Essentials Of Genre Writing: Part I – Thrillers
This is a guest blog by Yawatta Hosby, writer and blogger. This post is the first of a 2-part series on the basics of genre writing. Over to Yawatta.
Thank you, Hemanth, for allowing me to be a guest on your blog again!
The paranormal and thriller genres seem to be really hot right now. If you’re a writer wishing to write in any of these genres, there are some hygiene factors you may need to ensure. Apart from this, make sure you do more research on the topic, and marry it with your imagination. This is Part I of this blog post series where we will look at the thriller genre.
Firstly, make sure you raise the stakes. Have the heroes and villains be intelligent enough so that neither can upstage the other easily. If readers are constantly worried about the good guys’ safety, then they will stay entertained. If something is solved, then create a new problem that needs to be fixed. A resolution shouldn’t occur until the ending.
Use logic. Use facts. Build mystery and ask questions that will get readers thinking. Readers of this genre love solving puzzles.
Also, think long and hard about your plot. What are the crucial moments in your story? Make sure every scene enhances the plot and isn’t just there as a filler. Are the events in your story realistic? Most likely, you’ll have to do a little research to ensure that your story is believable.
Don’t sugarcoat events and don’t be afraid to push the boundaries. With thrillers, readers want to feel exhilarated. If you don’t write about controversial or taboo topics because you don’t want to upset anyone, then you’ve missed the whole point of the genre. Don’t have your villains accomplishing hardly anything, whereby no one would be scared of them in real life.
Most significantly, don’t slow down the action or plot development by providing massive information dumps or excessive back-stories of your characters. Show, don’t tell. Your story will lose shock value if your readers are skimming over some of the narrative to get back to the action. Let your characters’ actions, body language, and dialogue show their personalities instead of telling the reader straight out.
Lastly, don’t write purple prose. Sex scenes can be avoided with this genre. Romance, in general, isn’t necessary for these types of stories, but it doesn’t mean it has to be avoided at all costs.
Are there any tips you’ve learned along the way that you’d like to share? Do write in.
Keep smiling,
Yawatta Hosby
Yawatta Hosby enjoys connecting with other writers through blogging. A Writer’s Blog shares book reviews, writing tips, and tidbits of her publishing journey. With a desire to escape every day life, she creates novels, novellas, and short stories. She has always had a fascination with psychology, so she likes to focus on the inner struggles within her characters. Yawatta is also an avid reader. Favorite genres: mystery, thriller, horror, and women’s fiction.
