How to Open Strong and Escalate the Stakes in a Thriller

Categories: Genre | Suspense | Thriller | Writing

Blake Fontenay, Chuck Barrett, Craig Faris, John Dobbyn, and Terry Irving break down the essential building blocks of a gripping thriller. From opening scenes that hook immediately to pacing, character, and escalating tension, this session focuses on the craft choices that pull readers in and refuse to let them go.

To access this content, please sign up as a member.

Check out these other resources:

The Western Hero in Modern Thrillers

The Western Hero in Modern Thrillers

The classic Western hero continues to influence today’s thrillers. In this session, authors define this character type and explore how its traits shape modern protagonists, adding grit, independence, and moral complexity to the genre.

Writing Gritty Urban Crime Settings

Writing Gritty Urban Crime Settings

Urban settings can add intensity, realism, and atmosphere to crime fiction. In this session, authors with firsthand experience living in major cities discuss how to portray urban environments authentically, capturing the harshness, complexity, and energy that make...

Secrets Don’t Stay Secret in Small Towns

Secrets Don’t Stay Secret in Small Towns

Brenda Chapman, Dana King, Erika Chase, and Sandra Parshall explore why small towns are such fertile ground for mystery. They discuss how close relationships, long memories, and hidden tensions turn familiar communities into places where secrets are hard to keep and...