14 Years in War Crimes Courtrooms Before Writing His Spy Thriller | Another Try with Gene Koon

Gene Koon spent 14 years as a UN video director with no plan to write a novel. His best material wasn't research he went looking for, it was testimony he sat through incidentally, sitting in on the Yugoslavian war crimes trials where intelligence operatives sometimes testified in closed session. The more he listened, the more he suspected these people could make compelling characters for a book, so he filed the idea away. Years later, that idea became the starting point for Another Try. From there, Gene built the book around a specific complication: what happens to an operative whose entire skill depends on staying hidden once the president publicly credits him for a cartel takedown and turns him into a reluctant celebrity. He talks through writing Garris's reaction discovery-style rather than plotting it out in advance, and why knowing the book's literal last two words within the first hour of writing shaped everything that came before them. Key Takeaways: • How 14 years of real war crimes testimony gave him the idea for a cast of intelligence operatives • Why he wrote his celebrity-spy character's reaction by discovery instead of planning it in advance • How knowing his novel's last two words within the first hour shaped the entire draft • Why every chapter needs its own hook, even for the writer • His research philosophy: give readers just enough detail, then move on Gene Koon Another Try: https://www.amazon.com/Another-Try-Ge... Follow Gene Koon online: https://genekoon.com/ Want to be part of the conversation? Join the Patreon and ask your questions for the guest Q&A. You’ll also get early access to episodes, bonus after-show segments, and my free novella Cognitive Breach. Your support helps keep The Thriller Writer Lab going and brings more great thriller authors into the Lab.   / markpjnadon   Mark's Thrillers Psychological tech thrillers from your host, including The Treatment Room: https://mybook.to/marksthrillers Follow on Social: Facebook:   / markpjnadon   Instagram:   / thethrillerwriterlab   TikTok:   / thethrillerwriterlab   Chapters: 00:00 - Cold Open 00:49 - Meet Gene Koon & Another Try 06:09 - 14 Years of War Crimes Trials, Filed Away as Characters 07:37 - Writing a Spy Who Becomes a Celebrity 09:49 - Knowing the Ending First 21:29 - Managing a Large Cast Without Losing the Reader 25:23 - Research Philosophy: The Size of the Hole 26:59 - Basing a Character on a Real General 33:37 - What Led to His Success (Advice for New Authors)