What Do Jeffery Deaver, Chris Roerden, and Lee Lofland Have In Common?

Jeffery Deaver, Chris Roerden, and Lee Lofland

Saturday, writers from all over the east coast gathered at the High Point Public Library in High Point, N.C. for the May Skill Build Conference presented by the library and the local chapter of Sisters in Crime. International bestselling author Jeffery Deaver was the headliner for the sold out event.

It was as if the skies knew the master of the dark, twisted ending was approaching. If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought Deaver wrote his own setting for the day.

Jeffery Deaver taking notes during my presentation of CS I Don’t Think So.

The event opened with my two-hour presentation of CS I Don’t Think So. I talked about which TV shows get it right, and which do a horrible job of portraying police and forensics. Of course, I mentioned cordite, pistol safeties, Miranda, and The Andy Griffith Show.

I went a step further and talked about just how well Jeffery Deaver researches his material before writing the first word. The example I used was when my computer crashed and I feared losing all my material – years and years of material. Well, when I read Deaver’s book, Roadside Crosses, one of the detectives in the story recovered a laptop that had been submerged in salt water. He turned the device over to a computer expert who removed the hard drive, dried it out, and then placed it into a hard drive enclosure where he was able to easily retrieve the data. Well, knowing how accurate Jeff Deaver is when conducting research I immediately Googled “Hard Drive Enclosure.” Long story short – I ordered one and was able to save my data, all for around $40.

Hard drive enclosure

Captivated by Jeffery Deaver’s 1.5 hour lecture—“People Don’t Read to Get to the Middle: Writing a Page-turning Thriller”

Deaver offered excellent advice for writers. Here are a dozen key points from his workshop.

1 – Writer for the reader, not for yourself.

2 – Write what you enjoy reading.

3 – Two most important aspects of writing—plot and character.

4 – Locale – make it interesting and get it right.

5 – Write what comes from your soul.

6 – Know your craft – grammar, syntax, etc.

7 – Grab your reader by the lapels and pull them until they reach the last page.

8 – Keep your reader turning the pages by promising something, but don’t deliver (unresolved anticipation).

9 – Violence – LESS IS MORE.

10 – Villains should be smart, credible, and maybe have more resources than the hero.

11 – Toss your ego out the door.

12 – Resolve all the conflicts.

Chris Roerden rounded out the trio of presentations with her workshop “Showing vs Telling: When to Use and How the Writer’s Voice Affects Publication.”

Chris offered some of her own writing secrets, such as:

1 – Dramatize scenes that are important to the story.

2 – Show conflict and tension.

3 – Show, Don’t Tell. Disguise facts as part of a dramatized scene.

4 – Lower tension to prepare the reader for the next burst of action.

The three of us signed books and answered questions after each presentation.

The last event of the day was a panel discussion where the three of us answered questions that ranged from “How do I get an agent,” to “Mr. Deaver. How do you come up with such interesting characters?”

Jeffery Deaver and I will be at Killer Nashville in August, and at the Writers’ Police Academy in September. Jeffery Deaver is the guest of honor at both events.

5 replies
  1. Suzanne Adair
    Suzanne Adair says:

    Excellent program on Saturday, Lee. I’ve been covering it this week on my author blog at http://www.suzanneadair.typepad.com. Today’s entry talked about your presentation, “The Graveyard Shift,” the goofs in cop TV, and your upcoming Writers Police Academy. Thanks for all your hard work.

    BTW, in the picture of you sitting at the signing table, Teresa Fannin and I are visible behind you. 🙂

  2. Teresa Fannin
    Teresa Fannin says:

    Saturday’s program was a writer’s delight. Not only was CSI Don’t Think So fun and informative, it was worth the price of admission to know just how the TV shows do screw up the reality of police work. And, as good as your presentation was Lee, it was fantastic to listen to a writer who had figured it all out; what he wrote, how he wrote, and what made his fiction un-put-down-able! Jeffery Deaver not only understands his own writing process but he is willing to share what he has learned. A writer’s writer! Kudos to you and Chris and Jeffery!

  3. Nancy Metzner
    Nancy Metzner says:

    It was a great conference. Lot of laughter and serious note taking happening were happening in the Morgan Community room. Now somebody please tell me how are we going to top this one next year!

  4. chanel19
    chanel19 says:

    It was a great event. Thank you so much for being there. Your presentation was great.

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