How Tod Goldberg Writes Bestseller Crime Fiction—and Teaches Writers to Do the Same

Author Background & Teaching Philosophy

• 💡 Tod Goldberg is a New York Times bestselling author of 16 books, winning multiple awards like the Hammet Prize.
• 🎯 He is a creative writing professor at UC Riverside, where he founded and directs the Low Residency MFA program.
• 🧠 Goldberg believes good teachers can identify talent across genres, as writing rules like conveying empathy and creating suspense are universal.

Personal Experiences Fueling Creativity

• 🌱 His vulnerability stems from growing up with "bad parents," including an undiagnosed bipolar mother and a sociopath father.
• 📝 His essay "Let Them Bleed" details witnessing his mother's death and a boxer's death as a child, highlighting how traumatic experiences can be shared to connect with others.
• 💬 Goldberg emphasizes that artists share experiences, and his ability to identify with others' pain is central to his work.

The Professional Writing Process

• ✅ He maintains a structured daily routine, writing in the mornings and handling university duties in the afternoons.
• ✍️ His method involves rewriting previous day's work before moving forward and stopping mid-sentence to ensure momentum for the next session.
• 🚀 Goldberg demonstrated extreme productivity by writing 100,000 words in two months after his wife's cancer recovery, fueled by pent-up emotion.

Mentorship and Community for Writers

• 🤝 He stresses the importance of critique partners and finding a supportive community, suggesting online programs and local classes.
• ⚠️ Goldberg warns against scams and grifters in the writing world, advising writers to seek recommendations from trusted authors.
• 💡 His own journey was shaped by overcoming profound dyslexia as a child, which instilled a strong desire to teach and prove his capabilities.

Crafting Characters and Themes

• 🎭 Goldberg enjoys writing about "bad people" who believe they are good or are trying to be "goodish," creating unpredictable characters.
• 🔍 He explores complex themes, noting that hope can be a delusion, referencing a friend's survival story where giving up hope was key.