All writers I know are readers first and foremost, and that's why you become a writer. Mark Billingham foremostreaderwriter Change image and share on social
We didn't have all the distractions that young people have today. We didn't have these incredible computer games and social networks to engage with. I understand that. But once young readers do discover reading, when they discover a book which they fall in love with, it really unleashes something new in their imagination. Mark Billingham bookcomputerdiscover share on social
I do have a touch of OCD, and I used to obsess about research. But I'm better than I was. Gone are the days when I would drive to a set of traffic lights to find out if you could turn left. I finally realised it didn't matter. A book will not stand or fall on whether or not there's a branch of Starbucks in Brixton. Mark Billingham bookbranchbrixton share on social
In the 1970s, there was a trend for all detectives on TV to have some quirk or gimmick, and this was often physical. Mark Billingham 1970sdetectivegimmick Change image and share on social
The day a character becomes predictable is the day a writer should think about moving on - because the reader certainly will. Mark Billingham characterdaymove Change image and share on social
Too much research can be the writer's enemy. You can spend days on end in the British Library or prowling the streets with a Dictaphone, and it's easy to convince yourself that you're working hard. Often, it can be an excuse not to work; a classic displacement activity. Mark Billingham activitybritishclassic share on social
I'd read one too many crime novels where the victim was just a name: body number one, dead woman number 12. I understood fear, and I wanted to create characters who made readers say, 'Please, don't hurt this guy.' That's the key to suspense. It's easy to disgust a reader. It's much harder to make them care. Mark Billingham bodycarecharacter share on social
I've often said the reader knows every bit as much about Thorne as I do. When I created him for 'Sleepyhead,' I was determined he should be a character who would develop, book by book, change and grow as we all do, and who - crucially - would be unpredictable. Mark Billingham bitebookchange share on social
It may sound surprising, but a joke and a crime novel work in very much the same way. The comedian/writer leads their audience along the garden path. The audience know what's coming, or at least they think they do until they get hit from a direction they were not expecting. Mark Billingham audiencecomecomedian share on social
I think women tend to write about how violence feels, whereas men tend to write about what violence looks like. Mark Billingham feltmantend Change image and share on social