Thread by @elliemarney

Good morning :)
I've been writing a psychological thriller, and I was talking to a friend last night about crime story engines. So here's a thread of tips on writing crime thrillers.

I found a couple of useful articles about it. Many of these tips are condensed from this excellent article by @HunterEmkay :
hunterswritings.com/2012/10/12/ele…

And a crime thriller is not like a conventional Hero's Journey arc. If you'd like some direction on that, you could check out this plotting diagram by @MattReesAuthor :
mattrees.net/2014/02/20/plo…

Anyway here's the tips:
* In your first chapter, either begin with the threat in the story (the crime action) or introduce your protagonist with dark foreshadowing

*Your villain drives the story & the main objective is that your protagonist must OUTWIT the villain. In an action thriller, there's a physical battle (& yes, you need action). But the main conflict here is the mental clash btwn protag/antag - their weapons are mind, skill, wit.

*So there is physical danger, sure - but the primary danger is to the MIND or INTRINSIC IDENTITY of your protagonist

*The primary themes are: death, reality, perception, identity, existence, purpose.
Motives and intentions can be more important than the technical aspects of the crime.

*So you want to complicate things emotionally/mentally for your protag. Your supporting cast, for instance, should all carry some personal baggage that increases conflict for the protag.

*One of @HunterEmkay 's best suggestions: to maintain action/momentum, write it so that many decisions and plans have to be made by your hero and their allies in transit/on the fly.

*Conflict should continually escalate (like in any good novel), and the ticking clock element is essential.

*Essential differences between suspense/thriller:
~ Suspense= your reader knows something your protag doesn't, and tension builds
~Thriller= your reader doesn't see the threat coming (jump scare!)

*Combining the two:
~ Suspense-thriller= the reader is waiting for something to happen. The protag's job is to stop it from happening. The reader identifies with the protag and becomes are participant in the race against time.

*At key moments, ask 'what would the reader expect to happen?'
Then discard those ideas. You want to write the UNEXPECTED.

*Always remember what a crime story is - it's a story of the human puzzle. What makes a normal person do evil things? It's about the primal conflict between the good and evil in peoples' hearts.

*Crime narratives are a kind of morality play, in which the readers is made aware of a lesson to be learned about human nature.
***What is the reader learning in your story?***

Thanks to @HunterEmkay for the insight into the thriller writing process - go read that article, folks.

/end

POSTSCRIPT for YA WRITERS:
If you're writing a *YA* crime thriller, as I am, there are some additional things you need to keep in mind. And here they are:

*You're writing a teenage protagonist in an adult world setting (police, forensics, detectives). You MUST find a way to give your teen protagonist agency in that setting. Don't let adults drive the narrative action (or you're not writing YA).

*The best way to give teen protags agency - in my experience - is to give them a connection to the crime, the victim of said crime, or the antagonist/villain.

*Need suggestions?
~Crime= make them a witness, a suspect, a trainee investigator, a HS journalist covering the story etc
~Victim= could be a friend, sibling, parent, classmate, secret crush
~Villain= again could be a friend, relative, someone they're dating etc

*Bonus points: they're not sure...but they suspect they might be the villain themselves

*Creating that connection is doubly important because when an adult protag investigates, it's their job (external motivation, regardless of internal motivation). When a teen investigates, they need an major internal push to keep them going when things get dangerous.

*And you want things to get dangerous, obvs.

*Externally, teen protags will have the added pressure of adults telling them to stay out of it, parents who are worried for their safety etc. Plus school/home/social routines and demands. Cue: fabulous conflict.

*And remember: Not all teens can drive/have a car. Teens (often) don't have credit cards/ready cash. They're supposed to be in school, and keeping up with their homework. They have a lot of external restrictions and pressures.
USE ALL THAT.

That's it for today. Go forth and write that badass YA crime story 🔪💣💉🔬🔎

/Ellie out