Write A 'Roller Coaster' Novel

Murderous Climaxes and Thriller Endings.



If there’s one thing that annoys me more than anything else when I’m reading, it is the climax that flaps about like a fish out of water and then a ‘so what’ stupid ending. I feel particularly disgruntled when I have spent many hours patiently reading (page by page and sentence by sentence) a book that seemed to promise a breathtaking climax, only to find the writer chickened out and produced a  wet firework instead of an explosive high point.

Endings and climaxes are two different things, I do realise, but they should both produce a feeling of satisfaction if the reader is to feel the story was worth reading.  In thriller writing the climax is the point at which you should feel excited (thrilled) to finally be getting to the high point of the story and you can’t wait to see how it all comes out! Steadily working your way to a building climax could also be compared to an exciting ride at the fair, I think. The roller coaster builds tension as it appraoches the very top of the ride and then plunges downward to produce thrilling gasps from the passengers. It seems to me that reading a thriller should be somewhat like this? ( Or maybe you disagree...)

In thrillers, one of the best (and most used) climaxes is when someone’s life is threatened or someone is about to be killed and the hero finally succeeds and overcomes the threats - often in some kind of high octane action scene. Building up to this point in a proper believable way, however, needs to be appropriately handled according to the story.

The ending is somewhat down river of this high point but it too should produce a feeling of satisfaction that all has turned out as it should. The ending should also fulfil and answer the original story question posed at the beginning of the book. All loose ends need to be tied up at this point and the reader should know it is the end of the story. Not turning the last page to see if there is any more…

So are your scenes properly built up so the reader is thrilled/excited ( like the roller coaster reaching the precipice then dropping headlong down to the ending)? Do your endings reward the reader and give a sense of 'no unfinished' business?

Visit my website http://www.patricianewcombe.webnode.com/ for samples of my own thriller writing or download my latest book 'The Witcheye Gene' from amazon kindle.

Ta! Da! 'The Witcheye Gene' now in kindle form!



Hi everyone

Three cheers! I have finally got my book ( The Witcheye Gene' by P J Newcombe) into e-book form and it is released today on Amazon kindle. it is of course, still availble as hard copy on amazon but now you can download it too. Brilliant! The book is a supernatural thriller and it would be great if anyone feels they could take a look at the free sample or even, dare I say it, buy?

Here is the blurb to try and tempt you:

'Kendal MacIntyre has fought long and hard to overcome the emotional scars of an unhappy childhood to create the successful boutique business she now has. Having lost her husband to cancer she is driven by one thing only – to see her daughter April have all the advantages in life that she herself was denied. So when someone appears to be snooping, she is terrified that her shameful secret will wreck April’s chances in life and she stubbornly refuses to acknowledge the hereditary trait of ‘special’ sight. But when an evil killer threatens the very existence of her family, she knows she must face her demons if she is to save the one thing she cares about.'

Do let me know what you think? All comments - good or bad - are most welcome. 

Raising the Stakes

A Thriller Killer?

Murder’s, the TV and film industry would have us believe is frequent and horrible. The truth is, happily, it’s not as frequent as it might seem. Murderers inhabit the corridors of whodunits and mystery novels like the opening night of a Harry Potter premier. The best example in English TV is the small quiet leafy village of Midsommer where murders – usually more than one - happen every week! The focus of those plots is for the hero/heroine to solve the murder and catch the killer.

In thrillers, unlike mystery and ‘whodunit’s’, a murder is often not the main plot line. But a killing will often serve to raise the stakes for the hero/heroine i.e. a woman desperate to save her child (and the rest of the world maybe) has to accept the kidnappers mean business when another child is found murdered. In a race against time, Killings along the way may be viewed as acceptable losses. Some murders are even inconsequential – strange though it may seem. For instance the multitude of deaths in war stories, blockbuster disasters and action movies.

The best thrillers, though, often have a murder somewhere in them, even if it is only a bit player (eg The Da Vinci Code and other search/quest thrillers). It lifts the story from ‘so so’ to a higher level where more important characters are under threat and the anxiety for the reader ratchets up a level. This, of course is where thrillers come into their own for they are all about rising tension and cliff hangers at a mile minute speed.

In one of my books (The Witcheye Gene) the killing actually starts in the prologue - another familiar way to show the true nature of what the hero is up against.

So do you need to show the actual murder in graphic detail or not? Depends is my answer – if we want the reader to feel worried or scared for the hero then yes. But maybe a few choice details will suffice rather than a blow by blow account. I also think it is more about showing what kind of person the protagonist (villain) is and how his character connects to the story, than the actual deed.  However no one is truly all evil – except maybe the devil himself - so a fully rounded villain also needs some redeeming qualities. Many of the best known villains murder ruthlessly and without compunction yet they love their mother/animals/children! In fact, I believe it is these very human traits mixed with the very worst traits that fascinate us so much. And that is why the best known fictional villains/murderers stay with us for a long time. They could so easily have been just like us!

Murder for murder’s sake should never be introduced into a story just to spice it up but a well placed, well developed villain/protagonist who murders horrifies us and that can certainly rev a tale up into top gear!

Who is your favourite murderer/villain in the most well known fiction?

Fruitcake author?

Does slotting your book into a genre still mean as much in today's publishing world?
I seem to come across many novels that cross the genre boundaries and, yes, I think they are more gripping as a result.
In fact my own books have a little of the kitchen sink syndrome about them. I mean, to make them lively, interesting and readable I do find myself wanting to mix mystery, romance and even a dose of pshychological suspense. Sometimes I think I might be confusing making a fruit cake with developing a plot - all ingredients go into the mixing bowl! Or there again maybe I AM a fruitcake!
The problem, they tell me, is not about what makes a book exciting and readable but about how a publisher can categorise a book.
But there again, readers choose what to buy based on their own tastes for certain genres, or so I am told. I think most of us have a bent for our particular genre but personally, I also read as much as possible oustide my usual choices to broaden my reading experience. And I am sometimes quite pleasantly surprised to find I enjoy a particular book that I initally was not so sure about.
I suppose it's also about expectation - if you pick a book from the horror section you certainly would not expect it to be a cosy romance!
However, every book/story should have the basics of conflict, surprise, struggle and resolution - and if that story includes the odd murder, romance, scifi and even a cowboy, well so be it.
The issue then is for the author to decide what genre their work falls into.
But, I do think crossover books are gaining ground and a big, plotline-packed multi-tiered novel is going to be hard to categorise anyway.
I guess it comes down to what you want to write about...

So are you a genre writer? Do you stick faithfully to your chosen genre?

To read samples of my books visit http://www.patricianewcombe.webnode.com/
'The Witcheye Gene' is also available to buy on amazon.co.uk

Techno tart or Metamorphosis junky?

The World is full of writers! Until I started blogging and twittering I never realised just how many people write novels, let alone other forms of writing. It seems the whole world is just tapping away at keyboards. Is that a good thing? Of course, but I have to confess that as this realisation slowly dawned on me, it made me realise just how much competition I have to get my novels out there and how hard it is to break into mainstream publishing. I even feel a teensy weensy bit sorry for agents and editors. How on earth can they choose? But choose they must and anyone who has penned a really good tale and taken care with the editing and presentation will always give themselves a good start in this headlong race to get publishing houses attention. But as someone esle said, elsewhere, is it always about publication? Maybe not but I do belive it is always about wanting to be read by someone somewhere... Why else write?
Luckily for many of us there are other forms of being read nowadays and that includes stuff like this - blogging and networking. And there again there is always self publishing and e publishing and many other things. None of which carry the kind of stigma (of being second rate writing) that they once did. The world has changed - even in the short time of the advent of the internet - was it only 1991? And it continues to metamorphose at a faster than ever rate. The way we read is also rapidly changing - look at the growth of e-readers. So, who knows what opportunities tomorrow might bring?
Onwards and upwards I say. Embrace technology - you might as well, because you certainly can't stop it!
What do you think? Do you embrace technology?
Do visit my website and see samples of my novels, if you've time:
http://www.patricianewcombe.webnode.com/