In my four-part blog series on the Thriller genre, I’m going to discuss the core nature of the thriller and what sets it apart from other forms of fiction. In three future segments, I plan to discuss the hero(es), the villain(s) and plotting and pacing. My intent is to offer some insights to fellow thriller-writers and perhaps learn something myself along the way.
The primary thing that sets the thriller apart from its cousin, the mystery, is that most often there is no whodunit. For the most part, the bad guy (or guys…assume hereafter I mean both singular and plural, masculine and feminine) is revealed fairly early on in the plot, if not the very first page.
This leads to a temptation for many aspiring thriller writers to open their book with a prologue, in which the villain incites the story through some nefarious act that sets his plans in motion. Please resist the urge. Most editors do not like prologues and neither do I. There are justifications for prologues, but they should be the exception, not the rule. Prologues are a whole other blog article.
While the primary question in a mystery is ‘who?” the big question in a thriller is ‘how?’ How is the villain planning to accomplish his goal? This is critical for the hero to know how to stop the villain. In a mystery, on the road to finding out who committed the crime (usually murder), finding the ‘why?’ or motive goes a long way toward helping the protagonist sleuth to finding the culprit. In a thriller, similar but different is the ‘what?” Finding out what the villain plans to do helps our hero know how to thwart him.
Which brings us to another difference. In a mystery, finding the perp is usually the end of the story, sometimes after a brief pursuit and/or capture scene. In a thriller, finding the answer to ‘how’ only kicks the thriller into high gear. Our daring protag still needs to execute a spectacular plan to dismantle the villain’s plans. And of course when has a plan ever come off exactly as laid out? Therein lies more fun.
Your audience for a mystery is those who like the process of uncovering secrets and following obscure evidence trails to uncover even more. In many cases, the more shocking the secrets revealed the better they love it. I know that’s part of what makes me love a good mystery. Your audience for a thriller are those who like action, adventure and daring do. The pitching of two enemies against each other until one comes out on top. Where a mystery is like the old card game Concentration – uncovering clues and remembering them, matching connections when they appear – a thriller is like chess – opponents making moves in attempts to misdirect and outwit each other and win the day.
Of course, like all attempts to define something complex, these definitions (mystery vs. thriller) are not all-encompassing or true in all cases. For example, I haven’t mentioned how many mysteries and most thrillers include elements of romance, or how either can take place within the realm of historical fiction or SciFi, etc. As with all forms of fiction, there is overlap. I’ve only attempted here to lay out the broad strokes of what makes a thriller. Your results may vary.