I've just finished writing my sixth thriller a few weeks ago, a novel
that will probably remain untitled until we get closer to a publication date.
While this is the first of two related novels, I still don't have a feel for
how the next book will move. Everything past the first hundred pages remains so
sketchy. Instead of hitting it hard, I've decided to take the day off and watch
a movie. At this point I can't decide between THE MALTESE FALCON or THE SILENCE
OF THE LAMBS. I love both films, and Dashiell Hammett and Thomas Harris are two
of my favorite authors.
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| Dashiell Hammett |
What I admire about both of
them is their remarkable grasp of storytelling. In both cases, the films are an
exact mirror copy of the novels. John Huston directed THE MALTESE FALCON. But
it's his credit as screenwriter that makes up one of my favorite stories in the
history of filmmaking. Hammett's novel was so tight, so perfect, that Huston
handed the book over to his assistant, asked her to transcribe it into
screenplay form, and went fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. If you ever get your
hands on a copy of that screenplay, you'll see what I mean. It's Hammett's
novel, word for word!
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