conventional storylines for psychological thrillers

Based on readings, crime or police procedurals and many psychological thrillers tend to start with either a chapter one or prologue showing a scene of high action or a crime – often a murder of a victim through the victim’s or killer’s point of view.

The opening image is one of action, and often showing the threat found through the story. It can be atmospheric or provide a sense of foreboding, drawing the reader in to further reading.

Thriller and crime film expect to meet the antagonist or see a hint of crime or the threat right upfront.

The first scene needs to have a good hook, and the whole chapter needs to provide a sense of tension and threat. (Seat of pants reading).

this then leads into the normal everyday life of the hero before she is pulled into the action or suspense.

Suspense, tension, raising of stakes for the protagonist. Typically the pace of this tension is faster in a thriller against a mystery.

The protagonist must be proactive rather than reactive. He must make things happen, go into action, not sit around with events happening around him.

As with most good films, the hero needs to have grown and learnt and ultimately changed by the end of the novel. This character growth is what leads to the main character’s ability to get through his darkest hour, and win during the climatic ending.

Typical structural elements to the plot – an inciting incident or turning point that makes the main character move from their everyday and go on their journey to solve the issue, conflict, pace, complications, a darkest hour where everything seems lost, a climatic battle and denouement.

The ending should resolve all loose ends, but provide a satisfactory twist if possible. Good should prevail over bad. And the hero should have learnt something about himself or the human condition.

No Coincidences – although they happen in real life all the time – should be avoided in fiction, even though they can provide character conflict. Readers aren’t satisfied by coincidental events or conflict.