Mastering Genre Fusion: The Path to Creating a Distinct Story Brand

 

Mastering Genre Fusion: The Path to Creating a Distinct Story Brand

By Olivia Salter

In today’s storytelling world, genre is king. Every successful author understands the importance of crafting stories that resonate with audiences while standing out in a sea of content. To achieve this, writers must elevate their craft to an unparalleled level, weaving together multiple genres seamlessly and transcending traditional storytelling norms. It’s not just about telling a story—it’s about creating a story brand.

Here’s how you can do it effectively:

1. Embrace Genre Fusion for Market Relevance

In the highly competitive world of fiction, a single-genre story often struggles to capture attention. Modern audiences crave complexity and novelty, which means you need to blend 2-4 genres in every story you write. This approach isn’t just a creative challenge; it’s a strategic necessity.

Consider the following combinations:

• Horror + Romance + Historical Fiction: Think of a gothic love story set in the 19th century with supernatural elements.
• Science Fiction + Thriller + Mystery: Imagine a futuristic detective uncovering conspiracies that threaten an interstellar civilization.

By layering genres, you can create narratives that appeal to diverse reader preferences, increasing your work’s marketability. However, the fusion must be intentional and balanced—genres must enhance, not overpower, one another.

2. Avoid Chaos Through Strategic Genre Integration

Genre blending without structure leads to story chaos, where plotlines compete instead of complementing one another. The key to mastering this balance is understanding and incorporating the 45+ special plot beats inherent to each genre. These beats serve as the foundation for creating a cohesive and compelling narrative.

For example:

• In a Romantic Comedy + Mystery, the romantic beats (meet-cute, misunderstanding, resolution) should align with the mystery beats (inciting crime, clues, revelation).
• In an Action + Fantasy, the hero’s journey structure should integrate seamlessly with the high-stakes action beats, ensuring the pacing and tone remain consistent.

Mapping out these beats and interweaving them into a single, powerful storyline requires discipline and advanced plotting techniques. Tools like beat sheets, story templates, or specialized writing software can help manage complexity and maintain clarity.

3. Transcend Genres to Build a Memorable Brand

The final step in creating your story brand is learning how to transcend your genres. This means pushing past conventions and injecting originality into your work. Audiences don’t just want another dystopian survival tale or supernatural love triangle—they want something that surprises and resonates on a deeper level.

How to transcend genres:

• Innovate with Themes: Explore universal themes like identity, morality, or resilience, but with a unique twist that challenges readers’ expectations.
• Defy Tropes: Rethinking common genre tropes in ways that feel fresh yet satisfying.
• Create Multi-Dimensional Characters: Ensure your protagonists and antagonists are layered, with motivations that cross genre boundaries.
• Develop a Signature Style: Your voice and narrative approach should be distinctive enough to be recognized as your own, even when working within well-worn genres.

Become a Plot Magician

To achieve mastery in genre storytelling, you must become a plot magician. This means learning and applying advanced storytelling techniques to weave genre elements into a seamless whole. But it’s not just about mastering the craft—it’s about leveraging technology to streamline your process.

Tools for Success:

• Writing Software: Programs like Scrivener, Plottr, or Dramatica help organize your multi-genre storylines.
• AI Assistants: Use tools to brainstorm ideas, refine plots, or generate solutions to narrative challenges.
• Community Resources: Join workshops or writer’s groups focused on genre fusion and storytelling innovation.

In conclusion, creating a standout story brand in a genre-driven world requires more than just talent—it demands strategy, innovation, and mastery of genre-blending techniques. By embracing genre fusion, maintaining structure, and transcending traditional storytelling boundaries, you can craft narratives that captivate audiences and establish your unique voice in the literary landscape.

Invest in your craft, learn the techniques of a plot magician, and leverage technology to bring your stories to life with efficiency and precision. The world of storytelling is waiting for your distinct brand to rise above the crowd.

Writing Romance Fiction: Key Elements, Character Arcs, and Crafting an Engaging Love Story

Writing Romance Fiction: Key Elements, Character Arcs, and Crafting an Engaging Love Story

by Olivia Salter

Romance fiction is one of the most beloved and widely read genres, offering readers tales of love, passion, and emotional growth. While each romance novel has its unique twist, they all share certain core characteristics: dynamic characters, a captivating plot, and an emotional arc that leads to a satisfying conclusion. For aspiring romance writers, understanding these elements and how they interact is essential for creating a novel that not only hooks readers but leaves them deeply invested in the love story. Let’s dive into the essential elements and explore how to create a compelling romance premise, structure character and plot arcs, establish pacing, and develop a unique writing approach.

Key Characteristics of Romance Fiction:

1. Relatable, Complex Characters: Romance novels succeed or fail based on their characters. Protagonists in romance fiction are often complex, multi-dimensional, and relatable, with both strengths and flaws. Readers need to see themselves—or an idealized version of themselves—in these characters, making it essential to create characters who feel real, with genuine desires, vulnerabilities, and imperfections.
2. Emotional and Relational Plot: The central plot in a romance novel revolves around the relationship between the protagonists. Unlike genres driven by external conflicts, romance relies on emotional and interpersonal developments. This can include misunderstandings, love triangles, or deep-seated insecurities. Although subplots are common, they must tie back to the romance itself, as the genre’s focus remains on the characters’ emotional journey.
3. The Happy Ending (or at least Happy-for-Now): Romance readers expect a satisfying resolution. While a happy ending (HEA) is traditional, many romance novels now offer a “happy-for-now” (HFN) ending, leaving the characters in a hopeful place without necessarily tying up every loose end.
4. Romantic Tension and Chemistry: Essential to any romance novel is the electric chemistry between the protagonists. This includes the tension that builds as they get closer, often expressed through dialogue, internal monologues, and small, meaningful interactions. The slow build-up of attraction keeps readers invested, making every glance, touch, and conversation charged with meaning.

Developing a Novel-Writing Premise

Crafting a compelling premise sets the stage for the romance to unfold. Consider the following sample premise, which illustrates character arcs, motivations, and initial plot ideas:

• Premise: Mia, a dedicated high school art teacher, and Dev, a traveling photographer with a free spirit, are worlds apart in lifestyle and outlook. When Mia’s small town hires Dev to create a photographic series promoting the local culture, their paths inevitably cross. Initially dismissive of Dev’s transient ways, Mia finds herself captivated by his artistic approach and passion for capturing beauty. As their relationship deepens, Mia must confront her desire for stability while Dev grapples with the idea of settling down for the first time.

Applying Early Character and Plot Arcs

With the premise set, it’s crucial to sketch out early character and plot arcs. Here’s a breakdown:

1.  Character Arcs:

• Mia’s Arc: Mia begins as a grounded, responsible character who values stability. Throughout the story, she learns to let go of rigid expectations and finds joy in spontaneity, a discovery that brings her closer to Dev and broadens her perspective on life.
• Dev’s Arc: Dev is initially detached, favoring freedom over commitment. His growing relationship with Mia challenges his long-held belief that love is restrictive, ultimately leading him to redefine what freedom and fulfillment mean.

2. Plot Arc:

• The story unfolds as Dev and Mia collaborate on an art project, bringing their contrasting lifestyles into focus. Minor conflicts—Mia’s distrust of Dev’s nomadic tendencies, Dev’s initial dismissal of small-town life—create tension. As they grow closer, their individual character arcs naturally merge, leading to personal growth and romantic resolution.

3. Motivation:

• Mia’s initial motivation is to protect her stability and keep her world in order. Her attraction to Dev threatens to disrupt this, adding internal conflict. Dev, on the other hand, is driven by his need for freedom, though his experiences with Mia reveal a longing for connection he didn’t realize he had.

Structuring Romance Through Pacing and Genre Research

Effective pacing is essential to a romance novel, guiding readers through the highs and lows of the relationship. Typically, romance novels use a “slow burn” approach, where attraction builds over time, resulting in a more impactful emotional payoff. Here are pacing strategies and tips for researching the genre landscape:

1. Pacing the Romance Arc:

• Start with small interactions that allow chemistry to develop naturally. Introduce external conflicts (e.g., town gossip, work obligations) to build tension without rushing the romance.
• Use alternating moments of attraction and misunderstanding to draw out the relationship arc, providing enough time for both characters to grow individually.
• Climax with a “dark moment” where the relationship appears doomed—this could be a misunderstanding or an unresolved fear. Follow this with reconciliation and a satisfying resolution.

2. Researching Romance Titles:

• To master romance, immerse yourself in successful titles. Look for genre-specific styles, common tropes, and pacing techniques. Popular subgenres like historical, contemporary, or romantic suspense each have distinct pacing and stylistic approaches, providing insight into structure.
• Note how different authors handle character flaws, misunderstandings, and emotional growth. Understanding how successful romance novels balance these elements can help you find an individualized approach.

Scene Development and Connecting Story Elements

Each scene in a romance novel should move the relationship forward, with every interaction between the protagonists building chemistry, exposing vulnerabilities, or adding conflict. Use foreshadowing, backstory, and subplotting to add layers to the relationship:

• Foreshadowing: Introduce hints of emotional hurdles early on. For example, Dev’s reluctance to unpack his suitcase could foreshadow his fear of commitment, setting up a future conflict.
• Backstory: Gradually reveal details about Mia’s past to explain her need for stability. This adds depth to her character arc and justifies her initial resistance to Dev.
• Subplots: Use supporting characters, such as Mia’s students or Dev’s photography clients, to reflect the main theme of embracing change and open up opportunities for character growth.

Developing Your Unique Voice in Romance

While the romance genre has certain expectations, each writer’s voice brings originality to their story. Consider how you’ll bring a fresh perspective to classic themes. Perhaps you’ll focus on character-driven introspection, witty banter, or rich, descriptive prose to make your story stand out.

Sample Scene for Immersion and Practice

Here’s an excerpt to illustrate how each element could play out in a scene between Mia and Dev:

Mia watched as Dev crouched beside the flowerbed, camera in hand, capturing the wild, twisting shapes of the blooms. The late afternoon sun bathed the garden in warm light, casting shadows that danced over his face.

“You have a way of finding beauty in chaos,” she said, half to herself.

Dev looked up, a crooked smile playing on his lips. “Chaos can be freeing. Order’s a prison if you let it be.”

Mia felt her defenses shift slightly. Is that how he saw her life? A prison?

“Maybe not all of us can afford to wander,” she replied, her tone sharper than intended.

Dev’s smile faded, and for a moment, his gaze held something serious, something vulnerable. “Maybe you don’t need to wander to be free.”

Conclusion

Writing a romance novel requires more than following a formula; it’s about crafting a heartfelt story that captures the complexity of love and personal growth. By focusing on core romance elements—like character and plot arcs, pacing, and genre immersion—you can create a novel that not only meets readers' expectations but leaves them breathless. Romance is a journey, both for the characters and the reader, and with careful development, it’s one they’ll never forget.

 

Exploring the Seventeen Popular Genres in Fiction: Crafting Stories Across Boundaries

By Olivia Salter

Fiction writing is a vast and diverse landscape, with genres serving as the guideposts that shape a story’s themes, tone, and appeal. While there are many ways to categorize fiction, a widely accepted framework identifies seventeen popular genres: Romance, Adventure, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Suspense/Thriller, Horror/Paranormal, Mystery/Crime, Young Adult, New Adult, Historical, Family Saga, Westerns, Women’s Fiction, Magic Realism, and Literary Fiction. Each of these genres has its own unique conventions, but often the most captivating stories blend elements from multiple genres, creating rich, layered narratives that defy easy categorization.

In this article, we will explore the distinct features of these seventeen genres and delve into the way sub-genres can enhance the primary genre of a story. Whether you’re a writer seeking to understand your niche or a reader looking to discover new favorites, understanding these genres is essential to navigating the world of fiction.

1. Romance

Romance remains one of the most popular genres in fiction, focusing on the development of romantic relationships between characters. The essential element is the emotional journey of the protagonists, with a satisfying, often happy, conclusion. However, the romance genre can intersect with other genres like romantic suspense, historical romance, or paranormal romance, where the central love story exists within a broader narrative framework of mystery, historical events, or supernatural elements.

2. Adventure

Adventure fiction is defined by its focus on action, excitement, and exploration. Protagonists often embark on perilous journeys, encountering challenges and dangers. This genre thrives on momentum, with the hero navigating exotic locations or confronting life-threatening situations. Survival adventures or spy thrillers are common sub-genres, where the stakes are high and the narrative keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

3. Science Fiction

Science Fiction explores futuristic, speculative, or scientifically plausible scenarios. It delves into advanced technology, space exploration, or parallel universes. Hard science fiction is more grounded in scientific realism, while space operas or dystopian fiction focus on grand, speculative narratives. Science fiction can explore profound questions about humanity, progress, and ethics, often by extrapolating current societal trends into the future.

4. Fantasy

Fantasy transports readers into worlds filled with magic, mythical creatures, and otherworldly landscapes. From high fantasy epics like The Lord of the Rings to urban fantasy like The Dresden Files, this genre allows for limitless creative possibilities. Magic systems, quests, and the eternal battle between good and evil are common tropes, and the genre often overlaps with historical fantasy or dark fantasy.

5. Speculative Fiction

Speculative fiction serves as an umbrella term for narratives that imagine alternative realities, often incorporating elements of science fiction, fantasy, or horror. It questions the "what if" scenarios of human existence, pushing the boundaries of the known world. Sub-genres like alternate history or cyberpunk take readers into worlds that reflect both our present concerns and future possibilities.

6. Suspense/Thriller

Suspense and thrillers are driven by tension and uncertainty, as the protagonist faces high-stakes danger. Psychological thrillers, legal thrillers, and action thrillers vary in their focus, but all rely on a gripping pace and escalating conflict to keep readers hooked. A hallmark of this genre is the constant sense of looming threat, whether from a person, institution, or situation.

7. Horror/Paranormal

Horror fiction is designed to invoke fear, whether through psychological unease or outright terror. This genre often overlaps with paranormal fiction, featuring ghosts, demons, or supernatural forces. Horror can range from gothic horror, where the atmosphere is brooding and mysterious, to body horror, which focuses on grotesque physical transformations. The exploration of fear, whether personal or existential, is at the heart of this genre.

8. Mystery/Crime

Mystery and crime fiction revolve around solving a crime or unraveling a puzzle. The classic whodunit presents clues and suspects, leading to a final reveal. Meanwhile, crime thrillers may focus on the procedural aspects of law enforcement or delve into the criminal’s perspective. Sub-genres like cozy mysteries offer lighter tones, while noir stories embrace moral ambiguity and dark, gritty settings.

9. Young Adult (YA)

YA fiction targets teenage readers but resonates with a broader audience. These stories often focus on coming-of-age themes, identity, and emotional growth. YA can exist within any genre—YA fantasy, YA romance, YA dystopian—and often features younger protagonists navigating pivotal life experiences. The genre thrives on capturing the intense, formative emotions of adolescence.

10. New Adult (NA)

New Adult fiction serves as a bridge between YA and adult fiction, with protagonists typically in their late teens or early twenties. Themes often revolve around entering adulthood, tackling issues such as independence, relationships, and self-discovery. NA romance and NA contemporary are particularly popular, and these stories often delve into more mature content than traditional YA.

11. Historical Fiction

Historical fiction immerses readers in the past, bringing to life specific time periods, events, or figures. Whether focusing on historical epics, war stories, or intimate historical romance, accuracy and rich detail are paramount. This genre allows readers to experience different eras and cultures while also reflecting on timeless human experiences.

12. Family Saga 

Family sagas span generations, following the lives, relationships, and challenges of pa family over time. These stories explore themes of legacy, inheritance, and the evolving dynamics between family members. They often intersect with other genres, such as historical sagas, where family conflicts and alliances unfold against significant historical events.

13. Westerns

Westerns are typically set in the American West, often in the 19th century. They explore themes of rugged individualism, survival, and law versus anarchy. Iconic sub-genres include revisionist westerns, which subvert traditional cowboy tropes, and weird westerns, where supernatural elements are woven into the frontier setting. At its core, the western genre embodies the clash between civilization and wilderness.

14. Women’s Fiction

Women’s fiction focuses on themes, characters, and plots that speak to women’s experiences, often revolving around personal growth, relationships, and self-discovery. The genre can overlap with literary fiction or romance, but its primary focus is on the emotional and psychological journeys of its female protagonists.

15. Magical Realism

Magical realism presents fantastic elements within otherwise realistic settings, blending the ordinary with the extraordinary. In this genre, magic is often accepted as part of everyday life without explanation or disbelief. Latin American literature is known for its contributions to magical realism, with writers like Gabriel García Márquez masterfully incorporating magic into the mundane.

16. Literary Fiction

Literary fiction focuses on character development, thematic depth, and style. Often seen as more “serious” or “artistic” than genre fiction, literary fiction prioritizes prose and introspection over plot-driven action. It can explore any setting or subject but tends to focus on the human condition, asking profound questions about society, relationships, and existence.

17. Sub-genres and Hybrid Narratives

Fiction genres are not always rigid boundaries. In fact, many of the most memorable stories blend two or more genres, creating hybrid narratives that offer fresh perspectives. For instance, a romantic suspense novel might weave together elements of romance and thriller, while a historical fantasy could introduce magic into a meticulously researched historical setting. Science fiction horror (like Alien) or mystery fantasy (like The Dresden Files) offer compelling examples of how blending genres can heighten tension and expand a story’s emotional range.

Writers often find inspiration in crossing genres, combining the best elements of each to create something that feels both familiar and new. A romance that also explores a murder mystery, or a fantasy that delves into the psychological depths of its characters, can elevate a story and engage readers from multiple angles.

Conclusion

Understanding the seventeen popular genres in fiction gives writers a foundation from which to build their stories, but the most dynamic works often transcend these categories, blending genres and sub-genres to explore complex themes and emotions. As a writer, experimenting with genre boundaries can open new creative possibilities, while readers benefit from the rich diversity of narratives that cross these genre lines.

In fiction, the only limits are the ones we impose on ourselves. By embracing the fluidity of genres, we can craft stories that resonate on multiple levels, delivering both entertainment and insight in a way that defies traditional boundaries.

Fabulism: Exploring the Boundaries Between Reality and Imagination

 

 

Fabulism: Exploring the Boundaries Between Reality and Imagination

 

by Olivia Salter

Fabulism, often described as a genre that blurs the line between reality and fantasy, has gained popularity in contemporary literature for its ability to captivate audiences with its enchanting narratives and thought-provoking themes. Rooted in fairy tales, folklore, and mythologies, fabulism explores the mysteries of the world through storytelling that defies traditional genre classifications. Writers of fabulism weave magical elements into their narratives, creating worlds where the impossible becomes possible and the mundane is transformed into the extraordinary.

At the heart of fabulism lies a sense of wonder and the exploration of the unknown. Authors who embrace this genre often delve into themes of transformation, identity, and belonging, using fantastic elements to shed light on complex human experiences. By blending reality with the fantastic, fabulism offers readers a fresh perspective on familiar themes and challenges traditional notions of what is considered possible.

One of the key characteristics of fabulism is its use of symbolism and allegory to convey deeper truths about the world we live in. Through fantastic creatures, magical objects, and otherworldly settings, writers of fabulism can explore complex social issues, philosophical concepts, and emotional truths in a way that invites readers to engage with the text on multiple levels. This layering of meaning adds depth and richness to fabulist works, inviting readers to uncover hidden truths and meanings beneath the surface of the narrative.

In writing fabulism, authors are encouraged to embrace the imaginative and the surreal, pushing the boundaries of what is considered possible. By infusing their stories with elements of magic, mythology, and folklore, writers can create worlds that are both captivating and thought-provoking, inviting readers to suspend their disbelief and embark on a journey of wonder and discovery.

To write fabulism effectively, writers must pay careful attention to world-building, character development, and thematic resonance. Creating a vivid and immersive world for readers to explore is essential in fabulist storytelling, as is crafting complex and memorable characters who resonate with readers on an emotional level. Additionally, weaving thematic threads throughout the narrative can help give the story depth and coherence, allowing readers to connect with the underlying messages and ideas being explored.

Ultimately, fabulism is a genre that celebrates the power of imagination and the beauty of storytelling. By blending reality with the fantastic, writers of fabulism are able to craft narratives that challenge our perceptions of the world and invite us to see things in a new light. Whether exploring the depths of the human psyche, the mysteries of the natural world, or the complexities of society, fabulism offers a unique and captivating lens through which to view the world and our place in it.

 

Also see:

👉Free Writing Resources
👉Fiction Writing books at Amazon

A Quick Note on Tropes in Genre Writing in Fiction Writing for the Novice Writer by Ryker J. Phoenix

 

A Quick Note on Tropes in Genre Writing in Fiction Writing for the Novice Writer

 

by Ryker J. Phoenix

 

 Tropes are often used in literature as a way to create familiarity and provide a sense of structure to the story. They are commonly used because theyhave been successful in the past and resonate with readers. However, overuse of tropes can lead to predictable and mundane storytelling.

A trope can be a plot device, such as the hero's journey or love triangle, or a character attribute, suchas the brooding anti-hero or the wise mentor. These tropes have become so ingrained in the genre that they are now seen as commonplace and expected by readers.

One of the most common tropes in literature is the love triangle. This occurs when a protagonist is torn between two love interests, often with very different personalities or backgrounds. The love triangle trope can be found in many genres, including romance, young adult, and even science fiction.

While the love triangle can add drama and tension to a story, the overuse of this trope can become formulaic and predictable. The same can be said for other popular tropes such as the chosen one, the underdog, and the revenge plot. These are all tropes that have been used so often that they have lost their originality and impact.

One of the dangers of relying too heavily on tropes is that they can lead to flat and stereotypical characters. For example, the "damsel in distress" trope portrays women as weak and helpless, while the "macho hero" trope depicts men as emotionless and invincible. Using these tropes perpetuates harmful gender stereotypes and limits the range of character development.

However, when used effectively, tropes can add depth and nuance to a story. They can be subverted or twisted to create unexpected twists and turns. For example, in the movie "Frozen," the true love between sisters subverted the traditional romantic love triangle trope.

In conclusion, tropes are a common and expected part of literature. While they can be effective in creating familiarity and structure, they should be used carefully and judiciously. Overusing tropes can lead to predictable and formulaic storytelling, while subverting tropes can add depth and nuance. Ultimately, it is up to the writer to use tropes in a way that enriches the story and breaks new ground.

 

Also see:

• Romantic Tropes: Guide to Help Romance Novel Writers
•  4 YA Fantasy Tropes That Aren't Overdone and How to Write Them
•  80 Sci-Fi Tropes for Writers
•  Why You Should Create Your Own Genre
   

More Quick Notes for the Novice Writer

A Quick Note on Twisting Genres in Fiction Writing for the Novice Writer by Ryker J. Phoenix

 

 A Quick Note on Twisting Genres in Fiction Writing for the Novice Writer

 

by Ryker J. Phoenix

 

Successful writers are often praised for their ability to take the genres they are working in and twist them in a unique way that captures the attention of their readers. This ability to innovate and create something fresh and exciting is what sets successful writers apart from their peers.

Every genre has its conventions and tropes that readers have become familiar with over time. For instance, in the romance genre, there is often a predictable plotline involving two people falling in love and overcoming obstacles to be together. In the mystery genre, there is usually a detective who solves a crime by piecing together clues.

However, successful writers take these conventions and twist them in such a way that the story becomes almost unrecognizable. They may introduce unexpected elements or subvert readers' expectations to create a unique and surprising narrative.

One example of a successful writer who has done this is Gillian Flynn, author of the novel "Gone Girl." While "Gone Girl" is marketed as a mystery thriller, it defies many of the conventions of the genre. Instead of a straightforward whodunit, the novel is a complex and twisted story of a dysfunctional marriage and the secrets that the characters keep from one another. Flynn's unique twist on the genre captivated readers and made "Gone Girl" a bestseller.

Another example is the writer Neil Gaiman, who has gained a following for his ability to blend genres and create stories that defy categorization. In his novel "American Gods," Gaiman takes elements of fantasy and mythology and combines them with a road trip narrative to create a unique and engaging story. By twisting the genre in this way, Gaiman creates a world that is both familiar and strange, drawing readers in with its originality.

By taking the genres they are working in and twisting them in a unique way, successful writers are able to capture readers' attention and create stories that stand out from the crowd. This ability to innovate and create something fresh is what sets successful writers apart and helps them to carve out a place in the literary world. Whether it is through unexpected plot twists, unique characters, or a blend of genres, successful writers are constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible in their chosen genre.


 

 More Quick Notes for the Novice Writer

Thriller Writing Tip: 8 Things Every Thriller Should Include

Thriller Writing Tip: 8 Things Every Thriller Should Include
 

The essential plot elements of a thriller are:

1. The element of suspense: Writing suspense is a matter of controlling information—how much you reveal, and when and how you reveal it. While every thriller novel will have a central, overarching storyline that seeks to answer a sole dramatic question, that question is built on smaller moments that carry the reader through and sustain their interest along the way.
2. A hero: The main character the reader is rooting for. Despite the term “hero,” they don’t have to be a perfect specimen of bravery or strength; great heroes emerge from the trials they encounter.
3. A sidekick: A secondary character that helps the reader understand the hero’s strengths and motivations. Usually a mentor, friend, helper, or romantic interest, they assist the hero with an alternate skill set, act as a sounding board, provide emotional support, get themselves into trouble so the hero must rescue them, and provide comic relief.
4. A villain: The defining force that antagonizes your hero. The villain’s motivations create the crisis for the hero. They’re usually introduced with a bang, sending the reader a clear message that they’re malicious. However, they still need to be a thoughtful character with their own sense of morality and believable reasons for being evil.
5. Plot twists: You don’t want to go out of your way to mislead the reader or outright lie to them, but you do want to keep them on their toes. Unexpected plot twists will take them by surprise and reinvigorate their interest in the story.
6. Red herrings: Hint at explanations that may not be true and get the reader to believe a false conclusion about the plot. When done well, they’ll feel surprised by the truth and will enjoy the misdirection, having learned something useful about the setting or the characters along the way.
7. Cliffhangers: Pose a big question at the end of a chapter. Typically, a cliffhanger stops during a climactic event midway through the action instead of its natural conclusion. Take the reader to the moment before fulfillment, stop there, and switch to another scene. They’ll want to know how it plays out.
8. An exciting climax: Thrillers built toward one exciting moment. This is when the hero faces their biggest obstacle and the reader learns all of the remaining information that’s been kept a secret.

 

Also see:

• Books on Writing Thriller Novels and Screenplays

 

Thriller Writing Tip: The Anatomy of a Thriller

Thriller Writing Tip: The Anatomy of a Thriller
 

Every thriller has three C’s: the contract, the clock, and the crucible.

1. The contract: an implied promise you make to the reader about what will be delivered by the end of the book. It’s crucial to keep every single promise you make, no matter how trivial.
2. The clock: the fact that adding time pressure to any character’s struggle will create higher stakes and more interest for the reader. The goal of this element is not to be stunningly original but to add pressure that will prompt conflicts and intense responses from your characters. 
3. The crucible: a box that constrains your characters, offers them no escape, and forces them to act. Your story should present an increasingly difficult series of tasks and situations for the hero that will funnel them into the most severe trial of all. You must make sure that each successive task is harder than the previous one and that, for the hero, there is no escape. If readers begin to sense that the journey is becoming easier, they’ll lose interest.

 

Also see:

• Books on Writing Thriller Novels and Screenplays

 

Thriller Writing Tip: You Must Create Thrills Consistently Throughout Your Novel

Thriller Writing Tip: You Must Create Thrills Consistently Throughout Your Novel
 

Remember, this is a thriller, so the audience needs to be thrilled. That means you need to keep them on the edge of their seat. You want to give them an emotional roller coaster ride that starts on the first page and doesn’t end until the final page of the novel.

 

Also see:

• Books on Writing Thriller Novels and Screenplays

 

Thriller Writing Tip: Play With Trust and Betrayal

 

Thriller Writing Tip: Play With Trust and Betrayal

 

Your Hero is about to be thrust into a world of uncertainty, competing agendas, and downright deception. It will be totally outside of their comfort zone, so they’ll naturally look for someone they can trust.

That creates all kinds of emotional opportunities for you as the writer. Trustable characters may be forced to betray your hero. Devious characters may turn out to be trustable. The person we believe in most may end up being the Villain.

Trust is a wonderful thing in real life, but in a thriller, it is a valuable tool for the writer.

Also see:

• Books on Writing Thriller Novels and Screenplays

 

Thriller Writing Tip: Drag your Hero through Hell

Thriller Writing Tip: Drag your Hero through Hell

 

Your hero is a great person who deserves to have friends and happiness. So I’m sorry to give you this bad news. But your job is to be their worst enemy. Your job is to put them in a bad situation and then keep escalating the pain and conflict until a normal human being couldn’t stand it.

If you are nice to your Hero, it reduces the quality of your story. If you are nice to them, it reduces the quality of the reader’s experience of this novel.

Also see:

• Books on Writing Thriller Novels and Screenplays

 

Horror Writing Tip: The Biggest Mistake Amateur Horror Writers Make

Horror Writing Tip: The Biggest Mistake Amateur Horror Writers Make

 

by NotherCaucasianGary

 

I saw this response to a question on amateur horror writers @ Reddit, in r/horrorwriters. I think he nailed it, so I decided to share it here.

 

 The biggest mistake amateur horror writers make is believing that a story needs only to be scary to be good. You can’t just throw a few ghosts in a house and call it a day, and a pair of glowing eyes out in the woods isn’t enough to make a story worth reading.

The very best horror speaks to a relatable truth. Horror isn’t just ghouls and gore, it needs to be about something. I’ll use Stephen King as an example.

The Shining is about alcoholism, and the isolated struggle of recovery and temptation.

Pet Sematary is about grief and the deep emotional turmoil that follows trauma and loss.

It is about generational trauma, abuse, bigotry, and the inherent evil of small town life and the willingness of locals to turn a blind eye to the terrible things happening in their own backyards.

Gerald’s Game is about misogyny, sexual abuse, and the violent, uphill struggle women face navigating a man’s world.

Misery is about the mental and emotional (and sometimes physical) risk of exposing your creative endeavors to the monstrous, grinding machine of critics and fanatics.

Every ghost, goblin, monster, and beast is a metaphor, an ugly stand-in for the very real and visceral horrors that real people face every day. Plenty of folks can write stories that are spooky or scary but go no further than that. If you want to write good horror, meaningful and effective horror that gets under your skin and leaves a mark, you better have something to say.

 

 Also see:

• Horror Writing Books at Amazon

Understanding Genre: Notes on the Thriller by Crawford Kilian

Understanding Genre: Notes on the Thriller

by Crawford Kilian

 

``Genre'' simply means a kind of literature (usually fiction) dealing with a particular topic, setting, or issue. Even so-called ``mainstream'' fiction has its genres: the coming-of-age story, for example. In the last few decades, genre in North America has come to mean types of fiction that are commercially successful because they are predictable treatments of familiar material: the Regency romance, the hard-boiled detective novel, the space opera. Some readers, writers and critics dismiss such fiction precisely because of its predictability, and they're often right to do so. But even the humblest hackwork requires a certain level of craft, and that means you must understand your genre's conventions if you are going to succeed--and especially if you are going to convey your message by tinkering with those conventions. For our purposes, a ``convention'' is an understanding between writer and reader about certain details of the story. For example, we don't need to know the history of the Mexican-American War to understand why a youth from Ohio is punching cattle in Texas in 1871. We don't need to understand the post-Einstein physics that permits faster-than-light travel and the establishment of interstellar empires. And we agree that the heroine of a Regency romance should be heterosexual, unmarried, and unlikely to solve her problems through learning karate.

As a novice writer, you should understand your genre's conventions consciously, not just as things you take for granted that help make a good yarn. In this, you're like an apprentice cook who can't just uncritically love the taste of tomato soup; you have to know what ingredients make it taste that way, and use them with some calculation.

So it might be useful for you, in one of your letters to yourself about your novel, to write out your own understanding and appreciation of the form you're working in. I found this was especially helpful with a couple of my early books, which fell into the genre of the natural-disaster thriller. Your genre analysis doesn't have to be in essay form; it just has to identify the key elements of the genre as you understand them, and that in turn should lead to ideas about how to tinker with the genre's conventions. And that, in turn, should make your story more interesting than a slavish imitation of your favorite author.

As an example, here are my Own views about the thriller:

1. The thriller portrays persons confronting problems they can't solve by recourse to established institutions and agencies; calling 911, or a psychiatrist, won't help matters in the slightest.
2. The problems not only threaten the characters' physical and mental safety, they threaten to bring down the society they live in: their families, their communities, their nations. This is what is at stake in the story, and should appear as soon as possible.
3. The solution to the characters' problems usually involves some degree of violence, illegality, technical expertise, and dramatic action, but not more than we can plausibly expect from people of the kind we have chosen to portray.
4. The political thriller portrays characters who must go outside their society if they are to save it, and the characters therefore acquire a certain ironic quality. They must be at least as skilled and ruthless as their adversaries, yet motivated by values we can understand and admire even if we don't share them.
5. The disaster thriller portrays characters who are either isolated from their society or who risk such isolation if they fail. That is, either they will die or their society will fall (or both) if they do not accomplish their goals. In the novel of natural disaster, the disaster comes early and the issue is who will survive and how. In the novel of man-made disaster, the issue is how (or whether) the characters will prevent the disaster.
6. The characters must be highly plausible and complex; where they seem grotesque or two-dimensional, we must give some valid reason for these qualities. They must have adequate motives for the extreme and risky actions they take, and they must respond to events with plausible human reactions. Those reactions should spring from what we know of the characters' personalities, and should throw new light on those personalities.
7. The protagonist's goal is to save or restore a threatened society; it is rarely to create a whole new society. In this sense, the thriller is usually politically conservative, though irony may subvert that conservatism.
8. At the outset the protagonist only reacts to events; at some point, however, he or she embarks on the counterthrust, an attempt to take charge and overcome circumstances.
9. The progress of the protagonist is from ignorance to knowledge, accomplished through a series of increasingly intense and important conflicts. These lead to a climactic conflict and the resolution of the story.
10. With the climax the protagonist attains self-knowledge as well as understanding of his or her circumstances (or at least we attain such knowledge). This knowledge may well create a whole new perspective on the story's events and the characters' values: A murder may turn out to have been futile, or loyalty may have been betrayed. We should prepare for these insights early in the novel, so that the protagonist's change and development are logical and believable. 
    

 

Except from "Advice on Novel Writing by Crawford Kilian."

 

 About the Author 

Crawford Kilian was born in New York City in 1941. He moved to Canada in 1967 and now resides in Vancouver B.C. Crawford has had twelve science fiction and fantasy novels published. He has been nominated for an Aurora Award 3 times for his novels Eyas, Lifter and Rogue Emperor- A Novel of the Chronoplane Wars. His latest contribution to SF is a non-fiction book for would-be SF writers called Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy. Crawford has two more novels in the works.

To learn more about him at Wikipedia.

 

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Crawford Kilian Books at Amazon

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