The Characteristics of a Thriller Novel
Most thrillers share certain characteristics in characters, plot, and atmosphere. The setting is typically dark and creepy, and there is usually violence and crime, often murder, involved. The world of the thriller is dangerous and corrupt, with peril lurking around every corner. For the most part, thriller novels are fast-paced, exciting, and at least a little gritty.
The hero, or the protagonist, is often quite different than will be found in a mystery. In a mystery, the hero is usually competent to some degree. He or she will be intelligent, quick witted, and have the training or experience to keep up with the antagonist. Victory isn’t assured, but at least the hero already has the skills necessary to survive.
Protagonists in thrillers are more often just ordinary people. A man or woman thrust into danger with no real experience or training to survive. Most of the time, the hero ended up involved in the entire situation by accident or a twist of fate. It’s not usually intentional. He (or she, as the case may be) will have to learn the rules and acquire the skills to make it through to the end of the book. A thriller is sometimes describes as the process by which the protagonist becomes a true hero.
Another distinctive trait is the plot structure of a thriller novel. Heroes in thrillers spend most of their time thwarting the actions of the antagonist, whose identity is usually known all along. Unlike a mystery, which climaxes with the solving of the puzzle, a thriller climaxes with the defeat of the villain. In many cases, the hero dies to assure victory.
Writing a Thriller
Readers of thrillers want you to scare them out of their pants and slap them in the face with the unexpected. So, when writing a thriller, imagine that you’re on an unknown rollercoaster with a blindfold on. Your story needs to be just as engaging and keep the readers on their toes.
Accomplishing this isn’t always that easy. It helps if you get really good at the “what-if” game. Think about your characters, where they are, how they got there, and start plotting. How can you possibly make things even worse? There’s bound to be a way — a believable way — to make things even more challenging for your protagonist. Thrillers are all about what happens next, so make what happens next thrilling and terrifying.
The thriller genre is one of the few genres where you absolutely should go over-the-top. The general rule of thrillers is “if it’s at all plausible, go for it.” Give your readers all the information they need to make sense of the plot so you don’t caught trying to pull the wool over your readers’ eyes. This means revealing key plot points earlier than you might in a mystery. That’s okay, because you’re not writing a mystery. You’re writing a thriller.
The way you end your thriller can make or break your book. The biggest mistake thriller writers make is to wrap it all up too quickly or too neatly. You just spent 300 pages weaving a thrill ride. You should probably take more than a single page to untangle everything. Make your audience truly believe that your ending makes sense by taking the time to do it right. At the same time, don’t go nuts. The ending should fit the story. If the story was complex, the ending will be complex. If your story was simpler, your ending should reflect that.
Thrillers are most easily defined by the mood they elicit and their approach, not by the subject matter they address. Thrillers may have elements of horror, mystery, paranormal, or crime, but they are unique entities deserving of consideration in their own right.
