How to Write a Thrilling Thriller, Pt.II
Last month, I asked three authors (Jennifer Pearson, Rachel Peterson, and Dinesh Thiru) with forthcoming new releases to speak candidly about their creative process that eventually led to book deals. This installment reveals their advice on how to craft a suspense-filled narrative with an original plot twist — a necessary hook for writers hoping to be traditionally published and successful in this genre.
What do you find most challenging about "not giving away the ending" too soon?
JP: I think the challenging part is balancing fairness versus surprise. If you hide too much, the ending feels random or unearned. You can’t be too subtle with hints because readers may miss them and feel tricked late. But if you reveal too much, readers figure it out early then lose that tension that makes thrillers exciting. It’s hard as a writer to know how the clues land and if you are managing to hide them in plain sight. Young adult (YA) readers read a lot, so many are good at spotting patterns. I’ve accepted that some will figure it out. My challenge then is to keep them reading anyway by building emotional stakes and danger, plus maybe adding something else (other than the murderer) that they may not see coming.
DT: Ooo, this is tough! For My Killer Family Reunion, I wanted that it-could-be-anyone feeling. As a result, I knew early on that all my characters needed to be suspicious. Where did he sneak off to? How does she know that? Why are his jokes so creepy?
Thankfully, the characters are inspired by my actual family members — people I know to be both lovable and sketchy! I'm playing with fire here, but I want readers in the middle of the book to think: “I'm obsessed with this family Also, I don't trust a single person in it.”
That's hard to pull off, but I'm hoping I got there. Please wish me luck on launch day, when my family members find out which suspect they inspired…then promptly disinvite me from our next family reunion.
Did you know how your characters would change from the outset? Or did the original narrative you envision change while writing the book?
RP: I love this question! The original narrative was a few bullets that kept me grounded and helped with pacing. But honestly, every writing session surprised me in the most amazing way possible! I knew how the barn party at the old McClain family farm would end (No spoilers, but the book title is rather descriptive). But how we were going to get there was an open question.
For writers navigating a loose outline, my advice is to look at the process as a ‘choose your own adventure’ versus a ‘fill-in-the-blank’. My wonderful editor Kara and I like to call this a story map, because you leave enough space to surprise and challenge yourself.
Especially with all the shifting viewpoints and unreliable narrators in Killing Sadie, the characters grew over time, as did my relationship with them. Some characters, like Detective Sloane Budd, were missing completely from the original outline, which I just love! The story needed Sloane. I invented her one random evening during a really frenetic session — these tend to happen as I get deeper into a manuscript — with music dialed way up; and she just appeared on the page. If the outline was too detailed, I might have missed the sparks along the way that inspired me to create a new delicious twist. Always leave yourself the freedom to explore a new path, no matter how certain you are of where the story is going to go.
Share 2-3 book marketing tips you currently are or will be using to promote the release of your book.
JP: I’m very lucky that my publisher Sarah Barley Books (Simon & Schuster) created an excellent book cover reveal trailer ahead of publication. I think it does such a great job of showing what the book is about and who it is for.
I like a ‘boots on the ground’ strategy. For me, you can’t beat getting out to events and meeting readers. This is much harder for my American publication as I’m based in the United Kingdom. Fortunately, my publisher has been so good at getting advanced review copies (ARCs) out to reviewers and helping me to engage with readers through blog posts such as this. So, thank you!
Check out Rachel's other blogs and upcoming classes here!