MasterClass – Dan Brown Teaches Writing Thrillers

Craft page-turning suspense
Packed with secret symbols and high-stakes suspense, Dan Brown’s thrillers have sold more than 250 million copies, including one of the world’s best-selling novels, The Da Vinci Code. In his MasterClass, Dan unveils his step-by-step process for turning ideas into gripping narratives. Learn his methods for researching like a pro, crafting characters, and sustaining suspense all the way to a dramatic surprise ending.

Lesson Plan

01 – Introduction
02 – The Anatomy of a Thriller
03 – Finding the Idea
04 – Choosing Locations
05 – Creating Heroes and Villains
06 – Universal Character Tools
07 – Character Case Study: The Da Vinci Code
08 – Research, Part 1
09 – Research, Part 2
10 – Building a Story From the Ground Up
11 – Creating Suspense, Part 1
12 – Creating Suspense, Part 2
13 – Writing Chapters and Scenes
14 – Selecting and Utilizing Point of View
15 – Exposition and Dialogue
16 – Editing and Rewriting
17 – Protecting Your Process
18 – Life As A Writer
19 – The Secret of Secrets