Romantic thrillers are a popular genre in the world of literature, combining elements of suspense, danger, and romance to create a gripping and thrilling narrative. Writing a successful romantic thriller requires careful planning and a deep understanding of the genre. In this blog, we will explore some tips on how to write a romantic thriller novel.
Develop your characters
The key to a successful romantic thriller is to create characters that readers care about. Develop your protagonist and love interest carefully, and make sure that their relationship is authentic and believable. Give them distinct personalities, strengths, and weaknesses that will help them face the challenges of the story.
Create a compelling plot
A romantic thriller needs to have a gripping plot that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The plot should be full of twists and turns, with a balance between romance and suspense. Use foreshadowing to create tension and keep the reader engaged.
Use the setting to enhance the story
The setting of a romantic thriller can add depth and dimension to the story. Whether it’s a bustling city or a remote wilderness, the setting can create a sense of danger and urgency. Use vivid descriptions to bring the setting to life and help readers feel like they are there.
Balance romance and suspense
The balance between romance and suspense is crucial in a romantic thriller. Too much romance can detract from the suspense, while too much suspense can make the romance feel forced. Use pacing to balance the two elements, and make sure that the romance and suspense are interwoven.
Add a twist
A good romantic thriller should have a twist that catches readers off guard. This could be a plot twist or a character twist, but it should be unexpected and add another layer of complexity to the story.
Edit and revise
Once you have finished your first draft, it’s important to edit and revise your work. Look for areas where the pacing is off, where the characters need more depth, and where the plot needs to be tightened. Get feedback from beta readers and make changes accordingly.
In conclusion, writing a romantic thriller novel requires careful planning, a deep understanding of the genre, and attention to detail. By developing your characters, creating a compelling plot, using the setting to enhance the story, balancing romance and suspense, adding a twist, and editing and revising your work, you can create a gripping and thrilling romantic thriller that will keep readers turning the pages.
Debilitating fears are a problem for everyone, an unfortunate part of the human experience. Whether they’re a result of learned behavior as a child, are related to a mental health condition, or stem from a past wounding event, these fears influence a character’s behaviors, habits, beliefs, and personality traits. The compulsion to avoid what they fear will drive characters away from certain people, events, and situations and hold them back in life.
In your story, this primary fear (or group of fears) will constantly challenge the goal the character is pursuing, tempting them to retreat, settle, and give up on what they want most. Because this fear must be addressed for them to achieve success, balance, and fulfillment, it plays a pivotal part in both character arc and the overall story.
This thesaurus explores the various fears that might be plaguing your character. Use it to understand and utilize fears to fully develop your characters and steer them through their story arc. Please note that this isn’t a self-diagnosis tool. Fears are common in the real world, and while we may at times share similar tendencies as characters, the entry below is for fiction writing purposes only.
Fear of Hope
Notes Hope encourages people and characters to try new things, take on challenges, and believe that things will get better. But multiple disappointments and experiences can create a fear of hope, with the character being reluctant to look forward to anything. This fear can make it difficult for them to work toward improving their situation and could make optimism a thing of the past.
What It Looks Like Being reconciled to the status quo Not expecting circumstances to improve Expressing skepticism when positive things happen: It’ll never last, etc. Living for the moment; not planning for the future Not having dreams or goals Believing there is nothing to live or strive for Avoiding challenges or risks that could improve the character’s life Being cynical when others express hopefulness Always expecting the worst Downplaying their own abilities (since they haven’t helped in overcoming difficulties) Speaking of the future with skepticism Being skeptical of other people’s promises Scorning people who are optimistic and upbeat
Common Internal Struggles Wanting certain circumstances to be better but truly believing there’s nothing the character can do to change them Being unable to move beyond past disappointments, no matter how much they want to The mind always jumping to worst-case scenarios Feeling helpless Sinking into apathy and depression The character wanting to be honest about their feelings but knowing their pessimism and negativity are bringing other people down Burying certain emotions as they arise (anticipation, excitement, etc.)
Hindrances and Disruptions to the Character’s Life Missing out on career opportunities because it would have been pointless to reach for them Staying stuck in a dead-end, toxic, or unsafe situation because the character doesn’t believe there’s anything better for them Being unable to pursue a dream that would provide fulfillment Building emotional walls in relationships to keep from experiencing disappointment Never moving past their current state of disillusionment and cynicism Other people pigeon-holing the character as negative or gloom-and-doom
Scenarios That Might Awaken This Fear Wanting to take a step towards a dream, but there’s a risk of failure involved (submitting a manuscript to an editor, asking someone out, etc.) A situation with high stakes being forced on the character (being sued, being falsely accused of a crime, etc.) Working towards a goal and getting knocked down (trying to reconcile with someone who refused to forgive the character, having another miscarriage, etc.) Hearing about a promising job opening or promotion opportunity A friend or loved one breaking a promise A promising relationship ending unexpectedly Seeing world events go from bad to worse.
Debilitating fears are a problem for everyone, an unfortunate part of the human experience. Whether they’re a result of learned behavior as a child, are related to a mental health condition, or stem from a past wounding event, these fears influence a character’s behaviors, habits, beliefs, and personality traits. The compulsion to avoid what they fear will drive characters away from certain people, events, and situations and hold them back in life.
In your story, this primary fear (or group of fears) will constantly challenge the goal the character is pursuing, tempting them to retreat, settle, and give up on what they want most. Because this fear must be addressed for them to achieve success, balance, and fulfillment, it plays a pivotal part in both character arc and the overall story.
This thesaurus explores the various fears that might be plaguing your character. Use it to understand and utilize fears to fully develop your characters and steer them through their story arc. Please note that this isn’t a self-diagnosis tool. Fears are common in the real world, and while we may at times share similar tendencies as characters, the entry below is for fiction writing purposes only.
Fear of Being Labeled
Notes The world is a confusing and uncertain place that’s easier to navigate when things make sense. This is one reason it’s natural for human beings to label the people around them. But no one wants to be labeled—told that they are a certain way or have to fit into a mold. This can be especially painful when the character doesn’t believe the label fits (whether it does or not). When this happens enough, it can create frustration, insecurity, and a fear that could go a number of directions: the character may hide the aspects of their identity that fit the label, act out against the accusation, or surround themselves with people like themselves to avoid anyone who might put them in a certain box.
What It Looks Like The character mimicking their peers so they won’t appear to be different Being extremely private Giving vague answers when asked about themselves Embracing hobbies or activities that don’t fit the stereotype Changing personality traits or values that would put the character in that box The character becoming what they’re accused of being (self-fulfilling prophecy) Advocating for inclusion and against typecasting Working very hard to disprove the stereotype The character surrounding themselves with others who are just like them Avoiding people who have attempted to label the character in the past Avoiding situations where the label would be obvious—e.g., a student with a learning disability skipping or dropping out of school Rejecting any medical or psychological testing that could result in a diagnosis Rebelling when someone tells the character they can’t or shouldn’t do something Become defensive when someone suggests the character may be a certain way Being aggressive or confrontational with someone who suggests the character might be a certain way Being overly sensitive to even constructive or well-intentioned criticism
Common Internal Struggles Keeping a learning disability, an illness, etc. secret despite knowing help is needed Struggling with shame or guilt over the label The character struggling to accept who they are The character wanting to be true to themselves but feeling the need to change so they’ll fit in with others Resenting what makes the character different, then feeling guilty about it Feeling targeted Feeling misunderstood (if the character believes the label is unwarranted) Suspecting the label is true but refusing to accept it The character feeling isolated, as if they have no one they can be themselves with or talk to
Hindrances and Disruptions to the Character’s Life Living with shame because of who or what they are Changing to live up to others’ expectations The character living well below their full potential Becoming prejudiced against the people who putting labels on the character Living in denial about an accurate label and being unable to manage it or cope with it in a healthy way Struggling in silence because the character is hiding certain aspects of who they are Personal growth being stymied because of defensiveness and an inability to receive feedback Living a double-life because certain aspects have to be kept private (practice a religion, pursue a relationship, etc.)
Scenarios That Might Awaken This Fear A secret they’ve been hiding (about their gender identity, personal beliefs, mental health, etc.) being revealed A tragedy occurring that could result in a new label for the character (losing a limb, developing a chronic illness, etc.) Experiencing discrimination The character’s child being labeled A safe place or group of people being infiltrated by someone who would label the character Seeing someone who shares a label with the character being misjudged, mistreated, or limited
Do you have a draft written but aren’t sure if there is a strong story in that draft?
In our book, Secrets to Editing Success, we go into great depth on how to perform a story edit—a structural edit—on any novel. We take the theory and show you the process to story edit.
We’re going to share some of our secrets here. And the first secret is how you know if there is a story in the draft.
The Most Important Question
Does the draft contain a story?
That’s a big one, and how do you answer it if you’ve just written that draft? And to go deeper, how do you answer it objectively?
First, You Perform a Story Test
What do we mean when we talk about having proof that there is a story? We are asking if you can write a synopsis.
We define a synopsis as a blurb plus the five story arc scenes plus the ending. A synopsis is a cinch when you know that’s all it boils down to.
When authors find it tough to write a synopsis, it’s normally because either they don’t have an understanding of what goes into the synopsis or there isn’t a full story yet.
A story synopsis is a tool you can use to determine if there is a story in the draft manuscript. We’re not asking you to write a polished synopsis. We’re asking you to write a skeleton synopsis.
The first part of the story test is to create a skeleton blurb.
Skeleton Blurb
A skeleton blurb answers three simple questions.
Who is the protagonist?
What is the story goal?
What is at stake?
The answers to these questions are found in every story. If you cannot answer them from the draft, then we can tell you the story promised is not there yet. And the draft is not ready to be edited.
With your skeleton blurb, you found the protagonist, the story goal, and the story stakes. With your skeleton synopsis, you will find the story.
The Skeleton Synopsis is Your Next Tool
A skeleton synopsis is a short description of the story.
Here is an outline for the skeleton synopsis:
The protagonist _________________ finds out the story goal __________________ (Inciting Incident). Then _______________________ happens, and the protagonist must go forward toward the story goal, (Plot Point 1). In the new “world,” ________________ happens, and the protagonist becomes proactive to the Story Goal (Middle Plot Point). But _______________________________ happens, and the protagonist’s hope is destroyed, they realize they must change to achieve the story goal (Plot Point 2). But the protagonist ______________________, and the world changes, they finally address the story goal (Climax).
To fill in the blanks, read the draft and find the inciting incident, plot point 1, the middle plot point, plot point 2, and the climax. Use the action in each of these scenes to fill in the blanks.
Listing the Story Arc Scenes Shows You Whether There Is a Story.
Does the protagonist find out the story goal,
then something happens that propels the protagonist onto chasing the story goal,
so that they can learn to be proactive,
change themselves after all hope is lost,
and use what they have learned on their journey to answer the story goal that they found at the start of their journey?
What you just read is the most basic form of a story. And all great stories are structurally similar.
How to Create a Skeleton Synopsis
Step 1: Perform a Hands-Off Read-Through
A hands-off read-through means you read the story without making any changes.
Step 2: Name Every Scene
You can do this when you’re performing a hands-off read-through. A hands-off read-through means you read the story without making any changes, but you can and should make notes and name every scene.
When naming the scenes, find and label the inciting incident, plot point 1, the middle plot point, plot point 2, and the climax.
Step 3: Dig Deeper into the Story Arc Scenes
To write a skeleton synopsis at this stage, the following story elements for each story arc scene will help you set it up.
Scene Name
Point of View Character
Point of View Character’s Goal
Scene Middle
Scene Climax
Scene Impact on Point of View Character
Step 4: Create the Skeleton Synopsis
Now there are four clear steps to getting that skeleton synopsis done:
Reference the skeleton blurb.
Find the five Fictionary Story Arc scenes on the story arc.
List scene name, scene middle, scene climax and impact on point of view character for each of these scenes.
Summarize the ending showing the story’s resolution.
Step 5: Does the Draft Contain a Story?
The synopsis will help you determine if there is a story or not. You’ll find that if you can’t write the synopsis at this stage, then most likely the story is not finished. The attempt at writing a synopsis will highlight which portions of the story still need to be written.
If one of the 5 story arc scenes is missing, is in the wrong place, or doesn’t satisfy the requirements of a story scene, then there isn’t a story in the draft, yet.
It’s time to start revising the draft until the skeleton synopsis shows you there is a story. Once there is a story, you can move on to a full story edit.
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