plot twists
8. A double-cross
9. A sense though out that all the characters are doomed
Sorry, but you gotta work all that into the formula.
Jeff
---- davezeltserman <davezelt@rcn.com> wrote:
> okay, here's my simple algorithm for writing a thriller
>
> while (Page_count < 350) {
>
> write 3-4 page chapter
> if (rand() > .75) {
> add plot twist to end of chapter
> } else {
> put hero in danger
> }
> }
>
> --Dave
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