How to make an action/adventure more action/adventure-y

[Question]

I'm having trouble with this. My story is meant to be an action/adventure but a friend of mine has commented (and I've noticed it myself) that it feels more like a thriller.

I'd like to make the story more like Indiana Jones and less like the Bourne books in tone but I'm not sure how to do this. Is it done with dialogue, or do I use the narration? Do I need more gags? How do I make it more adventurous than 'thriller-ish'?? I don't know where to begin because I'm not quite sure where to draw the line between an adventure and a thriller!

[RichardGarfinkle]

This is one of those know it when you see it sorts of things. I would offer the basic idea that a thriller runs on tension, that is it runs on incipient action and outcome, but an action adventure runs on the course of the action.

To analogize to combat.

A sword fight is action adventure, where the cut and thrust and parry and injuries are played out leading to an ending that is one of injury, disarm, surrender or death.

A sniper duel is more of a thriller thing, the tension of trying to find where the opponent is, each sniper trying to find the vantage point from which they can see the target without being seen and can take the one single shot that will end the matter.

[cbenoi1]

The action/adventure genre tends to have a lot of chases, action replaces dialogue, is less involving for the MC, and has much less blood than thrillers. You can set a thriller in a tight confinement (i.e. "Panic Room", "Shutter Island") where an adventure needs a much bigger expanse. A thriller is villain-driven and the threat is very personnal, where the action/adventure is more goal-driven (i.e. find a rare jewel or free a princess) and the threat more on the stakes / stake character.

Hope this helps.

-cb

[brianjanuary]

Classic thrillers tend to be more character-driven. Action-adventure novels can be almost entirely plot-driven or can be a combination of plot and character development. At any rate, for action-adventure, a strong plot with a strong hook is vital. Most action-adventure novels have lots of gunfire, explosions, big fights, etc.--what are called "set pieces"--like any action movie. The villain/antogonistic force is extremely important and must be far more powerful than the hero.

[kaitie]

Thriller for me would be a heavier book with a larger focus on the dark, suspenseful side of things. Action/adventure tends to feel lighter and have less focus on tension. Just my own opinion, of course.

Honestly...is it that terrible if it's a thriller instead? It happens sometimes that the book we end up with isn't quite what we intended at the start.

[Question]

Originally Posted by kaitie

Thriller for me would be a heavier book with a larger focus on the dark, suspenseful side of things. Action/adventure tends to feel lighter and have less focus on tension. Just my own opinion, of course.

Honestly...is it that terrible if it's a thriller instead? It happens sometimes that the book we end up with isn't quite what we intended at the start.

It's not terrible, but I actually set out to write the book with a light/humorous tone xD I wanted my story to have the feel of something like the Hellboy films or that Van Helsing movie that came out back in 2004. When I show it to people they also seem to judge it by thriller standards/give thriller-ish suggestions, but I've been going for a very different experience from the start.

For example, my friend suggested I hide lots of things from my MC to (basically) make him clueless, but this was another thing I felt was more thriller-ish, with the MC trying to figure out what the hell is going on whilst trying to stay alive. I wanted to lay out the problem, give my character a goal and then focus on the action/struggle as he tries to achieve it. Is this okay for an action/adventure? Or do you think my friend is right, and that I should keep my MC almost completely in the dark?

[heyjude]

Originally Posted by Question

For example, my friend suggested I hide lots of things from my MC to (basically) make him clueless, but this was another thing I felt was more thriller-ish, with the MC trying to figure out what the hell is going on whilst trying to stay alive. I wanted to lay out the problem, give my character a goal and then focus on the action/struggle as he tries to achieve it. Is this okay for an action/adventure? Or do you think my friend is right, and that I should keep my MC almost completely in the dark?

Write what you want and worry about what to call it later. Really, the genre labels are interchangeable, not completely, but enough. Don't sweat it.

[kaitie]

Originally Posted by Question

It's not terrible, but I actually set out to write the book with a light/humorous tone xD I wanted my story to have the feel of something like the Hellboy films or that Van Helsing movie that came out back in 2004. When I show it to people they also seem to judge it by thriller standards/give thriller-ish suggestions, but I've been going for a very different experience from the start.

For example, my friend suggested I hide lots of things from my MC to (basically) make him clueless, but this was another thing I felt was more thriller-ish, with the MC trying to figure out what the hell is going on whilst trying to stay alive. I wanted to lay out the problem, give my character a goal and then focus on the action/struggle as he tries to achieve it. Is this okay for an action/adventure? Or do you think my friend is right, and that I should keep my MC almost completely in the dark?

It's okay for an action adventure, but at the same time the tone and feel and focus is a little different in that sort of book. I've written what I consider closer to action/adventure than anything else, and that was suspenseful and had a lot of darker moments, but it also had a lot of humor, especially around some of the darker parts.

It could be that your humor isn't quite working, but it could also have to do with voice. If you have a very serious voice it will make the tone of the book feel more serious. It could also be that the focus is so much on the stress/suspense side of things that the reader can't escape from it. Keeping a light feel to a book is somewhat difficult, I think, especially when interspersed with dark, suspenseful moments.

It's really impossible to tell without reading your book, though.

[gothicangel]

Originally Posted by kaitie

Honestly...is it that terrible if it's a thriller instead? It happens sometimes that the book we end up with isn't quite what we intended at the start.

So true.
My Roman adventure quickly turned into a Roman spy thriller.

MTS: where they attach a bungey rope on admission.