A to Z Challenge asks bloggers to post every day except Sundays during the month of April on a thematic topic–nothing else. This year, I’ll be covering writing genres.
Today’s genre:
Psychological Thriller
Definition
a suspenseful movie or book emphasizing the psychology of its characters rather than the plot; a sub-genre of thriller. In a psychological thriller, the characters are exposed to danger on a mental level rather than a physical one.
Tips
- Start the book with high action.
- Deeply focus on characters and their state of mind.
- Have your characters rely not on physical strength, but mental.
- These are often character-driven stories. Develop your main character well and deeply.
- The suspense in this genre is often from the use of POV, such as an unreliable narrator.
- POV is often 1st person or close third person so the reader can experience the thoughts and insecurities of the antagonist.
- Make sure every development is logical and well-planned, well-researched.
Popular Books
- Anything by Alfred Hitchcock
- Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
- Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
- The Shining by Stephen King
- Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware series
- Gone, Baby, Gone by Dennis Lehane
- The Postman Always Rings Twice by James Cain
- Taxi Driver by Paul Schrader
- Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
More P Genres
Click for complete list of genres
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman
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What a great genre this is. Love the description. These are the books that keep me turning pages because I just HAVE to figure it out (the ending.) I think Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale and Joanne Harris’ Gentlemen and Players both fit this category. Talk about unreliable narrators and suspense!
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I haven’t heard of those. Exactly how many books have you read, Shari? A million? More? Hmmm…
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First, about 12 years ago I started to write every title of every book I was reading and then as I remembered them, I added titles I’d read since I was very young. In many cases, I’ve included a brief description. Completely disorganized, not even in alphabetical order. Just last year and this, I began a new file so I can track books I’ve read in any one year. Surprisingly even to me, I’ve read far fewer books per year than I would have thought.
You, on the other hand, probably have read a million books!
You might really enjoy Setterfield’s and Harris’ books – a bit dark but so rewarding, and I wasn’t able to figure out either book’s conclusion.
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I love watching psychological thrillers as movies – this may put me in the ‘lazy reader’ category. But I absolutely love them! 🙂
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You like multimedia–not at all lazy. I bet you still have a lot of imagination occurring!
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Oh yes! I’m always getting ideas and hubby hates watching movies with me because I usually pick the ending 😀 😀 😀
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BTW, I’ve shared your story about saving the dragonfly with any number of people over here in California. You are becoming a rock star to the area insect lovers. No one’s every cleaned spider webs from insect wings.
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Haaaa – oh thank you, Jacqui! You’re wonderful xxxx
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Some of those titles you mentioned I’ve enjoyed as movies. That darkness can be a bit overwhelming at times though! I’ve always liked happy endings. I figured if I want dark, I’ll just read the news.
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Yes, in both book and movie. I too like happy endings. If there’s too much “this is the way the dark world is”, I am not interesting.
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I think the psychological thriller is a very strange genre, because it can go so many ways. I used to read them years ago. I still like them, though I read them a lot less, now.
@JazzFeathers
The Old Shelter – 1940s Film Noir
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They are very dark for my taste. I have trouble believing people are that cruel, though too many news stories tell me they are.
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Jacqui, you are nailing this challenge! I don’t know what’s coming, but I’m looking forward to seeing the posts. Very well done. And I do love a good psychological thriller!!! 👏👏👏
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Thank you so much, Martha. I’ve really enjoyed putting all of this together.
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I love psycho-thrillers but not really read a VERY good one in the recent past!! Can you recommend one?
Qissa cafe in Fort Kochi
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Gone Girl is as good as the movie. And Silence of the Lambs is gorier, but a classic.
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Ah yes the Silence of the lambs is a true psycho thriller..
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Your “P” choice for today is also one of the most Popular genre choices of the day. I don’t like them if they get too gratuitously brutal, though.
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There’s a line to walk there. Otherwise you drive away a significant portion of would-be readers.
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I love a good psychological thriller. I am old school about that genre. Hitchcock was the master.
Put a Little Love in Your Heart
Annie at ~McGuffy’s Reader~
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Hitchcock is perfect for this genre. Yes, we really don’t need all of the gore, do we?
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I enjoy a good psychological thriller, though I’m always a little sad to finish it as they are one genre that you can’t really read again with the same feeling. Girl Who Reads
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That’s a good point. Yes, you know how it’ll end.
Though, I did fine watching the Titanic even though I knew exactly what would occur!
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Jonathan Kellerman’s books are some of my favorites. He’s really good at the genre. Another good one is Karin Slaughter.
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Agree on both, tough I read a lot more Kellerman than Slaughter. Thanks for the reminder.
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I read tons of books, but I don’t think I’ve ever read a psychological thriller – or, if I have, it was a long time ago. I like mystery, but I don’t like too much creepiness, and for some reason psychological thrillers that I’ve looked into have felt a little bit creepy. 🙂 (That might just be me, though.)
Visiting from the A to Z Challenge. You can see my “P” post here: https://lydiahowe.com/2017/04/19/p-is-for-planning-atozchallenge-vlog/
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They are not for the feint-of-heart. They prey on your brain long after the story ended.
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This is my favorite type of book. I’m always n awe of what it must take to write a really good psychological thriller. They are timeless. Crime and Punishment is my favorite book. The great thing about these books is that you see real life in them. You think, “This could happen to me.” And for that time, you get lost in the story.
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If I didn’t read psychological thrillers, I’d think most people were like cozies. Well, if I didn’t watch all the detective shows–and Criminal Minds–on TV.
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I like this trip through the genres, too, Jacqui. The most important tip in this genre, I think, is that the characters’ thoughts and choices have to be believable. If the characters do things that make no sense, I give up on the book. 🙂
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Excellent point–I’m glad you brought that up. It’s true. If they aren’t believable, I think they’re crazy and then why can’t the good guys catch them.
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I hate it when a character has a chance to escape and for some lamo reason stays to get captured again. UGH.
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Great list. Characters are key for any story, but especially for a psychological thriller!
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Absolutely character-driven. I’ll accept most plots if the main character–and/or antagonist–can sell it.
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I am terrible with scary films but like scary books 🙂 haven’t read any lately, whatever I’ve read has been sometime ago, last I read was Stephen King story The Road Virus Heads North. Have read quite a few of the books that Hitchcock made into films later…
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Stephen King definitely qualifies. I’m still working my way up to that level of horror.
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PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER. Nothing worse and scarier to find out you have been living with and married to one for 44 yrs and did not know how bad he was. Cruelty, increasing, screaming, yelling, at you 24/7 when home, thank goodness he was only home 45 days a year normally until 2010 when he changed it to more often and lied to me, telling me he was laid off again, when in fact he has quit again. It would take me 2 years after he left to find out that fact. He took early retirement with a pension in 2010, telling me he was laid off due to his age at the time late 50’s. It didn’t make sense to me as others older than he was still working, but not him. He sent his pension to an account and was stealing mail since 2001, and hiding his phone calls, and increasing his behavior of getting verbally crueler. Calling me every derogatory name there was none of which I am or ever have been, but he had to say it anyways to belittle me and be cruel as usual. He included that with his kids also, telling them to fu– off each time they spoke to him in person or on the phone, telling out youngest son since he was born in 1975 that he hated his guts, yet uses him, even his lovely daddy’s girl of a daughter and oldest son. Cruelty never stopped with us, every one was included in it also when he felt like it. He yelled all the time at work also, making a bag reputation for himself but was good at his job. He liked controlling people, he never controlled me completely, I just let him think he did. Well he is now living his is girlfriend since he left before June 2014 and having affairs with since 1999. Lying, conning, cheating,fatally flawed mentally challenged person.A person who was abused and said he would never would did, exactly 3 days after we were married. Like he said I was just a cow, heifer he bought to milk whenever he pleased while laughing. Thank goodness I finally got rid of him, so now he has to pay, one thing he got away with so far by lying in court.Be careful of who you married, mine turned into Jekyll & Hyde. Scary, I am lucky I survived his strangling me, drowning me, hitting me, OPP would do nothing about it for 44 yrs. still will not. That is bad, even when I worked for them for 20 years.
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You could write a psychological thriller. I believe it doesn’t get worse than what you lived.
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I’ve often wondered what the thought process was of those who wrote successful psychological thrillers.
Plucking Of My Heartstrings
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I don’t know how to be that devious, mentally, or cruel. I agree, Cheryl.
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Impressive, you haven’t missed a day. I don’t read this genre much, but I’ll watch psychological thriller movies. Something in me wants to see and hear the action rather than just read it. Not sure why.
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I’m planning on missing Sunday. [[yawn]]
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I’ve read Gone Girl and The Shining. I should read more psychological thrillers. I’ve liked the ones I have read.
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It provides a tad of insight into how devious some of our fellow humans can be. Yikes!
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Can I just say I love your theme for the A to Z challenge? Awesome. I want to go back and read all your posts…but I don’t know where to find the time. Maybe it will happen. *fingers crossed* This isn’t one of my favorite genres, but when you mix it a little more with some of the supernatural (Dean Koontz style), I’m definitely a fan.
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Thanks, Crystal. I started it to organize my thoughts on writing and it exploded. I have so many topics left over, I may reprise this for next year!
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I love the way “Silence of the Lambs” and “Red Dragon” was written. And “Gone Girl”… talk about chills 🙂 Happy A-to-Z-ing.
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I read and watched Silence of the Lambs. Both wonderful. As was Gone Girl. What brains in these authors.
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Gotta love The Shining and Silence of the Lambs. While this isn’t a genre I write, I do enjoy reading and watching it.
Discarded Darlings – Jean Davis, Speculative Fiction Writer, A to Z: Editing Fiction
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I read a lot of psychological thrillers because, well, I write thrillers. I don’t do the psychology, though. Mine is more action. There’s something amazing about being able to weave the mental stuff into an action-packed story.
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This is a genre I must read with the lights on. Although I’ve never read the book, Silence of the Lambs is one of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen.
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Very good idea, Jill. Leave those lights on!
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It’s a good thing I don’t take on these challenges – a post every day? I’d never be able to handle that!
This is one of my favorites, the psychological thriller – action, suspense and that relief you get knowing it isn’t all happening to you!!
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You often come close, GP. And I laid them all out in advance. Then, it’s just visiting. With the number of comments you get (meaning tons of them), I’m not sure you’d see much difference.
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I may read fast, but putting out a post is another story, at least for me!! 🙂
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Hi Jacqui – certainly lots of alternatives here … I feel someone with a lot of understanding about psychology really needs to write these. I am not happy with scary books, or movies … I did enjoy the Stig Larssen books though … cheers Hilary
http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/p-is-for-pigs.html
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You’re onto something there, Hilary. I thnk I believe those the most–when the psychology is carefully and believably constructed.
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This is always a popular genre which takes great skill in planning and maintaining the tension throughout without burning out the reader. You’ve listed some great ones here! Jacqui…just hearing others talk about The Shining was scary enough!! I never dared read (or watch) it!
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Me either, Annika. I’ll stick with the shoot-em-up thrillers. And a few cozies thrown in.
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