If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that. – Stephen King

Recently, a friend asked me, “How do I write a thriller novel?” It was a reasonable question, and it required me to respond reasonably, as much as I personally have my own inimitable mind that does not call upon me to adopt the pose of The Thinker, and for that matter, nor should you. I will subsequently return to that opinion; however, might I say at the outset that I concur with the celebrated author, Stephen King, to whom I wholeheartedly endorse with my imprimatur his vital starting point: Read. I read for my professional calling in life. Still, that is not a tool for writing thriller novels, nor do I use the contents of any of my old cases for my thriller novels (let me be clear, I also don’t set out to write thriller novels). Yet Mr King is right, and at night, or during the day when time permits me to do so, I read as much as I can, novels, poetry, and even the published letters of classical writers and poets, like I am presently doing by reading Lord Byron’s selected letters and journals, which acknowledging the anachronism and in many instances, the chauvinism, of him, there is nevertheless an abundance of writing tools to acquire by reading one of his letters. There is also an additional benefit derived from reading: It simultaneously enriches your mind while also cleansing it. Read, my dear friends, to open the door to that wonder of nature inside your minds- your creativity.

I did not set out to write my first thriller book, The Flower Bed, by sitting down like our poor, mentally exhausted friend, The Thinker. Indeed, I was not even thinking about writing a thriller book, nor was I intending to do so, when the storyline for The Flower Bed exploded out of the universe of my creative mind. I was serving dinner to my then-three-year-old daughter when the basic plot of The Flower Bed, with its dark criminal, romantic, and psychological elements, consumed my mind. All my life, as far back as I can remember, I had the key to open the door to that wonderful universe of my mind. And I touched upon this subject in my previous newsletter from several weeks ago, I Saw a World in a Grain of Sand https://michaelspringauthor17.art/2026/02/20/i-saw-a-world-in-a-grain-of-sand/. Yet the compelling difference on the occasion that The Flower Bed exploded to the forefront of my thoughts was that I immediately sat down and wrote the opening chapter, thereby embracing, in my opinion, the most fundamental element of writing, whether your genre be thriller, romance or crime, namely, start writing immediately. Because of the wonders of modern technology, you can even start writing the story on your devices by email or text message to yourself. And once you start writing, don’t stop. I cannot count the number of storylines that exploded into my consciousness since I was young, that I inadvertently discarded because I did not immediately emancipate them from my mind onto the page.

The importance of immediately unleashing the story into the written form, no matter where you might be when the storyline enters your mind, may be best illustrated by turning to my second novel, another thriller book that delves into psychological, science-fiction, espionage, and forbidden love. Because my mental health conditions include, among others, generalised anxiety, one of my darling wife’s thoughtful Christmas presents for me, on that Merry Day in 2023, was a voucher for three one-hour sessions in a modern flotation pool (not the rancid old flotation tanks of the 1980s). The pool was four metres long and three metres wide, allowing me to float in the centre without the sensory disturbance of touching the walls. And after the introductory ten minutes of calming music concluded, I was then floating, in total darkness, and not a sound in the world to disturb me. I was not even intending on writing a second novel, as I was in the midst of publishing my first thriller book, when suddenly, without even thinking about it, the entire plot for Two Minutes entered my mind not long before the music resumed to signal that I had to get out of the pool and leave the relaxation centre. Rather than venturing to another venue, I immediately drove home and began writing the opening chapter of my second thriller.

Similarly, for the third thriller novel I am currently writing, when time permits, I did not intend to write it, but suddenly, while I was waiting to see my treating psychiatrist in May 2025, the storyline for it entered my mind. So, while I was waiting for my appointment, I typed a text message to myself to get started. So, I cannot help stressing the importance of commencing writing the storyline down immediately, because once I do so, the plot is lodged in the forefront of my mind, until I instruct my publisher to push the button (so to speak) for the book to be published worldwide. As for how you write the plot, that is an individual matter, which I will not take up your time with. Some people will urge you to write a plot plan- if it works for you, that is wonderful. I do not write up a plan. Instead, I just let that storyline flow directly from my mind onto the page, without inhibiting it with a plan. Perhaps it is a unique trait of the pathology of the creative universe of my mind that I can write in this manner, yet it works for me.

So now I return to our friend The Thinker, by Auguste Rodin. If I can impart one further thought into your minds: Don’t try to come up with a storyline. Do not sit there, metaphorically turning coal to diamonds in your innards as you try to conjure up the storyline. Instead, by contrast, take life in and enjoy it, because the imagination, indeed your creativity, is a creature of spontaneity, and the next international best seller is more likely to evolve from insouciance rather than earnestness.