WRITING SPY NOVELS

Do you want to write a spy novel? Do you have a great idea? Awesome! We are 0.1% of the way to fame and fortune ! What? 0.1%? Can’t we just phone a publishing company and tell them our idea and they’ll send a cheque over? Unfortunately not... First what we need to do is take that great idea and turn it into a story. To do that, we need a plot. And the first thing we need to do to work out our plot is decide what type of plot it’s going to be. Luckily, as a professional spy thriller novelist, I’m here to help. I’m going to explain the three classic spy novel plots here. But before we start, you need to know these two words:
Protagonist: The main character in a novel.
Antagonist: The character who stands in opposition to the protagonist.
1. The Mission
The protagonist generally works for an espionage agency or the military and is given a ‘mission’. The protagonist: • Makes a plan to complete the mission. • Finds people to get help from. • Tries not to be caught by the antagonist in the story. • Faces the antagonist and completes the mission.
2. The Mystery
There are elements of mystery in many spy novels. The protagonist: • Discovers a dangerous situation. • Makes a plan to investigate the event. • Gathers clues about the situation. • Discovers what/who the danger is. • Finally stops the antagonist.
3. On the Run
The “On The Run” plot is very common in spy thrillers. The protagonist has to run for his/her life. The protagonist: • Realises there is a dangerous situation. • Goes on the run and the antagonist pursues him/her. • Tries to convince other people that there is a dangerous situation. • Almost gets caught. • Finally stops the antagonist.