Hi Reader,
I'm so happy you're here to learn more about mystery/thriller writing this week! I'm finishing off this series with the last three of the seven elements that make up a propulsive mystery/thriller.
To recap, last week we talked about the mystery and thriller genres--how they are alike and different--and then I gave the first four of seven essential ingredients for crafting your mystery/thriller: Tropes/subgenre; catalyst/hook; character & motives; and misdirection & buried clues. I gave examples of how these all showed up in Gone Girl. If you missed it, you can read it here.
[Or if you want to listen to a raw, unedited recording of parts 1 + 2, click here.}
Before I get into it, I want to send out a reminder about my small-group revision workshop, Revision Confidence. I have just six slots available for this 12-week workshop, in which I help you understand and systematically work through a novel-length revision. We start October 15.
If you're interested in joining, find out more here, and use the discount code REVISION20 to sign up with 10% off.
Okay, now buckle up and let's finish our talk about mystery/thrillers using Gone Girl as our guide.
So, what are the remaining three elements that make up a propulsive mystery/thriller: Mounting pressure/raising stakes; the surprise twist; and a strong story structure.
5. Mounting Pressure/Raising Stakes
This is another bit of writing advice that is genre-agnostic. You must have raising stakes, and/or mounting pressure affecting your character. What do I mean by raising stakes? Well, the simplest way of thinking about it is complicating things for them. Giving them more to lose or gain if they don’t accomplish their goal.
For Nick Dunne, Flynn never stops raising the stakes. First it’s just his wife’s disappearance (which is already pretty horrific for someone to take) then it’s the dog-pile of mounting evidence against him. Then it’s the way the press skewers him. And the way the detectives are circling closer to him and eliminating any other suspects. Then all of a sudden it’s revealed that Amy is “pregnant.” And finally, when we learn the truth, that Amy is a whole-ass sociopath…the stakes are raised further since now Nick really has to get out of this mess. He’s to go on national television in spite of his questionably empathetic behavior. He and Amy are playing a cat and mouse game at this point. And then stakes are raised again when she comes home covered in blood and wounded from the “kidnapping” from her ex-boyfriend. And finally, when we learn that Nick must decide whether to stay with his crazy wife, and his child knowing what she’s capable of.
As for Amy, Flynn dogpiles crap on her too. She gets robbed, then when she goes to her ex-boyfriend for help, he creepily holds her kind of captive, and then she must concoct a way to get back to Nick and exonerate him from the framing scheme she set up.
Like woah. It’s just this upward trajectory of raising stakes.
So as you work on your novel, ask yourself: how can I make things worse for my protagonist? Both internally and externally?
6. Surprise Twist
Readers love to be surprised. Twists, when executed appropriately, are immensely satisfying and memorable. And they’re one of the best tools in your arsenal to prevent your book from feeling formulaic or predictable.
The question is, how do you execute a great twist? My answer: Hide the truth in your buried clues so that you lay the foundation; and think about it in terms of the phrase things aren’t what they seem.
For Gone Girl, the big twist comes at the midpoint, when we realize that the victim is actually the villain. (So, things aren’t what they seem). And then there’s another twist at the end when Amy reveals she is actually pregnant and therefore Nick has no real choice other than to stay with this monster. Not a happy ending, but a twist nevertheless.
And if you look back, the clues were all there, as Nick figured out. When he found the shed full of fun-guy stuff as part of his anniversary scavenger hunt clue, he knew that Amy was behind it all.
Or, if you’ve seen or watched Shutter Island, then you’re likely aware of the twist reveal that reminded us that things aren’t what they seem. Same with The Silent Patient, and every (fantastic) book that Alice Feeney has ever written. Side note: if you want a masterclass on twists, look no further than her brilliant Rock Paper Scissors.
To determine your twist, ask yourself how things might not be as they seem? What’s really going on beneath the surface. And then work backwards to trickle in tiny clues.
Hint: so many of the best twists have to do with character perspective/POV. Who is telling the story? Are they reliable? Trustworthy? Biased or unbiased? Coherent? Sane? Keeping very big secrets? Gone Girl, along with other psychological thrillers play with this idea for their twists: The Sixth Sense; The Girl on the Train; Black Swan; Fight Club. The list goes on.
Things aren’t what they seem.
Other mysteries/thrillers play with the crime and the victim to lead readers to the big reveal of the unlikely perpetrator (Mystic River). Or a motive that blows everything up by revealing a bigger secret about society or the world at large (The DaVinci Code).
A twist, when executed properly, should feel completely unpredictable, yet inevitable.
And here’s my final secret about crafting a great twist: often the twist is directly tied to the main point your book is making. Its theme. It might be about marriage (Gone Girl) or alcoholism or voyeurism, or greed, or sanity, or justice served.
So if you’re having a hard time coming up with your book’s twist, consider what point you’re trying to make about the world/society/the experience of being human—and figure out how your ending can drive that point home.
7. Solid Story Structure
Last but not least, you’ll want to craft your mystery/thriller with a strong story structure. As you probably know, I’m a big fan of Save the Cat but if there is another that you prefer (Story Grid, Story Genius, Hero’s Journey, etc.) that’s fine too. At the very minimum, your story should have a cause-and-effect trajectory, with each big event causing a character to take action, which brings about another event/effect.
Gone Girl definitely follows a tight structure, hitting all the beats that make it a satisfying reading experience. What I like about following a story structure is that not only does doing so give you guidance, but it helps you properly build momentum and hold your readers’ interest throughout the book.
If you’d like to see a full breakdown of Gone Girl’s Save the Cat! beat sheet, click here.
Or, on a simpler level…according to The Story Grid, there are six key scenes that are present in every mystery/crime novel:
1. Crime is committed
2. Personal investment: the person digging into the crime becomes personally invested for some reason
3. Potential motivation for crime (midpoint) big aha moment: After they’ve investigated a number of clues and or motives, a major reveal happens.
4. All is lost – pursuing the wrong lead, etc.: the protagonist/detective realizes they’ve been focusing on the wrong thing this whole time
5. Confront the real culprit
6. Justice served
You can hear the brilliant Savannah Gilbo break it all down for you here, using Knives Out as her master text.
Thrillers follow slightly different conventions, but nevertheless, I am a fan of using some structure to make sure you’re hitting crucial (and genre-expected) scenes as you draft.
Phew! Thanks for sticking with me. I know I threw a whole lot at you. But I hope it will be helpful as you work on your mystery—or any!—novel. If you’re working on a mystery/thriller, drop me a note! Let me know if this was useful and/or what you’re working on. Or, if you need help brainstorming or untangling any plot points or planting clues, feel free to jump on a free 30-min chat at any time.
Want more?
In case you scrolled to the bottom and missed it, I'm reopening my 12-week small-group revision workshop on October 15th. Learn more here and use the code REVISION20 for 10% off.
Happy Writing!
Karyn
P.S. Loving these emails? Buy me a cup of tea to say thanks. Or you can book a free 30-min story strategy chat here if you're interested in getting specific help with your book.
Granite Bay, CA
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