Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction | 1966 | Patricia Highsmith | Buy |
| 2 | Patricia Highsmith’s Diaries and Notebooks: The New York Years, 1941-1950 | 2021 | Patricia Highsmith | Buy |
| 3 | Patricia Highsmith: Her Diaries and Notebooks: 1941-1995 | 2021 | Patricia Highsmith | Buy |
Patricia Highsmith’s non-fiction output is small but significant. Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction (1966) is her guide to the genre she mastered, offering practical advice on character, plot, and the creation of tension. The book has stayed in print because Highsmith’s own work stands as proof that her methods produce results.
The two diary publications from 2021 offer a different kind of insight. Patricia Highsmith’s Diaries and Notebooks covers her New York years (1941-1950), while the expanded edition spans her entire life through 1995. These diaries reveal the private thoughts of a famously private and difficult person, and they have added new dimensions to the understanding of both her life and her fiction.