Episode 2-What is a "Thriller"?

Welcome to the Thriller Writer’s Guide and thanks for reading. According to dictionary.com, a thriller is defined as “an exciting, suspenseful play or story, esp. a mystery.” Yet different people may have different definitions. My personal definition is simple. A thriller is a story containing high amounts of action and suspense.
Another vital component of thriller fiction is the hint of mystery within it. Thriller’s can be based around characters attempting to solve this mystery or they can also be based around the punishment of the perpetrator that comes after the mystery is solved. Mystery leads to suspense and suspense is a vital element in any story, not just thrillers. Suspense keeps the reader attentive and provokes them to read onwards in an attempt to answer the questions they have. If you plan to keep the reader interested in your story, suspense in a must.
Any avid reader can attest to the amount of action in thrillers as compared to other novels. But action doesn’t necessarily have to be blazing gunfights and high-speed car chases through densely crowded streets, although it is often expressed in this manner. Action is the result of conflict, which is another vital element in any story. Conflict can be between any number of people and things. You can have the classic good vs. evil scenario, but nothing says that the force your characters must be facing has to be necessarily human. In some stories, the characters may be facing a natural foe, such as the rugged conditions of the island they are stranded on, rather than a sinister criminal.
All stories need conflict, not just thrillers. But there is a profound difference between the conflict in thriller fiction in comparison to that of other literary genres. The conflict in a romance novel may be that a woman loves two men and can’t choose. In thriller novels, the conflict generally has more severe implications. An example of this is the classic nuclear weapon threat: a crazed villain comes into possession of some devastating new weapon and the main character must race against time to stop him from using it to complete his own twisted objectives. As made evident by this comparison, thriller’s will often have more extreme plots that, although not impossible, could be seen as improbable. But this is justifiable; most thrillers aren’t intended as incredibly realistic portrayals of modern life; they are meant to entertain the reader and realism isn’t necessary to provide one with entertainment.
Some may view thrillers as a genre that cuts back on character development in favor of heart-pounding action. It is true, some thriller author’s utilize simplistic, cardboard cutout characters in order to make way for more action. But this isn’t true in all thrillers. In fact, many literary genres aside from thrillers will use these kinds of two-dimensional characters. Underdeveloped characters aren’t a trademark of thriller fiction, they are visible in all genres.
The settings of thriller novels tend to sometimes be a little bit more exotic than other genres. Some stick to more realistic settings, but other may take place in locations ranging from the heart of the jungle to the peaks of a mountain. Thrillers also tend to move quickly from place to place. In a single book, the author may drag the characters across multiple continents and the reader may encounter a variety of different locations.
Another factor that has become more prevalent in research novels is the presence of technology. Thrillers will also implement a variety of technology, ranging from sports scars and speedboats to highly-advanced satellites and other related devices. The inclusion of technology isn’t specific, but I see it as being more evident in thrillers than in most other genres, with the exception of possibly mysteries, which are closely tied to thrillers. Obvious examples of this include Tom Clancy and Clive Cussler, both popular author’s that fall under the “techno-thriller” category.
Thanks for reading and check back in soon for new updates! If you have any questions or comments, please send them to thrillerwritersguide@yahoo.com.