Codes and conventions of a PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER

   Ok, I realize that in terms of plot and genre I have been a little vague and have been focusing more on researching schizophrenia. That's because there was so much less that I knew about the disorder and it's portrayals than anything else. That doesn't mean that I have nothing to learn about thrillers, I've got a lot of that to do.

It is also essential to understand what puts the story under the category of "psychological thrillers" as well.

This is a list of basic elements found in thrillers/mysteries/suspense stories.

• Suspense and tension: there should be a "raising of the stakes" for the protagonist.
• Proactivity: The character should be proactive instead of being reactive and letting things happen to him/her.
• Character growth: Characters need to have shown growth and change by the end of the novel. Something that will help them win by the time the climax rolls around.
• No open endings: There should "no more loose ends" and the character should have learned something from the experience.
• No coincidences: Although common in real life, everything must seem to have a purpose.
• Plot: In terms of plot, there should be a turning point, something that happens to the character that makes him/her change his/her everyday life, conflict, complications, a darkest hour, where it seems that the character has lost and that there is no more hope, a climactic battle, and a denouement.

In psychological thrillers, the conflict should be centered around the mind of the character. Dangers are less physical and more mental; the final battle/climax can definitely include life and death situations, they are just more centered around the mind.

Some common themes found in psychological thrillers:

• 
  Reality: The character often struggles with determining what is real and what isn't.
• Perception: Often, characters misperceive the world around them through their senses.
• Mind: Usually a source of inner conflict where characters struggle to find a new level of purpose or understanding
• Existence/Purpose: The narrative's conflict is often a way for a character to discover a purpose in life.
• Identity: Characters often have a skewed perception of their own identity and try to discover what their true identity is.
• Death: Characters either have a fear or a fascination with death.

These rules are not set in stone and are frequently broken, that's what makes a breakthrough story. Having this as a general guide has helped me pin down the important elements of my plot to actually make a story. I had the idea in mind, however, it was hard to find a conflict or where to go from my intro. However, no I have a plot that I am very excited to share with everyone and I will do so shortly!

Thanks for reading.

Bundy, Nick. "Codes And Conventions Of A Psychological Thriller." Codes And Conventions Of A Psychological Thriller. N.p., 09 May 2011. Web. 02 Apr. 2016. <http://www.slideshare.net/NicBunby/codes-and-conventions-of-a-psychological-thriller>.

"Elements of the Psychological Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, and/or Crime Fiction 
     Genres." Hunter is Writing. N.p., 12 Oct. 2012. Web. 2 Apr. 2016. 
     <http://hunterswritings.com/2012/10/12/ 
     elements-of-the-psychological-thriller-mystery-suspense-andor-crime-fiction-genre 
     s/>. 

"The 100 Best Psychological Thriller Movies." IMBD. N.p., 17 Feb. 2013. Web. 2 
     Apr. 2016. <http://www.imdb.com/list/ls057336010/>.