In the writing world, there are two main camps. Plotting and pants-ing. I’ve turned more into a plotter over time. I’ve wasted too many words and ideas on scenes that ultimately didn’t lead anywhere.

But that doesn’t mean I adhere to a strict outline either. In life and writing, I think it’s important to leave room for the unexpected.

Here are 3 crime fiction links, 2 quotes, and 1 question for this week:

3 LINKS

• Whether you’re an author or a devoted reader, you’ll find yourself nodding along to most of this article and then wondering why you’re reading it, and then wondering why there isn’t something better than GoodReads after all this time.
  
  
• The Bulwark looks beyond Westlake’s Stark & Dortmudner characters to his late standalones like THE HOOK and THE AX.
  
  
• The InsideHook looks at Hiaasen and Lippman as models for why former reporters write some of the best crime fiction.

2 QUOTES

Two quotes from Donald Westlake this week:

• “Whenever things sound easy, it turns out there’s one part you didn’t hear.”
  
• “In order to hold your faith intact be sure it’s kept unsullied by fact.”

1 QUESTION

• Do you prefer the hard noir of Westlake’s Stark books or the softer comedy of Dortmunder?

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Until next Thursday, happy reading,

Mike

Author the Max Strong thriller series