How to Write a Thriller

Hurry. 

Grab the reader by the throat and force feed. Use good ingredients, a strong plot and true-to-life characters. 

Be original. 

Bear in mind that the best lies are sandwiched between truths: lurch between believable calamities. Keep hurrying. 

Punish your characters in unusual ways. 

Write interesting words rather than dull ones. 

Keep your chapters short. 

Now and then ignore your own rules. 

Remember Von Moltke - 'no plan survives contact with the enemy.' 

Improvise! 

Finally, as with all lying, do it with bravado. It's a leap of faith. You might just get away with it.