The S I N N E R
I recently watched the crime drama, mystery television series, “The Sinner”, a story in which a detective with his own past tries to uncover why a seemingly “normal” woman would commit a brutal and senseless crime. This series teaches two things every author should know:
The more a character has suffered, the more the reader will be rooting for them to win.
A plot device can include taking the abnormal and unraveling it to the normal (as opposed to the other way around).
The second point I had never really thought of for my own work. My skills shine in the other way: I take the normal and twist it into the abnormal. A reverse was an astounding idea for me, especially as I continue writing my third novel in The Fergus She series. My character’s story is so complex at this point, I don’t think I could ever weave the plot lines into normalcy, and I surely don’t want to. But for future novels, I might just construct that type of plot.
The basis for the Emmy-nominated “instantly gripping” (Washington Post) limited series starring Jessica Biel, The Sinner, is an internationally bestselling psychological thriller surrounding an unexplained murder.
