Fable & The Verbivore

View Original

Episode 129: Elements of the Thriller Genre

Bethany Stedman

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio

Ep 129: Elements of the Thriller Genre Fable & The Verbivore

These notes include affiliate links.

Today, Fable and the Verbivore are diving into the Thriller genre.

We start by defining Thriller by how it makes you feel. That pulse pounding, relentless rush of dread or excitement that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

In this episode, we talk about several aspects of the element of suspense and specifically about Thriller stories. Such as:

  • Surprise vs. Suspense

  • Superior position / Dramatic irony - when the audience knows something that the characters don’t

  • The wide range of thriller subgenres

  • Some intriguing advice a writer gave for how to get yourself into the emotional and Physiological space to write a thriller

We also reference Dan Brown’s MasterClass article where he talks about elements that are typically in thrillers: The element of suspense, a hero, a sidekick, a villain, plot twists, red herrings, cliffhangers, and an exciting climax. He also believes that a thriller should have the three C’s:

  • The contract - an implied promise you make to the reader about what will be delivered by the end of the book.

  • The clock - the fact that adding time pressure to any character’s struggle will create higher stakes and more interest for the reader.

  • The crucible - a box that constrains your characters, offers them no escape, and forces them to act.

We end our conversation talking about different thriller books and movies that we enjoy, including some YA fantasy ones that we love and feel fit the definition. And lastly, we talk about some advice for hiding twists in plain sight.

We hope you enjoy this episode! Keep reading, writing, and putting your voice out there!

Into the woods,

Fable & The Verbivore

Notes:

Fable reads a definition of thriller. Here is that definition:

Thriller: A fast-paced, gripping, plot-centered story…usually the protagonist is in danger from the outset. These fast-paced stories typically involve major threats…and the attempts to prevent something from occurring. Common elements: faster pace, action scenes, plot twists, prominent villain, “ticking clock” timing. - “What’s the difference between Suspense, Thriller and Action Adventure?” by Liz Schriftsteller

Here are some articles and videos that we found helpful in preparation for this conversation:

Fable references a quote from an interview with director Alfred Hitchcock, where he compares surprise and suspense. Here is that full quote:

  • There is a distinct difference between ‘suspense’ and ‘surprise,’ and yet many pictures continually confuse the two. I’ll explain what I mean.
    .
    We are now having a very innocent little chat. Let’s suppose that there is a bomb underneath this table between us. Nothing happens, and then all of a sudden, ‘Boom!’ There is an explosion. The public is surprised, but prior to this surprise, it has seen an absolutely ordinary scene, of no special consequence. Now, let us take a suspense situation. The bomb is underneath the table and the public knows it, probably because they have seen the anarchist place it there. The public is aware the bomb is going to explode at one o’clock and there is a clock in the decor. The public can see that it is a quarter to one. In these conditions, the same innocuous conversation becomes fascinating because the public is participating in the scene. The audience is longing to warn the characters on the screen: ‘You shouldn’t be talking about such trivial matters. There is a bomb beneath you and it is about to explode!’
    .
    In the first case we have given the public fifteen seconds of surprise at the moment of the explosion. In the second we have provided them with fifteen minutes of suspense. The conclusion is that whenever possible the public must be informed. Except when the surprise is a twist, that is, when the unexpected ending is, in itself, the highlight of the story."

We touch on several of our previous podcast episodes. They are as follows:

In this episode, we also reference two classes from Masterclass. Those are:

Books & Movies Mentioned:

Music from: https://filmmusic.io
’Friendly day’ by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Licence: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)