Writing Prompt for April

Tips and Tricks for Good Thriller Writing

Writing a thriller or a thrilling scene is all about engaging your reader’s senses and emotions, and making them feel apprehensive for your character. The prompts below will help you consider how this is done as a writing exercise.

It's nighttime, and you're hiding in an old priest's house – or something similar, like a chapel or holy space – which is being searched. You can adapt this for any faith, religion or spiritual belief, according to the necessity of the story, eg perhaps this priest is a Rabbi, or another spiritual leader, or perhaps a fellow member of a cult who is hiding you from the leader or other cult members, or perhaps from outside interference, for instance. The key ingredient should be a connection to a belief system.

This doesn’t have to be a faith your character shares - in fact, positioning a character outside their community (for whatever reason) instantly creastes an apprehension of danger and fear, as humans prefer to remain in a group for their own safety rather than to break away and stand alone, where they are likely to be more vulnerable to attack. This is a useful plot device for all writing. Think how many main characters begin a story in a community from which they rapidly become estranged, or which is shockingly revealed to be very different from the one they believed it to be.

You are terrified. But why? Who is hunting for you? And why do they want to find you? Are you in mortal danger? Have you done something wrong? Are you a witness to a crime or a whistleblower to wrongdoing? Or perhaps you’re trapped in a cult and are trying to escape?

Focus here on word selection at a language level, don’t simply state the facts baldly. Choose words that suggest a physical as well as emotional response, like ‘bristle’ or ‘shudder’.

Photo by Alexander Krivitskiy on Unsplash

Who is shielding you? Describe them and go into detail – do they wear something that differentiates them from other people, eg a ‘dog collar,’ robes or other holy garb?

Where exactly are you hiding in that location, and how much space do you have? Describe it in a little detail. Are you in a narrow space or cupboard, for instance? Does it smell? Is it hot or cold? Are you in the basement or the attic? What can you hear? Are your pursuers or pursuer closing in?

Shorter sentences - even one word sentences - can increase pace and suggest fear and mental agitation. But too many short sentences become incoherent over time. Alternate with more complex sentences to allow the reader more insight, or consider only writing for a very short time in close character, emulating a fearful and rambling internal thought process at a set moment in the pursuit: ‘They’re coming… What should I… ? Oh, so close now… There’s incense in the air. I catch the brush of his robes. What if he sees my foot under the curtain?’ etc.

Who is after you? Give a little description to your pursuer or pursuers. Flesh out a character briefly with an impression of clothing, facial expression or distinguishing marks, way of speaking, scent (of cigars, aftershave, perfume or incense etc.), background etc.

What will happen if you're found? Both to the person shielding you and to you yourself?

In addition, you face a terrible moral dilemma, perhaps involving a close friend or ally, or a beloved family member, where you lose whichever path ahead you choose. What is it? Weave this into the situation. How is your situation – hiding from pursuers – a metaphor for your dilemma?

In this writing, concentrate particularly on the senses, especially hearing, and play with sentence structure (see above) to increase pace and mood.