Post History

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/38590
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Love the question!

IMO It is very distinct from the gore fest that makes a good horror. A good thriller will grab your interest - you won't be able to put it down. It will sometimes leave you breathless. It will leave you wanting more every time you have to turn the page. And you will feel a sense of loss when the book is done, not because the ending was unsatisfying, but because you are so invested that you can't bear to leave the story. It will at the same time leave you satisfied knowing that the conclusion you have reached makes perfect sense.

You KNOW all of these things about thrillers, This is not what you are asking, what you want to know is HOW to create all of these sensations in your reader. As a reader, I recognise that the writers who have created this response in me are those who can effectively capture the tension of the emotions of our protaganist & sometimes the villain as well. It is a challenge to how to create the emotive response of the villain, as ideally your reader will be completely in the dark about the identity of the villain until the last passage. In some respects this can also add to the tension, because you are presenting the motives and emotions of the villain through the lens of your main character, and possibly the supporting cast.

Part of the tension can be created by having the protagonist doubt their supporting cast. Initially they love and relate to them, but then they can begin to suspect they have have something to do with their predicament. In your story this would play out in Freya having real doubts at some point about the motivation of Lana, Casey and Troye.

It is the emotion and interpersonal interactions that create story, and it is the unknown tension of fear that creates tension. If you can generate a real fear in your reader that either Freya's love will be betrayed, or that her actual life is in danger, especially from one of her close supporting characters then you are likely to create the kind of thriller your readers will enjoy.

Adding in a plot twist of her becoming certain of the enmity of one of her close friends, only to have them proved to be true friends, and revealing a different character to in fact be the villain will generate the kind of mental whiplash that will work at drawing your readers in. All the better if you can turn your story into a multipart series this way.

Original score: 2