Writing a Killer Thriller

by Jodie Renner

  2. Rising action – Initial Problems, Conflicts

  The rising action shows the initial conflict and early issues – the first struggles of the main character. The protagonist now understands his main goal and begins to work toward it, and begins his struggle against the antagonist. Smaller problems thwart any initial success, and in this phase his progress is directed primarily against these secondary obstacles. This phase shows us how he overcomes these obstacles.

  3. Climax – Turning Point – Major Confrontation

  The point of climax is the turning point of the story, where the main character makes the single big decision that defines the outcome of the story and who he is as a person. This stage occupies the middle of the story.

  The beginning of this phase is marked by the protagonist finally having cleared away the preliminary barriers and being ready to engage with the adversary. Usually, entering this phase, both the protagonist and the antagonist have a plan to win against the other. Now for the first time we see them going against one another in direct, or nearly direct, conflict.

  This struggle results with neither character completely winning, nor losing, against the other. Usually, each character’s plan is partially successful, and partially foiled by his adversary. What is unique about this central struggle between the two characters is that the protagonist makes a decision that shows us his moral quality, and ultimately determines his fate.

  The climax often contains much of the action in a story, for example, a defining battle.

  4. Falling action – Dark Moment

  This is often the time of greatest overall tension, with almost everything going wrong for the protagonist.

  In this phase, the villain has the upper hand. It seems that evil will triumph. The protagonist has never been further from accomplishing the goal.

  5. Resolution or Denouement

  Calling on his last reserves of strength and courage, the hero manages to win the final battle. The main conflict is resolved; the protagonist is (usually) successful; the main story question is answered; all elements of mystery are solved.

  NIGEL WATTS’ EIGHT-POINT STORY ARC

  I recently discovered Nigel Watts’ very useful “Eight-Point Story Arc,” a time-honored, foolproof way to structure a story, whether it’s flash fiction, a short story, a novella, or a novel.

  Here are the eight points of Watts’ Story Arc, in order:

  1. Stasis

  2. Trigger

  3. The quest

  4. Surprise

  5. Critical choice

  6. Climax

  7. Reversal

  8. Resolution

  As Watts explains, every classic plot passes through these stages, in this order. You would go through these stages once only for a short story. For a novel, the overall plot should follow this process, and it should also be used on a smaller scale for each subplot within the main story.

  You can use this plot structure both at the initial planning stage and as a reference and reminder during the writing process, as Watts does:

  “I find it most useful as a checklist against which to measure a work in progress. If I sense a story is going wrong, I see if I’ve unwittingly missed out a stage of the eight-point arc. It may not guarantee you write a brilliant story, but it will help you avoid some of the pitfalls of a brilliant idea gone wrong.”

  So what do the eight points mean?

  1. Stasis

  This is the protagonist in his everyday life, before he’s thrown into turmoil.

  2. Trigger

  A conflict or problem beyond the control of the protagonist (hero/heroine) disturbs his or her world and forces action, setting the story in motion.

  3. The quest

  The trigger, usually a stressful one, forces the protagonist to get involved, make decisions, and act. The main character’s quest or goal is usually to solve the problem and return to the status quo or a happy, normal life.

  4. Surprise

  This stage, which should be called “Surprises,” takes up most of the middle part of the story. The surprises usually consist of piling on obstacles, complications, conflict, and trouble for the protagonist. It’s a good idea to plant one major plot twist around the middle of your story.

  And be sure your surprises aren’t predictable or random—they need to be unexpected, but plausible. The reader has to think, I should have seen that coming!

  5. Critical choice

  Just before the climax, your protagonist is forced to make a crucial decision, a critical choice. This decision is highly stressful for your character, who must reach deep within himself for inner resources and plumb the depths of his courage and resolve. This is often called the “dark moment,” as the character faces what is likely to be the most difficult decision of his life to this point. The critical choice usually involves a moral dilemma, with the morally right decision being the more difficult path, and the bad decision being the easier one.

  This is often when we find out exactly who a character is, as darker traits are revealed at moments of high stress. And of course this needs to be a decision the character must make to take a particular path, not just something that happens by chance.

  6. Climax

  The critical choice made by your protagonist leads to the climax, the highest peak of tension, in your story. In thrillers, this is the major confrontation and battle between the hero/heroine and villain. It could also involve a high-speed chase or other dramatic happening.

  7. Reversal

  The reversal is the consequence of the critical choice and the climax, and it shows a major change in the status or outlook of the characters – especially your protagonist. Your hero or heroine has made a big decision and gone through a confrontation, both of which have changed them and their life. Or a story event takes a new, unexpected direction.

  Note that your story reversal needs to be believable and inevitable, not the result of a freak accident or a coincidence. And for greatest reader satisfaction, your hero needs to be the master of his own fate and resolve the conflict through summoning his own courage, determination and abilities, not by sheer luck or another character coming to the rescue.

  8. Resolution

  The resolution is a return to a fresh start – the protagonist has undergone significant changes and is wiser, and can now return to her “normal” life (at least for a while), as the main story problem has been solved and the big story question has been answered.

  Nigel Watts of course goes into a great deal more detail in his book, Teach Yourself – Writing a Novel, and includes lots of excellent examples from well-known fiction to illustrate each stage in his story plot outline. Watts also discusses many more excellent fiction-writing techniques in this great guide.

  PLANNING YOUR NOVEL

  Make a rough outline of your plot.

  To guide you, start with a plot outline or step sheet.

  Brainstorm and list the main plot points of your story, outlining the main scenes depicting the villain’s offensives and your hero’s struggles. These main events should be linked by cause and effect. This gives you a rough framework. You don’t have to stick with your outline religiously, but it gives you a good starting point and can focus you again if/when you wonder where you were going. If you decide to change the story in various places, just make the changes on your step sheet, too.

  Resources:

  James Scott Bell, Plot & Structure

  James N. Frey, How to Write a Damn Good Thriller

  Nigel Watts, Teach Yourself – Writing a Novel, 2006 edition (originally published in 1996) http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Yourself-Writing-A-Novel/dp/007147806X

  Wikipedia

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  Chapter 4

  AVOID THESE PLOT AND STRUCTURE GAFFES

  PLOT AND STRUCTURE NO-NO’S TO FIND AND FIX

  Here are some possible “big-picture” problems in a thriller or other suspense novel that can be caused by lack of planning. These types of glaring mistakes in
plot/structure will bog down your story and could sink your reputation as a thriller writer. Fortunately, they can all be remedied in the revision and self-editing stages.

  ~ Overwriting. Not enough self-editing.

  Today’s bestselling thrillers are mostly between 70,000 and 90,000 words. Unless you’re an absolutely brilliant writer, and experts in the business have told you so, if your manuscript is over 95,000 words long, it very likely needs tightening up.

  ~ Meandering writing – the main story question / problem is fuzzy.

  What’s the protagonist’s main goal and fear, and his main problem? This should be obvious early on and be the overriding driving force behind your whole plot. Don’t let it get lost in meandering writing, too much backstory, frequent info dumps, too many characters, too many subplots, and unrelated plot details. As Jessica Page Morrell advises, “weigh each scene and event you include and ask yourself if it’s pushing the protagonist toward his goal or opposing his goal. If not, get rid of it.”

  ~ One unrelated thing after another happens.

  Don’t get caught up in “and then, and then, and then,” with a bunch of sub-stories or episodes that aren’t related to each other and don’t directly tie in with the main plot problem and story question. Your events and scenes need to be connected by cause and effect. Each scene should impact the following scenes and complicate future events.

  ~ Dog’s breakfast

  A common problem is too many characters crowding the scenes with no elbow room, and readers getting confused and frustrated trying to remember who’s who. Or maybe you have too many subplots that veer off in different directions and confuse the issue. Or a convoluted story where many issues or subplots don’t tie in with the main character and their main problem. These issues would all qualify as prime “kill your darlings” material.

  ~ A main character who’s unsympathetic, predictable, or wishy-washy.

  Readers want a protagonist they can bond with and root for. Create a lead character who is smart, likeable, and charismatic, but with inner conflict and a few flaws.

  ~ A thin plot

  This is where the story line is obscure, with all kinds of unrelated happenings and way too much yak-yak dialogue that doesn’t have enough tension, conflict, or purpose. Also, often the issues and stakes aren’t serious enough. Anything that doesn’t directly relate to your major story problem or develop your characters or drive the story forward should be cut.

  ~ A predictable story line

  Write in some twists, surprises, reversals. When a character has to make a decision or her actions cause repercussions, brainstorm for all possible consequences and choose one readers won’t be expecting. Add in reversals here and there that force a change in goals, actions, reactions, or consequences. Don’t overdo this, though, and be sure your reversal makes sense and is in character, or your readers will feel manipulated or cheated.

  ~ Flat scenes

  When scenes are boring, it’s because there’s not enough friction, worry, and uncertainty. Make sure every page has conflict and tension. Every scene needs a focal point or a “hot spot” – its own mini-climax. Also, be sure to start scenes late and end early. And don’t tie everything up with a neat little bow at the end. End with the protagonist in more trouble (most of the time), or with a cliffhanger.

  ~ Don’t worry, be happy

  Everybody’s getting along so well. What’s wrong with that? It’s great in real life, but in fiction it’s the kiss of death. Why? Because it’s boring. Conflict is what drives fiction forward and keeps readers turning the pages.

  ~ Overkill: Nonstop action

  Unrelenting car chases, explosions, and violence, with a constant break-neck pace, can numb readers and movie-goers alike.

  Here’s some good writing advice from a movie review of Iron Man 3 in The Weekly Standard: “What all these moments had in common is that they were unexpected. They had levity and grace, all the more so because they interrupted a series of frenetic action sequences that, in their relentlessness, would have turned enervatingly banal without them.

  “So what the audiences crave is not action-movie sameness, but character-driven idiosyncrasies.”

  The fix: Vary your pacing, and write in some quieter moments here and there for variety and breathing space before the next onslaught.

  ~ Plot holes.

  Watch for those actions, reactions, events, character reactions, and other details that just don’t make sense for one reason or another. Look for any inconsistencies, illogical details, or discrepancies. Make sure all your story questions are answered at some point.

  These internal content/logistic errors are often difficult for the author to see, so this is where your critique group or beta readers can be invaluable, especially if you specifically ask them to flag anything that doesn’t make sense for any reason, no matter how big or small.

  Better yet, you can save yourself a lot of time and frustration by running your basic plot line past a few smart, trusted friends before you even start writing, in case they say something like, “Well, I don’t see how that could even work, because...” Then you can reexamine the overall premise or plot idea for plausibility and fix any glaring logistics errors early on.

  ~ A sagging middle.

  It’s easy to get bogged down in the middle and turn it into a muddle. Your middle needs:

  – Escalating conflict, stakes continually rising for the protagonist

  – Surprises, difficulties, twists, setbacks, and complications that challenge the protagonist and keep the readers turning pages

  – Increasing threats by the bad guy(s)

  – A ticking clock – time constraints, to add pressure and tension

  A strategy to remedy this: If you’re getting bogged down and losing interest/inspiration, go back to where the story really grabbed you, and consider what came between that and the scene you’re at now. How can you oomph up the scenes in between? Should the less-than-compelling section be revised or even cut and replaced with a more gripping scene or series of scenes? (Remember to save anything you take out for possible future use.)

  ~ No noticeable character arc.

  With the exception of a lot of action-adventure or military stories, and Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels, most compelling thrillers show the main character undergoing change, caused by the adversity they’ve gone through and the resources they had to pull out of themselves to survive or conquer evil. Usually they are stronger and more confident for it and more able to face adversity. Certain attitudes they held at the beginning will often have changed by the end, especially negative ones. Even minor character growth and enlightenment will be satisfying to readers, who’ve become bonded with that person.

  ~ An unsatisfying ending.

  This can be caused by a number of factors, such as:

  – The hero wins by a coincidence, act of God, or help from a minor character. We want the hero to win by his own resourcefulness, cleverness, determination, courage, and inner strength! Not by help from others or Deus ex machina.

  – The hero loses. Unsatisfying and disappointing. Leave that for literary fiction. Or if you must make him lose the last battle, make him win/gain in another way.

  – Ending is too predictable. Brainstorm for possible ways to add a surprise twist at the end.

  – Logic flaws – the ending doesn’t really make sense given the details supplied earlier.

  – Things wrap up too tidily and suddenly. Don’t be in a hurry to finish your story – make sure all the story questions are addressed and all the elements of the ending make sense.

  – Things dribbling on for too long after the resolution. Know when to stop.

  To guard against or remedy these kinds of gaffes, be sure to enlist some knowledgeable beta readers who read bestselling thrillers for pleasure. And whether you’re planning to pitch your story to agents and acquiring editors or publish it yourself, it’s important to contact a well-respected freelance editor with good credentials and refe
rences to go over your manuscript.

  Resources:

  James N. Frey, How to Write a Damn Good Thriller

  James Scott Bell, Plot & Structure

  Jessica Page Morrell, Thanks, But This Isn’t for Us

  Movie review in The Weekly Standard: http://www.weeklystandard.com/keyword/Iron-Man-3-Review

  Back to TOC

  PART III

  CREATE COMPELLING CHARACTERS

  Chapter 5

  INVENT A CHARISMATIC HERO

  The hero or heroine of a suspense-thriller, like the protagonist of any popular bestseller, has to be impassioned, unique, and likeable enough for the reader to be immediately drawn to them and want to follow them through their journey, worrying about them and cheering them on through their challenges. So it’s important to take the time to create a charismatic, passionate, complex, sympathetic main character, so readers connect with him or her immediately.

  Heroes in novels and movies haven’t really changed a lot since the days of Robin Hood and Maid Marion, but they continue to have universal appeal because, through them, readers can vicariously participate in exciting adventures, confront danger, and defeat evil to win the day and restore justice. Makes for a very entertaining, satisfying read. Get the adrenaline flowing with worry and fear, then triumph over adversity together, just in the nick of time!

  Like the heroes of tales of long ago and, more recently, western and action-adventure stories and movies, the hero of a thriller is often larger than life, and because of his cleverness, determination and special skills, can accomplish feats most of us cannot, including finding and crushing the bad guys before they get him! But unless you’re writing a James Bond-type story, don’t make your hero perfect or too cocky! Give them some inner conflict, baggage, and insecurities to keep readers identifying with them and worrying about them.