Investigating the Thriller Genre

 After doing CCR Research I realized that I should do more Genre research learning specifically how I am challenging and embodying genre conventions. This will help me greatly with my CCR and especially when it comes to creating a target audience and saying how I embody and challenge genre convention.

What is my genre? 

Throughout, the planning process, I've flirted with the idea of three different genres. These include thriller, dystopia, and dramatic. Though my opening will likely maintain elements of them all, for marketing purposes I would like to pick one and lean into it more. After research and consideration, I've decided that thriller, will be the primary genre of my story, this is why. 

 

Psychological thriller Parasite (2019) and Best Picture at the Academy Awards

As I wanted to learn more about the specifics of thrillers, I found a great article from Masterclass explaining the genre. In the most basic form, a thriller is a piece of media that through the building of tension, keeps the reader interested in what could happen next. In the article they also explain that all thrillers have "the Three C's", "the contract, the clock, and the crucible." Essentially what is meant by this, is that most thrillers have an implied promise made to the reader by the end of the piece (the contract); a time pressure that will encourage characters to engage in pressured responses (the clock); and, a series of tasks should constrain your character and funnel them into more difficult tasks. 

Best-selling author Dan Brown teaches writing thrillers.

How I embody 

 As I read their explanation of the thriller genre, I realized that many of these aspects were embodied by my piece."The Contract" is quite implied by my piece, but the most explicitly told contract is that by the end of the piece, you will learn what really is happening. As the child enters the school (aka "the crucible"), they become trapped and pressure is put on them as they have to either leave or find out how to survive. As the experience becomes harder and harder "the clock" begins to tick and more and more pressure is put on them to find a way out or fight back. Additionally, my piece will also embody other important elements of a thriller such as suspense, having a "hero", "a villain", and buildup of tension to a climax.