3 of Michael Connelly’s Favorite Bits of Writing Advice
Michael Connelly (author of the Harry Bosch series) shares three of his favorite nuggets of advice from other writers.
In his ThrillerFest session “The Series Character: How to Do it Right,” Michael Connelly (author of the Harry Bosch series) offered three of his favorite bits of advice that he’s collected from other writers.
“I’ve carried these with me for decades,” he said. “I think they really sum up where you should be if you’re going to do this”—especially if you want to write crime fiction.
1. The best crime novels are not how cops work on cases; it’s how cases work on cops.
–Joseph Wambaugh
In other words, Connelly said, it’s all about character. Character is key, especially in series fiction. Readers don’t return to your work because of a plot twist—they return because of character.
2. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
–Kurt Vonnegut
Regarding series characters, Connelly said this ties into a character’s sense of searching (which, he added, when unfulfilled, is what draws people to the next book).
3. When you circle around a murder long enough, you get to know a city.
–Richard Price
Connelly said this was Price’s reply when asked why a great writer would spend their time writing crime fiction. He pointed out that a writer should have a higher aspiration in their work—to use the form to say something about society, something about one’s city.
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Zachary Petit is a freelance journalist and editor, and a lifelong literary and design nerd. He's also a former senior managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine. Follow him on Twitter @ZacharyPetit.
