THRILLS ‘N CHILLS WITH BOBBY NASH
What is it that attracts you to writing and reading thrillers?
I love thrillers. That edge of your seat, nail-biting, suspenseful, almost anxiety inducing type of storytelling really gets my blood pumping, both as a writer and a reader. As with everything, character is at the heart of a good thriller. I like to get to know my characters, care about them, and then put them through hell. That’s the beginning of a good thriller. As a reader, I get drawn in by the character’s plight. As a writer, writing the characters in those situations is part of the fun. The other part is figuring out how to then get the characters out of the trouble they’ve gotten themselves into. Everything starts with character. Once I get to know and trust my characters, they will tell me how they want to handle a particular situation. That also opens up some cool story beats and plot twists. Sometimes my characters won’t do what I want them to do.
Another good thing about thrillers is that they mix very well with other genres. You can have a mystery/thriller, crime/thriller, sci-fi/thriller, political/thriller, medical/thriller, suspense/thriller, action/thriller, literary/thriller, pulp/thriller, and so on and on. Almost everything I write has a little bit of thriller in it.
What are the key elements of a thriller?
There are no hard and fast rules for writing a thriller. As soon as we put together rules, a writer will come along with a novel that proves the exception to them. In general, thrillers tend to include these elements.
A powerful antagonist (villain) who can challenge the protagonist (hero) is important. Thrillers generally need both. Most often, there is a personal stake involved or it becomes personal as you go along. A detective keeps interfering in the killer’s plans, so the killer puts focus on beating or taking out the detective. A stalker and their prey. Someone out for revenge. The villain needs a good motivation or presence. Character is everything.
Your protagonist is just as important as your antagonist. Character is everything. This is usually your point of view character for the reader as well. We get to know them, root for them, like them. Usually, though it’s not a requirement, the protagonist is flawed or under some pressure outside of the main story. It gives them one more obstacle to overcome. For example: Harry Bosch is worried about his daughter working undercover and meddles while trying to solve his own case. Tension and anxiety are traits used often in thrillers.
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