One of the most important things any thriller writer should grasp is that writing this genre requires the utmost fearlessness. Thriller writing is no walk in the park. Nobody knows this better than Gillian Flynn, author of the bestselling ‘Gone Girl’. What is it about Flynn’s work, most notably her chilling, masochistic tale ‘Gone Girl’ that captivated audiences? Here are 5 top tips to help you make your thriller as good as ‘Gone Girl’:
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Complexity:
Create layers within your characters. Build a foundation within your story that can support multiple arcs…especially within characters. -
Mystery:
Never divulge too much. Keep the reader interested in piecing the puzzle of a character or plot line. -
Surprise!
Keep an angle. Create layers in your characters. Remember no one is perfect. We all have secrets hidden in our closets that can be revealed at just the right moment. -
Be willing to go to the dark side:
If you can’t, then find a new genre.
It takes balls…. If there’s anything one can learn from reading Flynn, it’s simply: don’t steer away from things that go bump in the night. Take everything you have to the darkest, most unimaginable level and forfeit any preconceived notions of socially accepted etiquette. -
Be Fearless:
Immerse yourself in everything that surrounds the grotesque and unimaginable (ER’s, mortuaries, cemeteries, hospitals)… It’s within the worst places we can conceive that inspiration lies waiting…If you are really dedicated to writing the darkest, psychological prose there will be no question in visiting these places.
Flynn has no qualms in her use of language, graphic description, sadomasochism, and much, much more. Her brilliance is the way in which she delivers the most uncomfortable and unspeakable into a scene that captures and disgusts readers, yet, keeps them reading.
The most important things we can draw from Flynn, specifically her work in ‘Gone Girl’, are her consistency and dedication to the genre in which she writes. Flynn, in her writing, has no hesitation to expose the worst issues we as humans’ battle, and magnify them to such a degree that readers can only gasp as her story continues to unfold. Think about how many nights she must have submersed herself in the most unimaginable places to get the visceral images it takes to write something as complex as “Gone Girl,” then ask yourself, do I really have the stomach to write this?
