Nic Pizzolatto Quotes

I have an idea, and I have a perpetrator, and I write the book along those lines, and when I get to the last chapter, I change the perpetrator so that if I can deceive myself, I can deceive the reader.

The writers are very good about misdirection and changeups, and that's what's great about it. We always think we know what's going to happen and then they throw a curveball that you don't see coming.

It goes all the way back to 'Psycho.' Movies with twists like that are memorable because they're so simple.

My writing has always been what you call 'narrative fiction' in the sense that it's got very strong plots and twists at the end.

A story to me means a plot where there is some surprise. Because that is how life is - full of surprises.

It was quite risky to open the book with one of my quieter stories; I'm kind of trying, I think, to lure readers into a false sense of security and then assault them with a couple really loud, really strange stories.

On an island, anything can happen. In a crime novel, it usually does.

I did know that the book would end with a mind-boggling trial, but I didn't know exactly how it would turn out. I like a little suspense when I am writing, too.

On a TV show, you don't know where the character is going.

On TV, you never know where it's going. They may even lie to you about where it's going. You never really know because the scripts come in every couple of weeks or so.

I've said in many interviews that I like my fiction to be unpredictable. I like there to be considerable suspense.

A good story will keep you wondering about what's happening, what's going on, where does this go? Now it's going to go that way, now it's going to go that way. It has to do that. If it's predictable, it's just boring.

'Homeland' does have that ability to tear the rug out from under you.

There are other ways to create tension and drama than to have somebody stabbed through the back with a sword.

Well you know, the big trick with 'Saw,' the sleight of hand that you have to pull off is that - spoiler alert - the bad guy, the antagonist, is right there in front of your face, literally.

When I go to the cinema, I'm often frustrated because I can guess exactly what is going to happen about ten minutes into the screening. So, when I'm working on a subject, I'm always looking for the element of surprise.

In real life, coincidences happen all the time. In novels, they are leapt upon with fury.

Always in my books, I like to throw that rogue element into a stable situation and then see what happens.

As in all TV shows, and especially a show called 'Mistresses,' all is not going to be as it seems.

The challenge in any kind of storytelling, as far as I know, it is, you're looking for the moment that is completely unexpected, but at the same time, you think to yourself, 'Of course, that's the only way it could have gone.' It has to feel like it's the truth of it.

It's a good thing about George R.R. Martin: He's prepared to kill off the main guys. You don't get the feeling that the good guy is going to last forever, like James Bond.

'Scandal' is great because it's intriguing and sexy, and it has a lot of play with secondary characters in situations, lots of drama.

What keeps readers turning pages is suspense, which you can create using a variety of techniques, including tension, pacing and foreshadowing.

If we can continue to tell stories where fans don't know what will happen next, I think that will be a plus in this 'Divas Revolution.'

What's so cool about 'Light of the Seven' - and what I love about 'Game of Thrones' - is you never know what's going to happen.