How To Write A Killer Thriller

Did I miss anything? Agree with anything? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below :).

Check out my other How To Guides: How to Write a Killer Romance Novel // How To Be a YA Hero: This One’s For the Gals. // How To Be a Killer YA Villain // How to Overthrow “The Man”, According to YA LIT

Writing Ramblings: Info Dumping

I think we’ve all accepted that info-dumping is a bad thing. I don’t need the history of a world or a character, a description of how a magic system works, etc. all at once. When I buy a book, I don’t want to be bored with textbook type writing. I want to be submerged into a new world, and I want to feel like I’m experiencing that world with the character. Info-dumping takes that away.

Anyway, I’m currently reading Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. I did not go into this book with high expectations. Honestly, I just wanted something fun to read. And while I’m enjoying parts of it, I got stuck around chapter three or four. I can’t remember which.

Anyway, in this chapter, we are introduced to a new character, Merick. The info-dumping didn’t happen right away, but the change into Merick’s point of view was so abrupt that I was confused. Who was he? Where was I? What in the world was going on?

Now, I’m all for the reader having questions and building suspense and curiosity. But this was neither. I was completely lost, confused, and beyond frustrated. And it had nothing to do with my reading comprehension.

Anyway, Dennard soon started info-dumping about the magic system and about the history of this imaginary world and Merick’s history. Look, I get it. You’re trying to develop your world, but everything was just so vague and not very well thought out.

There are times when things need to be explained. I get that. But it needs to be done well, and it doesn’t need to happen all in one chunk. I’m all for a paragraph here and there. To me, that’s the more effective way of conveying this information.

But here’s the thing. When you are info-dumping, you better know your world pretty darn well. It needs to be well thought out and it needs to be logical. If it isn’t, your reader will be confused and frustrated. That’s why I think it’s SO IMPORTANT to take time building your world, especially if you’re writing fantasy.

The writer needs to know the history of the world, how the magic system works, how the political system works, how each country works. If the writer doesn’t understand that or really hasn’t thought about it, it shows in their writing. The world will feel incomplete. And no one wants that.

Yes, I like fluff. Yes, I like young adult fiction. But that doesn’t mean it’s okay for a writer to cut corners. No matter what we’re writing, I think we owe it to our readers to develop our characters and our world fully. Otherwise, we’re cheating them out of time and money. Okay, maybe that’s harsh, but whatever.

So basically, info-dump for yourself. Write it down. Figure out if it is logical. Work out the kinks. Make it consistent. But most importantly, don’t give it to the reader all at once. Spread it out. Mix it in with the story because that’s what the reader is there for. When I’m reading a book, I’m not really there for the world building. I’m there for a good story, but it can’t be a good story without a well-built world, so I guess it’s all tied together. I don’t know.

Writing Ramblings: Originality

 

Sometimes it feels like its particularly challenging to create original plots today. But I guess it feels that way because there’s some truth to it.

Everything we read has been done before. After all, people have been telling stories for quite some time now. There’s bound to be some repetition.

I guess there’s this fine line between following some archetype and blatantly plagiarizing another novel. If you’re a writer, you need to be aware of what you’re doing. And sometimes, it feels like some writers aren’t. Or maybe they are and they don’t care.

For example, last year I read a book called The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye. It’s about two enchanters in Russia who have to duel. One will win and become the adviser to the Tsar, and the other will be sentenced to death. Essentially, it’s about two magicians who are involved in a magical competition and there’s this big chance they may just fall in love with one another. Sound familiar? It’s incredibly similar to The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.  In both stories, the magicians/enchanters have been separated from each other and trained by by mentors.  The magic is performed in turns. They can “feel” each other’s magic. Etc., etc.

The Crown’s Game is what I want to avoid. Do I think Skye intentionally used the same plot and watered it down (can you tell I don’t like the book)? No. But it was the same story. It was too similar.

There’s a difference between using “the chosen one” archetype and writing a book called Gary Flopper and the Enchanter’s Rock.  But even though that rule seems pretty clear, I definitely have to take a few steps away from a book I love when I’m beginning a novel. That or I have to read a lot more than usual because it’s easy to let those books you love influence you too much. But who knows? Maybe I’m the only person that has those struggles.

Writing Ramblings: Pacing and Characterization

Lately, I’ve been posting negative posts. What not to do, the things I learned from the books I hated. But today, I’m going to throw ya’ll through a loop by talking about some positives.

I guess I should give credit where credit is due. I wrote this post after finishing The Shining by Stephen King, and I’ll be honest. I adore Stephen King. He’s one of my favorite writers, so naturally he’s someone I tend to “learn” from.

Anyway, without further ado…

1. Pacing can be everything. I mean, most of us probably already know this. Pacing is important. If it’s too slow, your readers will stop reading. Too fast and your characters are unrealistic and your plot’s too wild. But pacing can impact your audience’s emotions. It can create tension, especially when you’re trying to scare them. Slow down, drag it out, make them anxious by making them wait, letting them know something bad is about to happen. If your looking for a good scene that does this, check out The Shining and read the chapter when Danny goes into Room 217.
2. Love all your characters and never “side” with them. Jack Torrance is a dick, but Stephen King doesn’t let us forget that he’s human. King doesn’t hate him and doesn’t “side” against them, despite how horrible some of his actions are. He understood Jack as a person and he found something he liked about him, something he could relate to. As writers, we can’t “side” with our characters. It can make our writing sound preachy, our heroes perfect, and our villains caricatures. If we like all of our characters, if we see them all as human, then we aren’t going to purposely make someone look bad just because he or she is the villain. We’re going to make them whole.
3. Naturally, narrators can be a little biased, especially when we write in third-person limited or first person. We’re going to see other characters through their eyes, and that means we aren’t seeing things for what they really are. We are experiencing their interpretation of a person. But a good writer can leave little clues here and there to let us know that maybe there’s more to that person than what our narrator sees.

Lessons in Writing, #1

Lessons in Writing, #1

There are two ways we can become better writers, and they go hand-in-hand.

The first way is obvious. You have to write. A lot.

The second way is sometimes ignored. You have to read. I know, I know. There are people out there who say, “I like writing, but I don’t read.” How is that possible?

            We can learn a lot from the books we read. Maybe we like how the writer describes characters. Maybe we hate the way they portray vampires. But we can take something from any book we read. That’s why I’m writing this post, and why I plan on writing more like it. I think it’s important to document your likes and your dislikes, especially if you’re a writer. Remember those scenes you loved, and remember the ones you didn’t. Or you know, write a blog post about them. Whatever floats your boat.

I recently read City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare. I know, I know. I jumped on that bandwagon a little late. But whatever, at least I’m reading it now.

So if you haven’t read The Mortal Instrument series and you don’t want me to spoil it for you, stop reading now. Seriously. I’m on the fourth book. So…stop.

Lesson 1:  Don’t take things too far.

I struggled through the second book. Really struggled. And if you’ve read the series, you can  probably guess why. You know, when Clary and Jace still had the hots for each other when they thought they were brother and sister. More importantly, that Jace still wanted to pursue Clary. I almost stopped reading the series even though it was obvious they weren’t really related. It felt like an attempt to make their romance forbidden…were we supposed to still root for them? I’m assuming so, but I just couldn’t.  To me, this was pushing a little too far. Fine, they’re related. But can we stop with the incest? This isn’t Game of Thrones.

Lesson 2:  Can we be realistic about teen love?

It also had the insta-love thing to it. Yes, teenagers seem to feel love more intensely. When you fall in love with someone for the first time, it is intense. But it’s also not forever. And I’m definitely getting the feeling that Jace and Clary are endgame. Why can’t we be more realistic with these depictions of teen love?

I’m not saying that we have to kill the romance. I’m just saying that if you’re writing a series, it’s likely that your characters (especially if they are teenagers) will fall in and out of love. And it’s likely that one of them will become interested in someone else. Or maybe I’m just jaded, I don’t know.

Lesson 3: Adult presence makes for realism.

Adults don’t listen to teens. We don’t view teens as our leaders. We don’t think they know more than us. So why is it that in some books, teens have all this power? It isn’t realistic.

Luckily, The Mortal Instruments seems to have a pretty realistic grasp on that. The adults in the novel aren’t listening to the kids when they’re making important decision because Clary and the others are children. Yes, sometimes they’re right. But does that mean the adults in their lives think they are? Nope.

But more importantly, there is a clear adult presence in the novels (so far). The kids aren’t just running into some crazy adventure by themselves all the time. Someone else is there. Like Luke, for instance. And they have rules. For example, Clary can’t live at the Institute with her boyfriend. Pretty solid rule if you ask me.

Lesson 4: Look at how other authors write action.

In terms of writing, I like the paranormal action scenes in this book (like when Clary and Isabelle fight that demon). I like that it’s written in third-person limited. I feel like this is hard to find in YA novels, especially now.

Lesson 5: A new dialogue peeve…

But I also discovered I hate the word “whoa.” I swear.  I’m keeping a tally of how many times I encounter it in this book. I mean seriously. How many times have you ever said, “Whoa, you’re a werewolf?” It’s cheesy.

So there you have it. Let me know if you agree, disagree, or have anything to add in the comments below.

-Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold.

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