The importance of empathy when writing thrillers

 

It’s the 4^th of July today, and of course apart from America’s Independence Day and Election Day in the United Kingdom – it’s also the release day for Peter Swanson’s latest thriller, A TALENT FOR MURDER.

We reviewed it last month, noting that “…….Told in a beguiling style, alternating between third person as well as first person point of views, we get a literary thriller that will make you shiver next time you think about reading a collection of short stories of John Cheever…….Though a warning – this novel is beguiling because under the cheerfully evocative and engaging narrative, lurks a much darker truth about concealed psychopaths and how banal evil can be……”

Read the Full Review HERE

Following our reading of A TALENT FOR MURDER, Peter kindly supplied our readers with a little context on the writing of this engaging [but very dark] narrative >

I write a lot of bad people. I write some good ones, too, and quite a few that fall somewhere in between. What I try to remember with all of these made-up humans is that they have something in common; they are the center of their own story. And they all think they’re the good guy, more or less.

My job, as I see it, is to write these characters as though they are morally equal. That doesn’t mean I don’t somewhat judge them, myself, but I need to let their actions speak louder than my words. Nothing is worse than a writer telling their reader straight out who the good people are and who are the bad. Most readers can figure this out for themselves.

Also, there is not much worse than a one-note villain. That’s why I think empathy is so important to a writer. Whenever I create the antagonist of the story, I remind myself that this particular character was a child once upon a time. That they were more than likely treated poorly by someone along the way. Just as in real life, this is not an excuse for truly heinous actions, but it does help us to understand why they happen. It helps us to feel as though this bad person has complexity.

And that makes for a better book. Once upon a time I wrote a novel called The Kind Worth Killing. There was a murderer in it named Lily Kintner, and somewhere along the way she became the protagonist of the story, and now she’s the protagonist of my latest book, A Talent for Murder. And, yes, she still kills people. But she has her reasons. I suppose all killers do. Anyway, as a writer I just put her on the page and let her do her thing. It’s not for me to judge if she’s a good person or a bad person. That’s up to the reader. 

The importance of empathy when writing thrillers

(c) 2024 Peter Swanson

Shots Magazine would like to pass our thanks to Tara McEvoy and Angus Cargill of Publishers Faber and Faber [London] for their help in getting this essay from Peter Swanson for Shots Readers.

More information about the work of Peter Swanson >

https://commons.trincoll.edu/reporter/features/a-master-of-suspense/

https://wwwshotsmagcouk.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-rules-for-eight-perfect-murders.html

https://wwwshotsmagcouk.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-hotel-that-inspired-kind-worth.html

https://wwwshotsmagcouk.blogspot.com/2020/03/peter-swansons-6th-novel-launched-in.html

https://wwwshotsmagcouk.blogspot.com/2019/03/a-friend-you-havent-met-yet-by-peter.html

https://wwwshotsmagcouk.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-talented-mr-swanson.html

https://wwwshotsmagcouk.blogspot.com/2017/01/inspiration-behind-her-every-fear-for.html

http://www.shotsmag.co.uk/feature_view.aspx?FEATURE_ID=245

And https://www.peter-swanson.com

 

In The St Hilda's Spotlight - Doug Johnstone

 Name: Doug Johnstone

Job: - Author and Freelance Arts Journalist

Website: https//www.dougjohnstone.com

X: @doug_johnstone

Instagram:@writerdougj

Introduction

Doug Johnston is the author of 17 books.  The Space Between Us was chosen for BBC Two’s Between the Covers, while Black Hearts was shortlisted for the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year, The Big Chill long-listed for the same prize. Three of his books – A Dark Matter, Breakers and The Jump – have been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. He has a degree in physics and a Phd in Nuclear Physics. He is a member of the Fun' Lovin' Crime Writers. And the co-founder of the Scotland Writers Football Club. His most recent book is The Collapsing Wave.

Current book? (This can either be the current book that you are reading or writing or both)

I’m currently writing the third part of my science fiction Enceladons trilogy, following on from The Space Between Us and The Collapsing Wave. It’s set mostly in and around Greenland, so this has been a big research challenge. 

Favourite book:

It changes every week, but let’s for now say The Night Always Comes by Willy Vlautin. A thriller and an existential look at the broken heart of America.

Which two musicians would you invite to dinner and why?

Only two? Singer songwriter Sufjan Stevens and soul legend Mavis Staples. I reckon they’d both have amazing stories to tell.

How do you relax?

Noodle about on the guitar.

Which book do you wish you had written and why?

So many! I’m a huge Sara Gran fan, and I think her horror novella Come Closer is just about a perfect piece of writing, so definitely that.

What would you say to your younger self if you were just starting out as a writer.

It’s boring advice, but just keep plugging away. Keep writing the books you want to write, and you will find your tribe.

How would you describe your latest published book?

The Collapsing Wave is a first contact science fiction thriller set in the Scottish Highlands. It’s about how badly humans treat each other, and the world around us. There’s guns, chases, prison breakouts and telepathic alien octopuses. 

With A Dance to the Music of Crime: the artful crime to murder being the theme at St Hilda's this year, which are you three favourite albums?

Again, this changes from day to day, but today I’m going to say:

Only Revolutions by Biffy Clyro

Illinoise by Sufjan Stevens

Heavy Heavy by Young Fathers 

If you were given the ability to join a band which would it be and why? 

Biffy Clyro. A Scottish rock band who marries massive choruses with weirdness. I could drum for them, no bother. Just waiting for the call. 

If you were to re-attend a concert which would it be and why

The first time I saw The Afghan Whigs at The Venue in Edinburgh, around 1990 maybe. I was in a band called Cheesegrater (yes, really) who were playing later on in the venue downstairs, and I sneaked up and saw the most amazing grunge-soul review band, totally owning the stage. An inspiration. I was also pretty drunk, so don’t remember it too well.

What are you looking forward to at St Hilda's?

All the music chat!

The Collapsing Wave by Doug Johnstone (Orenda Books) 

Six months since the earth-shattering events of The Space Between Us, the revelatory hope of the aliens’ visit has turned to dust and the creatures have disappeared into the water off Scotland’s west coast.Teenager Lennox and grieving mother Heather are being held in New Broom, a makeshift US military base, the subject of experiments, alongside the Enceladons who have been captured by the authorities.Ava, who has given birth, is awaiting the jury verdict at her trial for the murder of her husband. And MI7 agent Oscar Fellowes, who has been sidelined by the US military, is beginning to think he might be on the wrong side of history.When alien Sandy makes contact, Lennox and Heather make a plan to escape with Ava. All three of them are heading for a profound confrontation between the worst of humanity and a possible brighter future, as the stakes get higher for the alien Enceladons and the entire human race…

Information about 2024 St Hilda's College Crime Fiction Weekend and how to book online tickets can be found here.