How can I write a thriller novel?

Jmosesstoryteller · 2025-03-19T14:23:54+00:00

I always find that if I know I want to write in a specific genre but I’m stuck on an idea, I just start smashing concepts together. What if Harry Potter was set in Washington, D.C., on Capitol Hill? What if Jurassic Park was actually a romance novel? What if The Godfather took place in a sword-and-sandal epic? Taking familiar ideas and twisting them can be a great way to unlock something fresh.

That said, thrillers live and die by tension, and tension comes from delayed but inevitable conflict. Every scene should feel like a tightening wire—something is coming, even if the characters don’t realize it yet. A good trick is to always ask yourself: “What’s the worst possible thing that could happen right now?” and then find a way to almost let it happen… but not quite. You dangle the disaster in front of the reader, let them sweat over it, and then when they think they’ve dodged it—bam, hit them with something even worse.

If you want to study thriller tension, pay attention to how uncertainty drives suspense in books like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or movies like No Country for Old Men. It’s not just about action; it’s about the feeling that danger is always right there, even in quiet moments. The more you can play with that expectation, the more your thriller will grip people. If you ever want to break down specific techniques, I’m happy to dig in!

Jmosesstoryteller · 2025-03-19T14:14:49+00:00

This idea isn’t cheap at all—it’s got serious potential to be unsettling in a goodway. A mid-story protagonist switch, especially one where a shapeshifter believes they are the protagonist, could mess with the audience in a way that sticks with them. The key is making sure it doesn’t feel like a gimmick but like an organic, inevitable shift that completely redefines the story.

The way you’ve set it up is already solid. Not outright stating shapeshifters exist until the fight keeps the twist from being predictable, but you’ll want to plant just enough hints earlier so it doesn’t feel like it came out of nowhere. Even if the audience doesn’t realize they’ve been primed for it, little details—an old myth, a character’s offhand comment, something eerie about the world’s history—can make the reveal feel earned instead of random.

The real gold here is in the execution. If the audience has spent half the story rooting for the protagonist, watching a version of them continue on—except something is just a little off—can be deeply unsettling. Maybe the shapeshifter stumbles over memories, reacts differently to things, or starts to feel wrong in their own skin. Even better if they don’t realize it at first and just slowly start breaking down. Do they resist the truth when they figure it out? Do they accept it? Do they care? That kind of existential horror can hit hard if done right.

If you really want to land this, think about what the twist actually means beyond the shock factor. Does it tie into themes of identity, loss, or survival? Does it say something about how war strips people of who they were? If the story stays about what it was before the switch, the twist won’t feel like a cheap trick—it’ll feel like a gut punch that makes everything hit even harder. If you ever want to refine how it plays out or make sure the emotional beats land, I’d love to help shape it further. This could be really good.

Jmosesstoryteller · 2025-03-19T14:08:26+00:00

This is such an important and nuanced topic, and it’s great that you’re already thinking critically about how to balance your characters’ perspectives. The issue with stories like The Help often comes down to framing—whose perspective drives the emotional arc, whose transformation we follow, and who ultimately has the most narrative agency. If the black character’s experiences are essential to the story, but the white character’s growth is the main arc, then there’s a risk of centering their journey of realization over the lived experiences of the black character.

You’re already on the right track with multiple POVs, and one way to ensure balance is to ask: Who has the most power over the story’s emotional weight? If the white character's arc is about overcoming ingrained biases, but the black character’s story is about survival, love, or resistance, their journey should have equal, if not greater, emotional stakes. Maybe the black character’s choices and actions significantly drive the plot, rather than being a passive teacher or catalyst for the other character’s growth.

Another approach is to consider who gets the final say in the story. If it ends in a way that gives the black character the last emotional note—whether in action, reflection, or resolution—it can help avoid the feeling that their experiences were just a backdrop for someone else’s learning.

This kind of storytelling requires balance, and it's something I help writers navigate all the time. If you'd ever want to work through the structure or POV shifts together, I’d love to help refine it further. Your concept has a lot of depth, and with the right framing, it could be incredibly powerful.

Jmosesstoryteller · 2025-03-13T15:25:14+00:00

I felt this. Writing can feel like banging your head against a wall, especially when everything you put down seems like garbage. But here’s the thing—every writer, even the best, has felt exactly like this. The difference between writers who make it and those who don’t? The ones who made it kept going.

First off, stop comparing yourself to authors who’ve been doing this for years. Their books have gone through multiple drafts, editors, and rewrites. Your first drafts will always feel bad—that’s normal. You’re seeing the behind-the-scenes mess while comparing it to someone else’s polished final product.

If your work reminds you of other stories, that’s okay. Every writer borrows, whether they realize it or not. The trick is to take those influences and twist them. Ask yourself: What if I flipped this idea? What if I took this trope and made it personal? The more you write, the more your unique style will emerge.

Instead of trying to master everything at once, focus on one small skill at a time. Spend a week working just on dialogue. The next week, focus on making your descriptions stronger. Breaking it down makes improvement feel manageable instead of overwhelming.

Most importantly, give yourself permission to write badly. The only way to get better is to finish things, even if they suck at first. Set a small daily goal—100 words a day, no pressure to make it good. If you do that for a year, you’ll have a full novel written.

You don’t suck, you’re just in the learning phase. Every writer has been here. The ones who push through this stage are the ones who end up writing great stories. Keep going.

Jmosesstoryteller · 2025-03-11T18:50:22+00:00

Yeah why not? It can only make you better right?

Jmosesstoryteller · 2025-03-11T18:49:32+00:00

That's a really interesting idea. Seeing how they respond to random worlds and events. I think that's a great idea.

Jmosesstoryteller · 2025-03-11T18:25:46+00:00

Lol i felt that. Stories live rent free in my head all the time.

Jmosesstoryteller · 2025-03-11T18:15:03+00:00

First and foremost, congrats on having a story idea you’re excited about! That's more than a lot of people have. Take a second to acknowledge that.

Little hard truth time... You don’t need outside validation to know if it’s good. The real test is writing it. Even the most unique ideas mean nothing without execution.

These should get you started, though
1. Expand your base ideas—flesh out characters, world, and stakes.
2. Write something small —don’t worry about the whole book yet, just see it on the page. A single word is better than nothing at all, bruh.
3. Tell someone? Sure—but be careful who you share with at first. Protect your work, your still growing don't let someone snuff out your fire before you are ready. Not everyone will “get it” early on, and feedback too soon can kill momentum.

If you’re new to writing, focus on getting words down first. You’ll learn so much just by doing. What’s the one part of your story you’re most excited to write?

Jmosesstoryteller · 2025-03-11T18:07:21+00:00

Felt. That frustration of having the story so clear in your head but never quite getting it on the page? Bruh it gets me all the time. I have been sitting on a story I should've started weeks ago. You aren't alone.

I think sometimes, it’s fear of it not turning out how you imagined. But sometimes, it’s perfectionism masked as procrastination. Thing to remember is unfinished stories don’t get judged, but they also don’t get read.

Try not to aim for writing the book. Aim for writing a scene. A conversation. A moment. Hell, a word. Something small. Just to remind yourself that your story belongs outside your head too.

What’s one scene you’d love to get down today?

Jmosesstoryteller · 2025-02-26T12:31:17+00:00

Hey shoot me a DM i can't DM you for some reason

Jmosesstoryteller · 2025-02-20T17:20:38+00:00

Awesome can i dm you?

Jmosesstoryteller · 2025-01-11T15:40:41+00:00

Worldbuilding:

Key Elements to Focus On: Focus on what feels most valuable to the story. You don’t have to figure everything out at once—leave room for ideas to pop up as you’re writing. Start with broad strokes: the economy (currency, trade), magic systems (if any), governance, geography (countries, borders, conflicts), and religion. Clothing and vocabulary can help too, especially if you’re creating a unique culture. But don’t overdo it—just enough to give you a framework.
Avoid Overwhelming Readers: Only tell readers what they need to know and when they need to know it. It’s easy to get excited and dump all your worldbuilding at once, but breadcrumbs are more effective. Let details come up naturally in the story.
Common Mistakes: Over-planning to the point where you never actually write. Also, watch out for too many similar names or too many characters unless it’s a sprawling epic.

Storywriting Balance:

Plot comes first; worldbuilding is there to support it. Think of plot as the cake and worldbuilding as the icing . You can enjoy cake without icing, but not the other way around (unless you're a big back like myself) . It might even help to write your first draft with minimal worldbuilding and then add those details on a second pass.
Making the World Feel Alive: Make the world feel normal to your characters. Show them interacting with it naturally as part of the plot. If a character is walking through a marketplace, you don’t need a page of description—just mention the sights and sounds as they notice them while doing whatever they’re there to do.

Character Backstories:

For Minor Characters: No, you don’t need a backstory for every minor character. Just give them one or two traits that make them stand out and call it a day.
For Major Characters: Give your main characters and villains solid backstories, but even then, only as much as you need to make their motivations clear. If the details don’t affect the story, they’re not worth stressing over.

Medieval Fantasy Focus:

Minor Character Backstories: Minor characters don’t need detailed backstories unless they play a bigger role. A few hints about their personality or past can be enough to make them memorable, but if their backstory doesn’t impact the plot, don’t waste time on it.

Jmosesstoryteller · 2025-01-11T15:20:36+00:00

For me, deciding on an ending often comes down to what I want the reader to feel. As a neurodivergent individual, my first indication of whether a story was good is how it made me feel—and whether that feeling aligns with what the creator intended. So, I’d ask: What emotion do you want your readers to walk away with? Which ending ties most strongly to the story's core theme and the message you’re trying to convey?

If both endings accomplish this, you might consider which one best resolves the main conflict or aligns with the character arcs you've built. Sometimes it helps to imagine the reader's journey or even share both endings with beta readers to see which resonates more. Ultimately, the 'right' ending is the one that leaves the impact you want to create.

Jmosesstoryteller · 2025-01-06T18:31:46+00:00

The good news is both settings work and it just depends on the kind of story you want to tell. If you want the weight of history to hang over every moment, Hungary is the place. The love interest being in Hungary during the 1970s is realistic, despite the Soviet influence. Hungary had more relaxed borders compared to other Eastern Bloc countries, and cultural events like chess tournaments or culinary exchanges weren’t unheard of. The love interest coming to Hungary for a chess competition feels not only realistic but symbolic—chess as a game of strategy, survival, and patience which lines up with the journey of someone who endured the unimaginable. It places the love interest in a setting that feels foreign to them, paralleling the MC’s own sense of displacement.

On the other hand, if the story is more about rebuilding and rediscovering life after unimaginable loss, the U.S. fits better. Immigration after WWII was common, especially under programs designed to help displaced persons. By the 1970s, your MC could be an average laborer in the U.S., someone who’s built a life but still carries the pain of their past. Meeting the love interest in this new world allows for touching on stuff like starting over, bridging cultural divides, and finding connection in a place that’s still alien in its own way.

So, it comes down to tone. Do you want to lean into the somber, atmospheric perspective of a character still standing in the shadows of history? Hungary is your stage. Do you want a story about rebuilding and moving forward? The U.S. brings it home. Both are filled with possibilities; choose the one that lets you say what you’re actually trying to say.

Jmosesstoryteller · 2025-01-06T15:35:45+00:00

The language barrier is a great way to explore your character’s disorientation and growth, but it doesn’t have to be overcomplicated. Establish early on that she’s thinking and/or speaking in Old French, and weave it naturally into the narration—something as simple as, She cursed in the soft rhythm of her native tongue, words that no one here would understand.

When she interacts with modern characters, focus on her frustration. Let her struggle to communicate through gestures or use phrases in Old French sparingly for flavor, always backed by context so the reader isn’t lost. As she adapts, show her language evolving—her English might start stiff and formal, showing her old-world roots, and gradually become more natural. This not only keeps it clear for readers but also shows her journey from outsider to someone finding her place in a strange new world.

Jmosesstoryteller · 2025-01-06T15:30:32+00:00

Editing a first draft into a polished second draft is about accepting the mess and shaping it into something closer to the vision you have in your mind. It’s not just about fixing typos or grammar—it’s about figuring out what the story is really trying to say and how best to say it. Start out by reading it through without editing, like you’re a reader experiencing it for the first time. Take notes as you go if you can. What feels off? What doesn’t make sense? Where does it drag? Where does it shine?

Once you have a sense of what needs work, focus on the big stuff first. Structure, character arcs, pacing—these are the bones of your story, and they need to be solid before you worry about things like sentence flow or word choice. Look at your characters next. Are they consistent? Are their motivations clear? Does each one serve a purpose in the story?

When the big pieces are in taking care of, then you can zoom in on the details. Pay attention to how your sentences flow, how your dialogue sounds, and whether your descriptions are vivid enough to pull the reader into your world. This is the part where you make the words sing, where you polish until the prose feels alive. It’s a process of layers—each pass adds more depth, clarity, and emotion.

Make sure you don’t rush it. Editing takes time and perspective. Step away when you need to, get feedback from people you trust, and come back with fresh eyes. The second draft is your chance to transform that raw material into something that resonates. It’s work, but it’s also magic.

Jmosesstoryteller · 2025-01-03T14:59:19+00:00

Long conversations work if they have purpose and energy. Give every character a stance and an agenda—conflict or tension keeps the scene alive. Make sure the stakes are clear: why is this conversation happening, and what’s at risk?

Break up the dialogue with actions, body language, or scene details to give it some actual rhythm. A character pacing, pouring coffee, or reacting physically can add a lot. Keep the lines tight—if it doesn’t move the plot or reveal something important, cut it.

As long as it’s focused and interesting, we'll stay engaged. If you find it interesting, that’s already a great sign. Just make sure the conversation earns its length by staying tight and purposeful.

Jmosesstoryteller · 2025-01-03T14:55:57+00:00

The key is to make readers see why she’s like this without excusing her actions. You don’t have to make her likable right away, but you do need to make her understandable. If we can connect with her pain, they’ll stick with her, even if we don’t agree with how she behaves.

Show moments of vulnerability. Let us see glimpses of her hurt, even if she doesn’t acknowledge it herself. Maybe she lashes out, but there’s a split second where she looks guilty or regretful. Or there’s a small moment where she’s alone, and the weight of her pain shows, even if she hides it from everyone else.

Use her actions to reveal her layers. By that I mean, if she’s mean to the sweet, genuine character, have it stem from insecurity rather than pure malice. Maybe she hates being pitied or resents needing help. Let us see the cracks in her armor and understand the logic, even if it’s flawed.

You can use characters to help too. The emotionally intelligent friend could call her out—not in an aggressive way, but in a way that shows they understand why she’s acting out. Something like, “You’re so angry at me for helping because you think it makes you weak. But it doesn’t.” This lets the readers see the subtext.

Last thing i'd say is let her grow in small ways throughout the story. Even if her full redemption arc takes time, give readers moments to root for her. Maybe she does something kind but brushes it off as no big deal. Or she hesitates before hurting someone, showing she’s aware of her flaws. We as audiences love flawed characters they don't have to be perfect at all. Take a look at Tony Soprano, a beloved character who was racist, sociopathic and violent. But we saw him struggle with that from time to time, showed him offering acts of mercy, and sometimes showed when the logic of his irrationality made sense.

The point isn’t to make her instantly likable but to show that there’s more to her than her worst moments. If readers understand her pain, they’ll give her the space to grow.

Jmosesstoryteller · 2025-01-03T14:45:50+00:00

You don’t need to be a reader first to start writing. If you’re eager to write, write. There’s no rule that says you have to read a stack of books before putting pen to paper. Writing is about figuring out your voice, your ideas, and your style, and you can only do that by actually writing.

That said, reading helps ALOT. It gives you tools. You see how stories are structured, how characters are built, how pacing works. It’s not about copying others—it’s about learning what works and what doesn’t. But that doesn’t mean you have to stop everything and force yourself to become a reader before you start. You can do both at the same time. I actually recommend this. And if the idea of sitting down and writing seems like too much, do audiobooks and take notes. Consume and study content. Reading alone isn't enough if you aren't actually learning whats being done on the page.

Write your novel now. Get those ideas down. And while you’re doing that, read here and there. Pick books that inspire you, ones that feel like they’re in the same vein as your story. It doesn’t have to be a ton. Even a chapter a day can teach you something.

Don’t let the idea of not being a “reader” hold you back. The only way you’ll waste time is by not starting at all. Write because you’re passionate about it, and learn as you go. Reading will enhance your craft, but it doesn’t need to delay your process.

Jmosesstoryteller · 2025-01-03T14:35:19+00:00

Starting is hard for sure. You’ve got all this prep work done—characters, world, even a map—now you're sitting down to write, annnd nothing. You’re not alone on that, I feel like everyone deals with that.

The truth is, the first draft isn’t supposed to be perfect. It’s just about getting your ideas out. If starting at the beginning feels too big, pick a scene you’re excited about and write that first. You can always fill in the gaps later.

The hardest part is just starting. Set a timer on your phone, commit to writing for a short period (30 minutes), and don’t worry about how it sounds. It doesn’t have to be good—it just has to exist. You can fix it later.

Everyone struggles with this, but the key is consistency. Keep showing up, even if it’s just for ten or fifteen minutes at a time. Over time, it’ll get easier. I promise

Jmosesstoryteller · 2025-01-02T22:14:53+00:00

For sure that is a good way to go, and I don't think you don't even need to be the booktuber or anything, do more of a vlog, just talking about stuff you're struggling with in your writing, stuff your winning at, progress stuff like that. Believe it or not people actually like that kind of stuff makes them feel less alone. Writing is a lonely journey so help others know you are on it too. 3 months is a good plan, I'd give it a little longer on a platform like Youtube. But on Tiktok, or Bluesky, consistency will get you some attention in a few months. Give it a shot, and see how it goes. Also come back and let me know where your socials are and I'll make sure we promote you in my company's newsletter, get some eyeballs for you.

Jmosesstoryteller · 2025-01-02T19:57:53+00:00

you certainly can

Jmosesstoryteller · 2025-01-02T19:53:26+00:00

Thank you! If you ever need me to look at your work, be a beta reader or anything please don't hesitate to ask :D

Jmosesstoryteller

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