Novel advice from bestselling author

Phillip Margolin has been writing novels for 30 years. Every one of his 12 novels has been a New York Times bestseller, and with his latest novel, Executive Privilege, he may make it 13.

On Thursday, May 29, Phillip Margolin will come to Portland State to give a lecture, “How to Write a Novel in Your Spare Time,” at 7 p.m. in Smith Memorial Student Union, room 238. It’s a rather appropriate topic given that Margolin wrote many of his novels while working as a full-time attorney.

Margolin can recall moments in his life as they line up with the release of his novels.

“The year Heartstone came out, I argued at the United States Supreme Court,” Margolin said. “And in between my first and second books, I started handling major cases, like murder cases.”

Margolin received a bachelor’s degree in government in 1965, and went on to become an attorney, practicing here in Oregon. Initially, he never wanted to become a writer. Margolin said that growing up he was an avid reader who “was in awe of writers.”

Eventually, though, he tried his hand at novel writing.

“I wrote my first novel starting in my last semester in law school because I couldn’t understand how anyone could write a novel. I wanted to see if I could write more than 25 pages about something,” Margolin said.

And though his first couple of tries didn’t yield anything he felt was publishable, Margolin said he enjoyed the process and kept writing as a hobby. Eventually he wrote Heartstone, his first published novel–and his best-selling.

After 25 years of working as an attorney, Margolin had to make a decision: continue practicing law, or take his writing to the next level.

“I realized I couldn’t do both things full time, and I had been a full-time lawyer for 25 years,” Margolin said. He ultimately chose to become a writer.

Drawing on the old cliché “write what you know,” Margolin did just that. His books are legal thrillers, mostly set in Portland. The realm of law usually sets the foundation for his novels.

“In these books, I use things from my personal experience; it just makes them more realistic,” Margolin said.

During his years as an attorney, he cross-examined witnesses, learning how people behave in court.

“A lot of the books have scientific evidence in them, like blood spatter and neutron-activation analysis,” Margolin said.

Debra Gwartney, an assistant professor, worked with PSU’s “Friends of English” to bring Margolin to speak.

“It’s really generous of him to step in and do this,” Gwartney said. “I think he is going to be full of that kind of hope and perseverance…. I think he will have a lot of good advice.”

Advice is one thing Margolin certainly has.

“Unless you are having a good time with it, don’t do it,” Margolin said. “The other thing I tell people is to never ever want to be a writer. Get a job to feed yourself…. Find something you really like doing. Then write as a hobby, don’t stop writing.”

Along with his advice, Margolin brings experience as a mostly self-taught writer.

“I only took one writing class in college and I got a C-plus in it,” Margolin said. “Everything I learned I sort of taught myself, and I had editors and they kind of beat me up.”

When Margolin visits this Thursday, he’ll likely bring with him his confidence and self-starting character. For anyone who hopes to write that breakthrough novel, or simply learn a few things about writing, or maybe just be inspired, Phillip Margolin’s visit should prove helpful.

“How to Write a Novel in Your Spare Time”Author Phillip Margolin7 p.m., SMSU, room 238Free for students and staff