Do you want to write a thriller novel but don’t know where to start? Outlining a book isn’t for every writer, but there are benefits to outlining a thriller novel according to many fiction writers!
This blog post will walk you through the steps needed to create a book outline for a thriller from scratch. We’ll show you how to divide your book into logical sections and generate a table of contents from your outline.
Here are the seven steps you need to take:
1. Come up with a basic idea for your thriller story
To develop a basic premise for your story, you could start thinking about people’s most common fears. For example, fear of the dark, fear of being trapped, fear of heights, fear of death, etc. It could be something like “A family is taken hostage by a madman and must use their wits to survive” or “A detective searches for clues to solve a mysterious murder.”
Choose a topic you’re interested in or passionate about. Then, look for unsolved mysteries or exciting scenarios that you could explore. Maybe a scary scenario that could plausibly happen in the real world. For example, what if a terrorist group managed to hack into a nuclear plant and set off a meltdown?
Choose an exciting and unique setting for your story, which can be anything from a small town to a large city to an exotic location. Make sure it is a world where you want to spend a lot of time. It’s okay to have more than one setting as long as you don’t have too many location changes.
2. Flesh out your characters, including their backstory and motivation
Who are the heroes of your story? The villains? What motivates them? Make sure each character has a clear goal and understands the stakes of the story. Your characters should be fully realized people with their own wants, needs, and motivations. Readers should understand why they’re acting the way they are and what drives them to do what they do.
Fleshing out your characters will also help you when it comes to plotting, as you’ll have a better understanding of how they would react in different situations and what kinds of choices they would make.
iting Describe your characters. Saying that someone has blue eyes and black hair isn’t enough. Check out J.K. Rowling’s description of Hagrid! Practice by describing a friend or family member. Maybe you know someone who has freckles on her ears or a guy with knobby knees. Have fun with it!
The protagonist in a thriller is usually someone who’s in over their head and trying to solve a mystery or survive a dangerous situation. They’re often resourceful and determined, but they can also be vulnerable and scared. Ultimately, what makes a person a protagonist in a thriller is their willingness to keep going even when the odds are against them.
The antagonist should be somebody the audience can love to hate. They should be powerful, threatening, persuasive, cunning, and ruthless. But, most importantly, they should be unpredictable – you never know what they’re going to do next, which keeps the tension high.
The antagonist is usually someone who stands in the way of progress and needs to be defeated for the protagonist to succeed.
All characters in your story should be flushed out to make sure they are well-rounded and interesting. The best way to determine their goals and motivations is to build a backstory for them.
You can do this by answering questions such as:
-What kind of childhood did they have?
-Are there any traumas or significant life events that have shaped them?
-What do they want?
– What motivates them?
3. Create a timeline for your story
The beginning
The beginning should introduce the main character and their world. The conflict should start to come into play, hinting at the stakes involved. Suddenly, the inciting incident happens – the catastrophic event that kicks off the story and starts the action. Make sure your inciting incident is strong enough to set the stakes high and move your story.
The middle
Near the middle of the story, the tension should ramp up as the characters are put under more and more pressure. The story’s climax should be reached to reveal the conflict’s true nature and its resolution.
-Create suspense by withholding information. Don’t give away everything at once – make the reader work for it.
-Build up the stakes – what’s at stake if your protagonist fails?
-Make things personal – why does this matter so much to your protagonist?
The end
The end is when everything comes to a head, and the protagonist has to face their fears head-on. It’s essential to have a strong ending that ties up all of the loose ends and leaves readers satisfied.
4. Plot out the major events of your story and how they’ll unfold
Once you’ve chosen a theme or topic to focus on, you can start brainstorming ideas for plot points and scenes that will ratchet up the suspense and tension. Try to think outside the box and come up with some unexpected twists and turns that will keep readers guessing until the very end.
Tips on how to plot out events in a thriller outline
Start by outlining the story’s beginning, middle, and end, planning key scenes and moments that will drive the plot forward, and ensuring that each scene moves the story forward somehow.
Thrillers are all about the plot, so a good thriller outline will have plenty of twists and turns to keep your readers engaged. Here are a few tips:
1. Soon after introducing the protagonist and their world, something shocking happens. This inciting incident should be strong enough to set the stakes high and move your story.
2. Create a clear goal or objective for your protagonist and make sure it’s something they can achieve physically and within the timeframe of your story.
3. Build in plenty of obstacles and roadblocks along the way toward the middle of the outline. For example, something serious happens to the protagonist that will keep them distracted and unable to concentrate on what the antagonist is trying to do.
The middle of the outline should be exciting and tension-filled in a thriller. It is when the protagonist is in great danger, and things look bleak. The stakes are high, and the reader is rooting for the character to make it through alive.
4. Resolve the problem or conflict in a satisfying way.
By following these steps, you can create an outline for a thriller that will keep your readers hooked from beginning to end. So get writing, and don’t forget to include plenty of suspenseful twists!
5. Come up with a catchy and intriguing title
The title of your thriller is based on its plot, characters, and setting. It should hint at the story’s premise without giving away too much. And they should be unique enough that they stand out from the crowd.
Research popular titles for inspiration
-Choose a title that hints at the story’s main plot point or mystery. For example, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is about a girl who investigates a dark family mystery.
-Use alliteration or rhyme to create a memorable title—for example, Jaws, Gone Girl, Mystic River, or Fatal Attraction.
-Titles that evoke suspense or fear can be effective—for example, The Silence of the Lambs, The Undoing, or Misery.
-Use keywords that are specific to your story. For example, if your book is about a haunted house, using “haunted” in your title will help potential readers find your book when searching for thrillers online or in stores.
-Make it mysterious or intriguing. Titles like “The Killer Inside Me” or “In the Woods” make readers want to know more.
Now that you have some ideas for a title for your book, you can start thinking about the plot. To do this, you’ll need to create an outline. Here are a few tips for how to create a book outline for a thriller:
6. Draft a rough outline of each chapter, including the key scenes and dialogue
Start by brainstorming a list of potential scenes and then narrowing it down to the essential ones. Once you have your key settings, you can piece them together into a chapter-by-chapter outline. With that, you can start a bullet list for adding new information. Here are examples of how a chapter-by-chapter outline might look at the first half of a thriller:
Chapter 1: The setup
- We meet the protagonist and learn about their normal life.
- There’s a sense of foreboding as we see that something is about to go wrong.
Chapter 2: The inciting incident
- The inciting incident sets everything in motion and throws the protagonist into chaos.
- The protagonist has a close call with death that changes the course of their life.
- The antagonist’s backstory is revealed.
Chapter 3: The race against time
- The protagonist is now on a mission to prevent whatever disaster is looming.
- Each chapter brings them closer to success or failure, with nail-biting suspense all along the way.
A tip: To make it easier for you to find the right chapter in the outline to add something to make a more detailed outline, you might want to note the time and day at the beginning of each chapter.
Here is a free book outline template that might be helpful:
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7. Edit and revise your outline until it’s perfect
Your thriller outline needs more excitement! Remember, you want to hook your reader from the beginning and keep them engaged until the end. So think about ways to amp up the action, suspense, and intrigue. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
-Introduce a new villain who is even more dangerous than the last.
-Put your protagonist in even greater danger than before.
-Create more plot twists and turns that will keep your reader guessing.
-Increase the stakes for your characters, making it clear that their lives are on the line.
You can create an outline that keeps your reader glued to the pages by following these tips.
How to divide your book into sections and generate a table of contents
1. First, determine the overall structure of your book. Knowing the main sections or parts will give you a starting point for creating your table of contents.
2. Next, break each section down into smaller subsections to help you organize your material and make it easier to find specific information later on.
3. Finally, create a table of contents that lists all of the sections and subsections in your book. Please include page numbers so readers can easily find what they’re looking for.
Following these steps should help you create a well-organized, user-friendly book outline that will make writing your thriller a breeze.
In conclusion
Congratulations, you’ve now completed your thriller story outline! This is a crucial step in the writing process, and it can be helpful to come back to your outline as you write to ensure your story stays on track. Now that you have a solid plan for your story, it’s time to start writing. The best part of this process is bringing your characters and plotlines to life- so get started today!
If you’re working on your first novel and are looking for more help with your writing, please check out my other articles at https://ullahakanson.com/blog/
Best of luck with your writing!
Ulla