Cut to the Chase — How To Write a Thriller Short Story

writing craft

How do I write a thriller short story (as opposed to a thriller novel)? In this article, we will delve deeper into several aspects, including:

7 steps to write a great thriller
Suspense … it’s what makes a thriller thrilling
20 kinds of thrillers
Why write a thriller short story (as opposed to a thriller novel)?
Writing thrillers in the short story constraint

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7 Steps to Write a Great Thriller

These are the 7 steps to write a great thriller, regardless of the length (novel, novella, short story, flash fiction):

Read (and Watch) Thrillers
Use the Thriller IDEA Formula
Develop Compelling Characters
Incorporate the Three Cs (Contract, Clock, Crucible)
Select Vivid Settings
Add Threats and Obstacles
Invent Plot Twists

1. READ (AND WATCH) THRILLERS

As a thriller-writer, you need to immerse yourself into the thriller genre. The more thrillers you read and watch, the better idea you will get of how they work and how to use their elements in your writing.

As they say: “You are what you eat.”

In the same way: “You write what you read”. As a writer wanting to write thrillers, you should have steady diet of reading thrillers.

In addition: “You write what you watch”. Watching thriller movies and TV shows/series should be part of your research too. Note down how tension is created in scenes, where plot twists occur and what other techniques are used by the director or screenwriter in order to generate thrills for the audience.

It’s not only about researching thrillers though – reading outside the genre can also help add depth, complexity and style to your stories. By reading widely, you’ll come across different techniques that could help make your story stand out from all the rest. For example, reading literary fiction can help develop your descriptive skills which are essential when creating vivid settings for your characters and plots to take place in as well as giving them more real-life qualities so readers can connect with them easier.

By immersing yourself into all things related to thriller writing – including reading and watching old favorites as well as modern bestsellers and blockbusters – you’ll be building up an arsenal of knowledge that will support and inform each element of your story: character development, atmosphere creation and plot structure included.

2. USE THE THRILLER IDEA FORMULA

So how do you come up with the ideas for thrillers?

Let me suggest the Story IDEA Formula as applied to thrillers.

You can read more about the Story IDEA Formula here, but let me summarize it. IDEA stands for:

INSPIRE x DELVE + ENGAGE x ADAPT

INSPIRE - get sparks of inspiration from multiple sources
DELVE - get clear about what you want to write about
ENGAGE - fan the idea-spark into a fire
ADAPT - play with the idea, transforming it into a story concept

To get INSPIREd, you need a process for capturing ideas as you come across them. You can carry a small notebook or journal or index cards with a small pen in your pocket (or purse). You can use an app on your phone. You can dictate (my favorite dictation/transcription app is Otter.ai), speaking your idea into the app which automatically transcribes it. If you read books on Kindle, highlight inspiring passages and use Readwise to share the highlights into your note app. In the end, whether you capture on scraps of paper, dictation, highlighting passages, all these inspiration-fireflies should end up in a single idea-jar, your all-purpose inspiration-container.

OK, so you have a place to capture inspirations. Where do you get them from? Consider these sources for inspiration:

Plot Generators
Writing Prompts
Observations from real life
Reference sources (ex. Wikipedia)
Fiction (as you read and watch thrillers and other genres — see step 1)
Non-Fiction (ex. news stories, long-form fiction, histories, biographies, etc)

You already know that you want to DELVE into the thriller genre. Within that genre, you may want to DELVE further into a certain style or type or topic of thriller that you prefer (see the 20 Kinds of Thrillers further down in this article). You may have a certain “world” or setting that you prefer, such as a sci-fi world, a historical time period, a professional world such as legal, medical, etc. You may prefer a certain mood (ex. hardboiled, romantic-emotive). You may even have certain recurring characters, such as a favorite hero (or even villain). Whatever it is, filter your inspiration through this lens of what you want to DELVE into.

Next, ENGAGE with the germ of an idea. This can be as simple as freewriting, taking a walk to think about it, talking about the idea with someone, or you can engage other senses, such as creating a playlist of music that seems related to the idea, or drawing a picture or creating a collage of images from the web. For a thriller, you may listen to soundtracks from favorite thriller movies. You may collect images of scenes from thriller movies or TV shows that has a similar mood to the idea that is taking shape for your thriller story.

Now you are ready to ADAPT the idea by using one or more of these tools:

WHAT IF … ? Take any concept that you come up with — through any of the other steps above — and ask “what if…?” Our brains are wired to answer questions, so when you use “what if…”, your brain springs into action and tries to answer it. “What if…” is a creative prompt, because there is no set answer, so it opens up your mind to new possibilities. So, for example if you have the germ of an idea about a thriller involving a serial killer in a medical setting, and maybe you have some images from a medical TV show as you’ve engaged visually with the idea. Now ask “what if … ?” and start brainstorming ideas about a serial killer in a hospital. What if … the serial killer is a kindly volunteer, maybe an elderly lady? What if … the serial killer is a bad seed intern (or candy striper)?
FLIP: This means to turn some character or situation or other story elements upside down or on its side. You can flip protagonist and antagonist, telling the story from the antagonist’s side. You can flip character story roles, so that the sidekick is really the hero. You can flip a trope to its opposite. Try flipping the order of the story, telling the end (or middle) first. What other things can you flip? For a thriller, how about flipping the convention of a killer chasing an innocent “woman in peril” and have her turn the tables and chase the killer.
MODIFY: Create a new story by modifying an older familiar one, such as taking a fairytale and retelling it in a modern world. For a thriller, could you take the familiar tale of Hansel, Gretel, and the Witch in the woods, and think about how you could re-tell this in a modern setting — two children vs an old woman who is a killer.
COMBINE: Take two ideas and combine them. This can be two ideas that came up during the steps above. It can also be combining two already existing ideas. For a thriller, take two newspaper stories and challenge yourself to connect them in an unexpected way.
MAP: Even if you are a confirmed “Pantser” (writing from the seat of your pants with no outline), consider mapping out your story idea, just a little bit, as a tool to spark your creative imagination. You can use the FictionMAP narrative structure as a guide for a more plot-based method. I would recommend focusing on just three of the nine steps: “context”, “catalyst”, and “climax”.

Thinking about the “context” (that is the “ordinary world” before some event happened) will help you set the scene in your mind, and you can think about your characters and the story-world in its normal everyday state.

Then think about the “catalyst”: what happens that changes everything, and how does that affect the characters?

Now jump ahead to the “climax” of the story, when everything comes to a head. What happens? Who’s involved?

It doesn’t have to be fully fleshed out. You’re not telling the story yet. You’re just dreaming and coming up with possibilities.

3. DEVELOP COMPELLING CHARACTERS

You must develop compelling characters for a thriller short story. These characters could be a villain, hero, sidekick, love interest, family or other people that the hero must protect.

The Villain: A good villain is essential for any thriller. Your villain should have clear motivations and their actions should be believable and in line with their personality. They must be more than just a stock character or someone without any clear motive. They should also be powerful enough to challenge your hero but not too powerful as to make the readers feel like it’s impossible for them to win. It’s also important to show how the villain has been shaped by their past experiences. What caused them to become this way? What are they hoping to gain through their actions?
The Hero: Your hero is the one who needs to save the day — they’re your protagonist and need to be complex and interesting enough that readers will root for them and keep turning pages. They should have flaws as well as strengths and these can help add depth to your story. The hero may also have a surprising connection with the villain — think about ways of introducing an unexpected twist into your story by having them linked in some way.
The Sidekick: Every hero needs a sidekick — someone who can offer moral support, advice or even practical help from time-to-time. This character could provide comic relief during tense moments or provide an outsider perspective on events so readers can gain insight into things happening behind-the-scenes.
The Love Interest: Romance often plays a part in thrillers — there may be hints of attraction between two characters which adds another layer of tension when it comes to pivotal moments in the plot. Even if two characters don’t end up together at the end of your story, it can still add an interesting element which keeps readers engaged throughout its entirety.
Family & Others The Hero Must Protect: It’s common for heroes in thrillers to have loved ones (family or otherwise) who they must protect during their journey against evil forces. This provides extra motivation for them so readers can really get behind why they are fighting and give extra stakes to each scene where this family is at risk of being hurt by enemies. Other people the hero must protect could include innocent bystanders caught up in the chaos or friends caught up on the wrong side of things due to circumstances outside of their control — regardless of whom these people are, giving them importance will add more depth and meaning to your story overall.

Of course you don’t need all of these characters. In fact, a tightly focused thriller, with just the hero and the villain facing off, can be very effective.

4. INCORPORATE THE THREE Cs (CONTRACT, CLOCK, CRUCIBLE)

I learned a lot from Dan Brown’s MasterClass course in preparation to write this article. One of his most important lessons is the “Three Cs” of thrillers — contract, clock, and crucible.

The Contract is the promise you make to your readers that they will have a thrilling reading experience. You do this by giving them an exciting plot with unexpected twists and turns, characters they can root for or against depending on their motivations, and intense scenes that keep them hooked until the very end. This means you must create an air of suspense throughout your story that builds up as the reader gets closer to finding out what happens in the climax.
The Clock is essential to creating tension in a thriller story – it needs to be ticking down all the way through your novel so readers are constantly wondering how events will unfold before time runs out. This could be something external like a bomb set to go off at a certain time or something internal such as someone needing to complete a mission before they get caught or lose their chance forever. By adding these time-sensitive elements into your story, you’ll give readers more incentive to turn each page faster and see what happens next.
The Crucible is a concept used when referring to life-or-death stakes in any given scene or moment. This can help raise the stakes even more for characters within the story as well as for readers — if this dilemma isn’t resolved then everyone involved is going to suffer some consequences which can add an extra layer of tension and drama.

All together these three elements should start with contract (promising readers an exciting read) and end with crucible (showing how high the stakes are), while making sure there is always something ticking away on the clock in between.

5. SELECT VIVID SETTINGS

Settings can be based on real locations or completely imagined — either way, they need to be described with enough detail so readers will feel like they’re right there with the characters. Settings inspire plot developments, too. A character’s actions may be influenced by their environment and the obstacles they face while in it.

Researching settings is an essential part of writing thrillers — you want to make sure your reader has a clear mental image of the places your story takes place in. Take some time to research locales that would fit with your plot and really bring them to life for readers — this could include researching historical facts about certain locations or gathering information about what it’s like to live there. You can also use maps as a visual reference and draw inspiration from real-world landmarks when creating your own settings.

Once you have all this information at hand, you can start painting a detailed picture for readers with your words — describe not only what a setting looks like but also how it feels. Focus on details such as the smells in the air, the sounds ringing around it, and any other sensory elements that could give readers a better understanding of this world you are creating.

By injecting these vivid settings into your story, you will give readers more incentive to keep turning pages until they find out what happens next. They’ll feel like they’ve been taken away into another world where anything is possible — and that’s exactly what makes thrillers so thrilling.

6. ADD THREATS AND OBSTACLES

Threats and obstacles act as a source of tension that builds up until the very end of the story. They should become increasingly difficult for your characters to overcome as they progress throughout the story — this will keep readers guessing and make them even more invested in finding out how it all plays out.

Threats come in many forms and can range from physical risks such as an attacker or dangerous situation to psychological ones like guilt or fear. Each creates a sense of suspense that enriches the story as readers worry about what will happen next. It’s important to create these threats organically within your story so they feel believable and realistic — don’t just throw them in randomly without any context.
Obstacles also need to be carefully planned out and tailored to fit each character’s journey. No two stories are going to have identical obstacles — yours should challenge your protagonists in ways that make them reflect on their choices and grow as people throughout their trials and tribulations. These obstacles should always be connected back to the main plot so readers can understand why they are happening — this will also add higher stakes for characters which makes for an even more thrilling experience as a reader.

By weaving threats and obstacles into your thriller, you will create an exciting roller-coaster ride that keeps readers hooked from start to finish. They’ll be rooting for your characters every step of the way, desperate to find out what happens next until they hit the climax where everything is revealed.

7. INVENT PLOT TWISTS

Plot twists are the cherry on top of any thriller — they can be both shocking and satisfying to read. Not only do they keep readers guessing until the end, but they also make them feel like their expectations were wrong. They add a sense of suspense that heightens anticipation and creates an even more thrilling experience.

When constructing your plot twists, it’s important to make sure that each one feels organic and necessary for the story to progress. Avoid throwing in random surprises just for shock value — these should all lead somewhere and have a purpose within your narrative.

You should also take into consideration how long readers will have to wait until receiving a payoff from your twists — if you leave too much of a gap between each one then their impact may not be as strong. Instead, try spacing them out evenly throughout the story so there’s always something unexpected waiting around the corner.

Plot twists can also come in the form of character revelations or new information about the setting. These help build tension as readers wonder what will happen next and fear what might be lurking beneath all these layers of mystery. Don’t be afraid to play with these elements — surprise your readers with unpredictable reveals or unexplainable events to keep them engaged until the very end.

By crafting clever plot twists that tie back into your main themes or characters' journeys, you will give readers an unforgettable thrill ride. They’ll never know what’s coming next and that’s exactly why thrillers are so thrilling.

Suspense … It’s What Makes a Thriller Thrilling

Thrillers are all about suspense. In fact, suspense is what makes thrillers thrilling.

Here’s a great quote by Alfred Hitchcock about the difference between “action” (or “shock” or “surprise”) versus “suspense”:

We are now having a very innocent little chat. Let’s suppose that there is a bomb underneath this table between us. Nothing happens, and then all of a sudden, “Boom!” There is an explosion. The public is surprised, but prior to this surprise, it has seen an absolutely ordinary scene, of no special consequence.

Now, let us take a suspense situation. The bomb is underneath the table and the public knows it, probably because they have seen the anarchist place it there. The public is aware the bomb is going to explode at one o’clock and there is a clock in the decor. The public can see that it is a quarter to one. In these conditions, the same innocuous conversation becomes fascinating because the public is participating in the scene. The audience is longing to warn the characters on the screen: “You shouldn’t be talking about such trivial matters. There is a bomb beneath you and it is about to explode!”

In the first case we have given the public fifteen seconds of surprise at the moment of the explosion. In the second we have provided them with fifteen minutes of suspense."

– Alfred Hitchcock

Let’s use the mnemonic phrase “BRUSH with DEATH and DANGER at every turn” for the elements of suspense you should include in your thriller:

Begin with a bang
Rising tension
Unpredictable
Surprises
Higher stakes
… with DANGER and DEATH at every turn

BEGIN WITH A BANG

Suspense is what makes your readers worry and anticipate what will happen next — and it all starts with a thrilling beginning. You should introduce a compelling situation right away that catches the audience’s attention and compels them to learn more. This could be anything from an unexpected event to a mysterious character introduction — as long as it hooks readers in from the start.

It’s also important to set up the stakes in your story during this beginning so readers understand why they should be invested in this journey. Whether it’s an external threat or internal conflict for your characters, these higher stakes add an extra layer of tension which will keep readers guessing throughout. It’s also important to set up how events in the beginning are connected to those at the end of the story — this way everything feels like part of one cohesive narrative arc.

You want to make sure that your beginning is engaging and leaves readers wanting more. This means avoiding cliches or exposition dumps that leave them feeling bored or overwhelmed instead. Remember, suspense is key here — if you can get your audience hooked on what happens next then they’ll be engaged until the very end.

RISING TENSION

Suspense is all about building up tension that leads to an exciting climax. To achieve this in your story, you need to create a rising level of suspense that slowly builds up over time. This means having more and more unexpected events occur, increasing stakes for characters as they progress through their story and introducing unpredictable elements like plot twists or character revelations.

It’s also important to make sure these elements are spaced out evenly throughout your narrative – if too much time passes between each one then the impact won’t be as strong. You should also consider how long it will take readers to get a payoff from your twists — this should never be too long or else it may become anti-climactic.

By creating a slow build-up of suspense that leads to an exciting climax, you’ll not only keep your readers engaged until the very end but also ensure that every event has its own purpose within the overall narrative arc. This way, when everything comes together in a big reveal at the end of your story, it won’t seem out of place — instead it will feel like a satisfying conclusion that pays off all the anticipation built up by earlier events.

UNPREDICTABLE

You should introducing events or revelations that are unexpected and unexplainable — it’s these moments that will keep your audience guessing and eagerly turning pages.

To achieve this level of suspense, you should consider introducing plot twists to your story. These can be anything from major reveals about characters or settings that change the way readers view the narrative to smaller surprises that have a ripple effect on upcoming events. Unexpected plot devices like these will keep readers on their toes as they anticipate what comes next — and if done correctly, they can even create an element of surprise.

It’s also important to note that these twists should never feel contrived or out-of-place in the narrative arc — instead, they should build up naturally into something more meaningful later on. To do this successfully, you should be mindful of how each twist affects characters both emotionally and physically — as well as how its implications may foreshadow future events. This not only adds depth to each individual moment but also helps create a cohesive overall story.

Try adding some unexplained elements to your story too — this could be anything from an unknown character’s motivations to a supernatural force influencing characters’ decisions. By adding elements of mystery and uncertainty into your narrative, you can further increase reader anticipation and add an extra layer of excitement and intrigue.

SURPRISES

Introduce events or revelations that readers may not have seen coming, but still feel connected to the overall narrative arc. By doing this, you can create a sense of surprise and excitement that will keep your readers hooked until the very end.

To successfully introduce these unexpected elements into your story, you need to think beyond simply shocking your audience. Instead, focus on how each surprise relates back to key themes in your story — this could be something as simple as how a character’s goals are challenged by an unanticipated event or how a seemingly insignificant moment comes back around to influence future ones.

When crafting these surprises for your readers, make sure that they aren’t too obvious or predictable either. Unexpected plot twists don’t just mean adding in random surprises without context — instead, look for ways to turn expectations on their head while still leaving clues throughout the story that hint at what’s coming next. Doing this will allow you to engage readers with an unpredictable narrative arc while also giving them enough hints along the way so they can start piecing together what’s happening before everything is revealed.

Keep these unexpected moments tied back into characters' stories and journeys. If a major plot twist occurs at the end of your story but hasn’t been foreshadowed in any way beforehand then it can feel disconnected from the rest of the narrative arc and take away from any emotional impact it might have had. So instead of having all your surprises come out of nowhere at the climax of your story, try weaving them in earlier on so that when readers reach the end they can see all the pieces finally coming together in a satisfying way.

HIGHER STAKES

As your characters progress on their journey and get closer to the climax of the story, the stakes for them should become progressively higher. By doing this, you can create an atmosphere of anticipation and tension that will keep your readers hooked until the very end.

To do this successfully, you need to ensure each character has something meaningful at stake as they move further along in their story — this could be any number of things such as their physical safety, emotional wellbeing or even a personal goal they’re striving towards. Whatever it may be, make sure the stakes become increasingly higher as the narrative progresses so that by the time readers reach the end they’re fully invested in how each character fares.

You can also use higher stakes to add more tension into your narrative arc. For example, if one of your characters is already facing major odds then having them face even greater ones as they move forward can increase suspense and make it even harder for readers to predict what will happen next. This technique can build up anticipation throughout the entire story and force readers to stay on edge until its conclusion.

Remember that these stakes should always have meaning behind them for both characters and readers alike. Not only should it be clear why each character has something important at stake but it should also relate back to key themes within your narrative arc. That way when things come full circle at the climax of your story, both characters and readers can appreciate what’s been achieved despite all odds being stacked against them.

DANGER AND DEATH AT EVERY TURN

Creating an atmosphere of suspense is one of the most effective ways to make a thriller short story gripping and exciting. For this, you, the writer, will want to make sure there’s danger and death lurking at every turn. This means that as your characters progress further along in their journey, they should constantly be faced with ever increasing risks and threats — from both external sources and within themselves.

This can be done by making sure each obstacle or challenge your characters face is tied back into something bigger than just the immediate danger they’re in. For example, if one of your characters is in a life-threatening situation then there should be a deeper reason behind why they are being put in this position. It could be because of a past mistake that has now come back to bite them or it could be because of choices made by someone else that has put them in harm’s way — either way, understanding this added layer will help make the stakes more meaningful for both readers and characters alike.

Another way to up the suspense is by introducing death as an ever-present threat throughout your story. Even if no one actually dies in your narrative arc, having moments where it looks like someone might can add a sense of urgency and fear that will line up nicely with any other plot twists or surprises you include along the way. You can also build up expectations by hinting at potential deaths before they happen so that when readers reach those climactic moments they’ll be on edge waiting to see what happens next.

With these tips in mind, you can create suspenseful scenes where danger and death are at every turn while still maintaining a clear narrative arc that keeps readers engaged until its thrilling conclusion.

20 Kinds Of Thrillers

If you’re looking for inspiration, consider 20 kinds of thrillers, along with any combination of 2 or 3 of more of these:

GENERAL

Mystery
Suspense
Psychological
Crime

ACTION

Heist
Spy
Military
Technothriller
Terrorist
Action/Adventure

TYPES

Serial Killer
Domestic
Romantic
Supernatural/Horror
Conspiracy

SETTING

Legal
Medical
Political
Historical
Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Why Write A Thriller Short Story (As Opposed To A Thriller Novel)?

Why should we write thrillers short stories as opposed to a thriller novel? First, they are not mutually exclusive. It is absolutely fine to be working on a thriller novel (or a series of novels), and STILL work on thriller short stories. There are (at least) seven reasons:

Deliberate Practice
Critiques from Writing Communities
Contests
Self-Publishing
Paid Markets
Seeds for Longer Forms (Novellas, Novels)
Other Media: Film, TV, Comics, Games

Let’s take a look at each of these.

DELIBERATE PRACTICE

Deliberate Practice is a proven method for building expertise in any field.

I would encourage you to check out the book “Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise” by Anders Ericsson and his co writer Robert Pool for more detail.

Anders Ericsson is a professor at Florida State University who studies the field of building expertise, becoming an expert. Based on his research, he has defined the “Deliberate Practice” process, which is what he has found to be the common elements of the practice used by world class experts in fields ranging from sports to music, chess, computer programming, and any other field of expertise. It can also be used to work on your writing craft and writing process.

It’s all about getting in the “reps”.

Just like in any practice what you want is to get in a lot of repetitions (“reps”) in a reasonable amount of time.

Sure, you can get in thriller-writing “reps” by writing chapters in a novel. But you won’t get complete-story, finished-work “reps” that way.

By writing thriller short-stories, you get in the reps of all the aspects of the thriller. You get to exercise all the seven steps of thriller-writing in the bite-sized work of short stories. You can also work on other aspects of the writing craft including plot, dialogue, narrative voice, characters, and how to construct scenes and connect scenes together.

CRITIQUES FROM WRITING COMMUNITIES

First, what do we mean by a fiction critique?

This is not the kind of fiction critique you write as an essay for school. What I’m referring to as “fiction critique” (or just a “critique”, or even shorter, a “crit”) is feedback on a piece of fiction (a story, a chapter or scene in a longer work), provided directly to the writer, in order to help the writer improve their craft and the specific piece of writing that is critiqued.

Typically these are given in a writer’s group, a writing workshop, a writing community, but they can be more informal (ex. ask a friend who you feel have good taste to serve as a “beta reader”). Critiques can be given in a group setting or one-on-one. They can be given verbally or in written format — or a combination.

In the group setting of online writing communities, typically there will be a word count limit for work submitted for review. Something like 3,000 words max is pretty typical.

Now, you can post a chapter for a longer work, such as a novel or novella, and a lot of people do this. But there’s something about being able to get the feedback on the entire story, all the aspects of it, not just the limited view of a chapter in a longer work. .

CONTESTS

Participating in creative writing contests can be a great way of getting visibility and finding an audience.

Winning (or being a runner up) in competitions, can also give you credentials to demonstrate to an agent or a publisher that you have writing credentials.

Competitions are also great for boosting your passion for writing and (when you win or “place”) a morale booster too.

Most, if not all, competitions tend to be completed stories with some word count limits.

Some are limited to flash fiction, which is usually 1500 words or less (even or 1000 words or less.) It’s challenging to fit a thriller in that constraint, but it’s doable. Here are three examples:

Getaway (here is the writing process for this story)
Kill The Messenger (here is the writing process for this story).
The Monsters (here is the writing process for this story)

Other competitions allow for 1,000 – 3,000 words (ex. the Reedsy weekly writing contest).

So, to have your thriller story considered for competitions, you need to write short (enough) to fit within their constraints.

SELF-PUBLISHING

You can self-publish (or “indie publish”) a thriller novel, but have you considered self publishing Kindle singles?

Kindle Singles are shorter works — short story or novella length — and can be a good way of getting an audience, since the price point is lower (99 cents is the typical price point) and it’s a short read, so you get readers that are willing to try a new author if the thriller concept looks interesting.

You can also self-publish collections of your short stories. If you commit to regularly writing thriller short stories, you can quickly have enough stories to self-publish a full-length book. 10–15 thriller short stories is enough to self-publish a full-length Kindle book.

If you’re writing a thriller novel (or if you already have one or more thriller novels published), consider that Kindle Singles and short story collections will add to your list of published works. Readers can read some of your shorter work, while waiting for your next novel.

As you write and self-publish your short stories, consider whether you want to focus on a certain theme, type, or style within the thriller genre, or maybe feature a recurring character (or more than one). This will make it more likely that readers who prefer that theme/type/style of thriller (and/or become fans of your recurring characters) stick with you as an author, because they continuously get more from you, in the short form. It will also build reader anticipation for your longer form, novel-length thrillers.

PAID MARKETS

Paid markets for short stories include both traditional print magazines and anthology collections and online publishers.

The traditional mystery magazines like Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine are looking for thriller short stories.

There are online magazines that accept thrillers and some that specialize in the mystery and thriller genre.

Publishing in paid markets gives you added credibility when it comes time to pitching your thriller novel to a traditional publisher.

You can much more quickly get recognition and build an audience, which can drive readers to your self-published novels, if you’ve decided to go the indie publishing route.

SEEDS FOR LONGER FORMS (NOVELLAS, NOVELS)

Short stories can also serve as seeds for longer form stories, such as novellas and novels. Think about your short story as a test-run to see if you like the characters and the concept well enough to commit to expanding into a novel.

You may get feedback from critiques, winning competitions, or selling the short story to a paid market, telling you that there would be a market for a novel based on the short story.

One of the most famous examples is the novel “Carrie” that launched Stephen King’s career. “Carrie” started as a short story, and Stephen King expanded it into the novel.

OTHER MEDIA: FILM, TV, COMICS, GAMES

Other media — such as film, television, comics — are by their nature shorter form. A thriller short story can more readily be adapted for the other media, since it is already tightly focused to fit into a shorter time constraint.

Two great examples are the movies “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Stand By Me.” Both are based on Stephen King short stories, not novels.

If you’re interested in script writing, you could consider adapting one or more your thriller short stories into a screenplay, a comic book script, or the script for a video game.

Writing Thrillers in the Short Story Constraint

Okay so how do we write thrillers in short story constraint? Let’s first look the constraints, then some tips and techniques for working within them.

CONSTRAINTS

There are three types of constraints to consider: word count, audience, and topic.

Word Count: Short stories typically fall in the 1,000 – 7,500 range. Anything shorter would be “flash fiction”, anything longer would get into the novelette or novella territory. One nuance is that Kindle Singles tend to be a bit longer — novelette/novella length of 10,000 – 30,000 words or longer is the norm.
Audience: If the audience is a paid market (or an unpaid market, such as many online magazine), follow their guidelines. If you want to participate in competitions or share your story on a writing community to get feedback via a critique, then the range is typically 1,000 – 3,000 words. Also, you should consider anything else unique, such as the age group (YA or adult) and pay attention to the guidelines for that audience. For example, it is becoming more common to flag any “triggers” (ex. extreme violence, abuse, etc.) upfront.
Topic: A competition may require that you write to a specific theme or prompt. Similarly a call for submissions from a paid market may be for a specific topic or theme. Also, if you are participating in a “writers circle” (or any other sub-group) of a larger writing community, be sure you understand the topics and focus of that circle.

CUT TO THE CHASE

So, how do you cut to the chase? How do you live within those constraints, how to keep it short and focused? Here are some considerations:

Small (Enough) Idea - make sure that your idea is honed down to something small enough. If you have a bigger idea — one that could fill a novella, a novel, a trilogy, or a series — then either it’s not a good idea for a thriller short story, or you need to pick just a small component: those key scene scene, a few characters.
Focus - in general, whatever idea you have, it pays narrow it down to a close focus. Zoom in to the immediate moments that will tell the story.
Jump Into the Middle - which is a great practice for a thriller in general, no matter the length of your story. Get into the middle of the action, no preambles, plunging the reader into something that’s already happening, a story in progress, and let them catch up. In addition to keeping it short, the added benefit is that this is a compelling way to pull your reader right into the story’s spell.
Crystal-Clear Conflict - Be clear about the main conflict, the drive. Hint: you probably only have room for one major conflict, no subplots, except as subtext.
Focused Point-of-View - The best point-of-view for a thriller short story is usually first-person (“I”) or third-person limited point of view (“he/she/they”). Within the tight word count, you usually don’t have room to jump between multiple characters. One exception is a story that has a distinct break — perhaps in the service of showing the villain in action, letting the reader in on something the hero doesn’t know in order to create suspense — in one or two places, where you suddenly switch from one character’s viewpoint to another for effect.
Write Longer, Then Cut Back - Allow yourself to write a little bit too long first, and then look for ways of cutting it back. That “little bit too long” probably should be no more than 50% over the target word count. If you’re working within the “less than 3,000 words” constraint, don’t go much beyond 4,500 words on the first draft. If you’re pushing up agains the limits of a short story, 10,000 words can be cut back to 7,500 or less, but if you’re sprawling beyond that, you probably don’t have a short story — you have a full full-on novelette, novella, novel, or the beginnings of a series of thriller novels. Even if you find yourself in this predicament, you can zoom in on one aspect of the too-long story, and mine that thriller short story diamond out of your huge, bulky “thriller novel” mountain.

Resources

Here are some resources for writing thriller short stories.

MY FAVORITE ALL-PURPOSE RESOURCE

The Writer's Treasure Chest - everything in one place, curated, organized, this is a great reference for all things writing craft, with tons of prompts, plot/character generators and other tools to inspire and help you as you write your thriller short stories.

THRILLER PROMPTS

THRILLER SHORT STORIES

Here are more reference material on the writing craft that can be helpful when writing your thriller short stories.

FREE COURSE, GUIDE AND WORKBOOK

Do you want to write fiction faster, while practicing your craft and your writing process to consistently get better? Check out this link to the "Write Fiction Faster ... and better" guide and workbook, which comes with a companion course with 23 bite-sized video lessons and 4 worksheets.

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