High Stakes & Potent Plotting

Step into my World? 

Intrigue and Supense - Chiller Plotting?

All the steps in creating a plausible plot in thriller writing (in my opinion- but feel free to disagree!) must come from the premise of an antagonist (villain) wanting one thing and a protagonist (hero) wanting the direct opposite. This, I believe, creates the basic conflict that will drive the story to its final climactic end. Layered in and around this conflict may be more subplots and story lines that enrich the central story. In other words the story is multi-layered and thick with intrigue and suspense. As far as I can see, all the really good thrillers of recent times seem to be written this way. And it is this potent mixture of forces set one against the other that is the engine behind a rollicking good story.

The stakes in a thriller must also be very high so that menace and threat are around every corner. Of course, the greatest threat (and the one many successful stories have thrived on) is world domination or a catastrophic event that threatens the entire world. For example ‘War of the Worlds’, ‘Alien’ and various James Bond’s epics. The plotting for a novel like this may start fairly worryingly but then the plot (or story arc) should rise to epic proportions and stakes go higher and higher as more danger and conflict is piled on and more people realise the gravity of the situation. A frantic race against time is also often used as a plot device to ratchet up the tension and create even higher drama.

But it doesn’t always have to be about threats to the entire world - it may simply be threats to a main character’s nearest and dearest. And in this case the best way to raise the stakes is for the reader to strongly identify with the characters in peril and so worry for their safety. Every thriller plot cannot be all about action. Suspense, good character development and rising tension can do the job of raising stakes equally well in even the most urban of thrillers. And engendering empathy is integral to the plot too.

In my writing, when I have a basic premise for a novel, I set about developing strong characters with a full back story and personal history that makes them the person they are in the story. The Protagonist and the Antagonist are compared side by side to ensure they will clash and want opposite things and that then sets the story in motion, I hope... I start to design the scenes with conflict and tension and maybe add subplots (which will eventually tie into the story line) to create more obstacles for the protagonist - many will come from the antagonist, of course - that he/she will need to overcome to succeed in their quests.

I try to see the story outline as a whole graph of rising problems which get ever worse until the final climactic scene. Then it is all downhill to the resolution and, hopefully, satisfying ending.

This is just a quick snapshot of how I go about plotting. But how do you do it? Do you do something similar or maybe not plan at all?

Brilliant 'How To' Books.

Brilliant How to Books

During my writing adventures I have been grateful for those usually famous authors who have shared their knowledge of craft to help other would-be thriller writers.

In the beginning I read them for their insightful advice on developing all the usual writerly skills – this in the days before writers blogs took off. And it wasn’t as if I was ignorant about writing, I studied for a creative writing degree at University and went on numerous writing courses/conferences etc where I not only learnt from lectures but could also talk to those who had done it successfully.

But always I came back to my books. After all that is the bedrock of our profession – books. I have amassed quite a collection of writing books over the years – some good, some not so good. But the interesting thing for me is that they still provide me with inspiration! Whenever I feel a bit down – usually after a rejection or a fit of self doubt - I pull out one of my favourites and re-read. it always lifts me and fills me once again with a sense of enthusiasm.

I also turn to my books when I am struggling with a particular issue like the setting, characters or editing and revising. In the planning stages of a book my approach has been different with each project, (taking advice from my how to books) but the plus side is I now know what works best for me. 

So here’s some of my gems:

My all time favourite:

Stephen Kings ‘On Writing’

Next:

‘How to Write a Damn Good Novel’  James N Frey.

‘The Key’, James N Frey.

‘How to Write a Damn good Thriller’, James N Frey.

‘How to Write Tales of Horror, Fantasy and Speculative Fiction’ J.N Williamson.

‘Hooked’, Les Edgerton.

‘Lessons From a Lifetime of Writing’, David Morrell.

‘Writing the Breakout Novel’, Donald Maas.

‘Stein On Writing’, Sol Stein.

‘How Fiction Works’ Oakley Hall.

‘The Techniques of the Selling Writer’, Dwight Swain

And for a light-hearted read:

‘Wannabe a Writer’, Jane Wenham Jones.

So who are you favourite ‘how to’ authors?

For samples of my own writing: http://www.patricianewcombe.webnode.com/