The Art of Thrillers: Behind the Shadows

1. Start at the End.

Every thriller contains a story question:

A. Who killed the protagonist's closest friend?

B. Why are people leaving this same local town?

To make the writing process easier for yourself, you need to know who committed the crime, why they did it (their purpose), and what the truth is. You may create the plot and characters by working backwards from one of them. More than any other genre, a thriller requires you to have a clear sense of your direction and the way the puzzle pieces fit together. Plotting and preparation are necessary to make sure that suspense and tension rise steadily throughout the narrative. You may deliberately place clues, add twists, and keep readers on the edge of their seats as they attempt to solve the mystery alongside your protagonist if you have a clear destination in mind. Since the final narrative twist is the entire point. The answer to one of those questions may provide the twist. 

"If the killer is evident, make the motive unexpected. 

If the motive is evident, make the killer unique."

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager is a page-turning book that keeps throwing readers for a loop by presenting them with red herrings regarding the killer and their possible motivations. I've written a book before where I understood why someone did something, but I didn't know who did it. I developed the plot and characters around that revelation, starting with that purpose as the climactic turn. At other instances, I work from the finished set piece first. I was working toward that climax for my novel before because I knew there would be a party at a wealthy person's house when the protagonist finds the murderer. I wanted to write that moment, and knowing it in advance gave me something to look forward to. That was my cookie. 

Consider, "What's really going on here? " while you write. You can outline everything ahead of time if you want, but regardless of your process, give yourself the freedom to come up with a crazy twist or red herring and incorporate it during drafting. I've come up with some of my best plot twists during my early drafts. Think about the plot behind the plot. That makes it easier to write your surface plot. Whether you outline or not, having that baseline knowledge allows you to insert hints and foreshadow as you're drafting. I often discover new reveals as I'm writing, thanks to having certain pieces already in place.

Readers of thrillers anticipate a plot twist. In fact, many books these days feature a double twist because it's such an expectation. I had all the answers when I was reading Holly Jackson's A Good Girl's Guide to crime, and I was certain that there was only one person who could have committed the crime. One thing about which I was correct, but there was still more shown at the very end. As a writer, you can use misdirection to point your readers in one direction at the 80% point and then surprise them with a second twist between the 80% and 90% mark.

In her books Rock Paper Scissors, His & Hers, and Sometimes I Lie, Alice Feeney masterfully plays with expectations. She often ends her stories with a knife-edge twist, when a single piece of knowledge tints the entire preceding narrative—usually in a negative way. The goal is to present the characters in a fresh way, not to alter the incident or the culprit. For an enthusiastic reader, this creates an entirely new experience when they reread the book. The idea behind twists is to defy expectations. However, avoid twisting your plot into a pretzel or abandoning logic in an attempt to shock people. You run the risk of making your story less believable.

If you keep readers engaged throughout and make the journey thrilling, they won't mind if some of them figure out your twist before you do. Writing the most absurd thing that no one could possibly guess is never the aim. The intention is to amuse everyone while deceiving a few, regardless of their perception. A twist that keeps readers interested and happy can be created by finding a balance between realism and unexpected. Recall that a twist's real power is not shock value, but rather its capacity to enthrall and surprise. The success of your story ultimately depends on how skillfully you combine fun, tension, and anticipation throughout the story.