The Thriller Genre

Thriller is a genre that relies heavily on emotion and keeping the reader on the edge of their seats. While thriller and mystery novels share some characteristics, thriller relies more on the actual takedown of a villain rather than the process of identifying them. What makes thrillers unique is the multiple viewpoints that they take in order to get a clearer picture of what's going on and to build the suspense of the protagonist taking down the villain. Thrillers live to put the main character through the wringer until the very end when they finally win (or, in some cases, reach a somewhat satisfactory conclusion). But the main focus of thrillers is never really on characterization; it's on the plot and how it drives the characters, as well as the readers, to bite, scratch, and crawl their way to the bitter end through the rollercoaster of events and emotions.


The reader always feels the build up of suspense and can't put a book down when it's a thriller; they're designed to keep making the reader turn the pages to drive off the constant, gnawing question of "what happens next?". Authors build the protagonist and antagonist so that one is thwarted (not always completely, but at least somewhat) and the other is stronger in the end. This consistent build up gives the reader satisfaction at the end when they know that things have been resolved and the anxiety is over.


One of the most classic thrillers of all time, The Silence of the Lambs, has all of the basic components of a thriller. Many people refer to this as the thriller to read because of its psychological elements and the suspense.

Another thriller (that is actually based on a true story) also follows the basic guidelines. Truman Capote's In Cold Blood focuses on the viewpoint of the murderers, but also the victims and the people trying to hunt them down. It focuses on the chase of the killers and the overall emotions that all of the characters feel at every point.

Articles:

Ten Basic Ingredients of a Successful Thriller: http://www.writersdigest.com/qp7-migration-conferencesevents/qp7-migration-maui/10-basic-ingredients-of-a-successful-thriller

A Thrilling Genre; Thriller Novels and Subgenres: http://writersrelief.com/blog/2008/12/a-thrilling-genre-thriller-novels-and-subgenres/


Brief Definition of the Thriller Fiction Genre: http://www.findmeanauthor.com/thriller_fiction_genre.htm