Writing The Historical Thriller

gothicangel

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This afternoon I am working away at my new novel (historical thriller) while watching a modern day thriller movie, and I started pondering about the difficulties and challenges of the genre in a historical setting.

It's something that I've pondered before, but never really discussed. In a Roman setting I don't have mobile phones, computers or flashy James Bond style gadgets. Instead of explosives and guns, I only have a sword/dagger and poison. When my MC acquires vital information to prevent a conspiracy it can take hours, days or months to communicate this information back to his commander.

But for all these challenges, I have found some very cool information about the network of spies, informers and couriers in Ancient Rome, as well as encryption and ways of signalling etc.

So, how do you take up the challenge? I have found that I must think more creatively. After all, readers will only accept a tortured spy blurting out his secrets only so many times (its a little too easy, I think anyway.) I remember someone saying that a MC needs to work to find the answer his dilemma (whether that's preventing Fawkes blowing up Parliament or the assassination of Caesar - true fact, Caesar had acquired intelligence from his spies of the conspiracy to kill him, but failed to act on it.)

So, how do you rise to the challenge?
 

SpinningWheel

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I'm trying to do a psychological thriller - it seems to me that the Tudor court lends itself to that very well because of all the betrayals and doublespeak, and with anyone a candidate for execution the stakes are high.
Despite you 'only' having swords/daggers and poison, it seems to me that these are more exciting than guns in a way. The ambiguity of the act of feeding someone poisoned food - because food is meant to nourish, express hospitality and love, but instead it kills them - would give a lot of edge to scenes where there might be or turns out to be poison.
I've found the slowness of communications works in the writer's favour, because in modern times it's rarely plausible that people haven't heard things that concern them unless they're being deliberately kept secret, but when news takes longer to travel you have more elasticity in the time taken for any given piece of news to spread.
It's definitely fun, anyway.
 

nealraisman

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The task does seem harder but there are too many times when all the modern devices just make a work too easy; too facile. I love a good historical novel that takes me back to the times when things were slower yet could be even more dramatic. the time it takes for things to happen can also draw out the tension and drama of the situation. I just finished Bring Up The Bodies and it certainly did build beautifully without one plot trick.
 

gothicangel

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I'm trying to do a psychological thriller - it seems to me that the Tudor court lends itself to that very well because of all the betrayals and doublespeak, and with anyone a candidate for execution the stakes are high.

Love the sound of this. Look forward to reading it. :)
 

gothicangel

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The task does seem harder but there are too many times when all the modern devices just make a work too easy; too facile. I love a good historical novel that takes me back to the times when things were slower yet could be even more dramatic. the time it takes for things to happen can also draw out the tension and drama of the situation. I just finished Bring Up The Bodies and it certainly did build beautifully without one plot trick.

Brilliant book, can't wait for part III. :)

Excellent point. In an earlier part of the WIP I was calculating how long it would take a Roman courier travelling from Antioch to Jerusalem (travelling at 50 miles a day.)
 

mayqueen

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Timely post! I'm doing a third round of revisions on a historical thriller that I haven't looked at in two years or so. My biggest challenge so far has been to deal with the fact that most of my characters are illiterate. So it's hard to have them finding or passing information that isn't stumbling on written documents. I'm taking it as a challenge because it is fun to figure out how to link the clues together without written evidence. It's also helping me that my setting is geographically bounded, although the long distances, poor roads, and few characters who have/ride horses makes it easier to play up the "will she get there in time?" elements.

I recently read Potzsch's hangman series because they were on special for Kindle. The setting was so unique that I had to read them, even though they aren't my usual fare. I've learned a lot about plotting a historical thriller and how to plant clues that don't involve written evidence or someone blurting something out under torture (in fact, a lot of his plots revolve around saving people before they blurt out something that is false just to get it over with, which is kind of interesting).
 

SpinningWheel

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My biggest challenge so far has been to deal with the fact that most of my characters are illiterate. So it's hard to have them finding or passing information that isn't stumbling on written documents.

That's fascinating. There must also be opportunities here - if you're dependent on someone carrying a message orally, how will you be certain the message is passed on correctly? Or if someone gives you some written information but you can't read it, how can you find someone you trust to read it for you?
 

sportourer1

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My novels are set in the 19th Century and the biggest challenge is keeping the work engaging and exciting whilst accepting the incredible slow pace of life and events in that period. The Napoleonic Wars for instance lasted in effect 20 years but in that time the days of open combat would were few and far between