Learning to write - how to start (part 2)
You know what you want to write and have the story in broad outline in mind. Several people will play a role in your story, but there will be one main character. In a thriller there are criminals/terrorists or whatever you want to call them and those who try to prevent the planned crime, for example a bank robbery, extortion, terrorist action. The reader looks in your story through the eyes of the person who says, feels, describes or does something. He plays an important role in your story. In writing terms, this is called perspective. The other people in that part of the story, talk along, agree or disagree with the person who has the perspective. Maybe they laugh, are angry, scared, etc. But the reader does not look through their glasses. They do not have them.
Example:
‘I do not agree with that’, says Jan.
‘Why not?’ asks inspector Van Schenkel.
He is persistent and tries to trap me. He won't be able to do that in a hundred years. 'I've already explained three times that I've never been to that place.'
The inspector looks at him intently. 'I'm not convinced.'
The two italicized lines show that Jan is thinking something. So, he has the perspective. Not the inspector. He's just commenting. If it had said: 'Why not?' I think he's lying., you'd also be giving the inspector glasses through which the reader can look because the inspector "thinks".
Technically, that's incorrect. You're confusing perspectives. If you want the inspector to have a perspective because it's important in your story, you first have to end the part in which Jan has the perspective and then give the inspector the perspective. A note. Those who have the perspective are called by their first or last name, not by their function. Separate the parts between perspectives with, for example, three asterisks.
Example such as the part in which Jan has the perspective could end:
He stands up. Inspector Van Schenkel has no leg to stand on, he realizes. Without shaking hands with the man in front of him, he walks to the door and slams it shut behind him.
***
Arend van Schenkel looks after him thoughtfully. The criminal, because that is Jan Zandstra, has not flinched. ‘I have to dig deeper’, he mumbles. I take stock of everything again. I am missing something. Arend stands up and walks thoughtfully to the coffee machine.
Here the perspective is changed and I indicate that with three ***. The way of separation has been determined by my publisher. Jan has the perspective above the three *** and Arend has it below.
More about the concept of perspective next time.
N.B. Where I write “he”, that naturally also applies to “she”.