5 Reasons to Set Your Thriller in an Isolated Town
In writing City Under One Roof, the first piece of the puzzle I had in constructing the story was the location. Point Mettier was inspired by the real-life city of Whittier, Alaska, where most of its 200 and some inhabitants live in a single high-rise building and the only land route is through a narrow tunnel carved into a mountain. Here are some reasons why an isolated town is a perfect place to set your mystery or thriller.
1. Increased Stakes
There are certain key questions I always ask myself as a writer, and one is, how can I raise the stakes? The ticking time bomb, for instance, is a common one in screenwriting. For a mystery or thriller, an isolated town can be a natural way to raise the stakes. The town may not be equipped to handle a murder and help may be a long way off. Cell phone reception might not be the best. With less eyes and ears, it may be easier for a killer, a body, or murder weapon to remain hidden. Knowing that a killer lives amongst the small town can heighten the urgency to find him or her.
2. Tone Building
I often describe the town as a character. There’s something about a small town that can add mystique. My town is full of secret underground tunnels—which added to its eeriness and claustrophobia. Combine that with the feeling of being stuck in a building while weather rages outside and the possibility of the building being haunted, and there’s no question that my setting did much to create the tone.
3. Uniqueness
There’s a bit of escapism in reading fiction, so I always find that an interesting or unique setting helps to transport you. You can make your story memorable with the special quirks of the town that can’t be found in Every Town, USA. The small town in Alaska that inspired City Under One Roof, for instance, is so unique that it became a viral sensation on both TikTok and X (Twitter). People wanted to know how residents could live in a single building and what their daily life was like.
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4. Character Opportunities
Small and isolated towns are a perfect place to do some character studies. What kind of people would populate your isolated town? For instance, in my fictional town of Point Mettier, it takes a certain kind of person to live in the isolated city, cut off from the rest of the world by a single-lane tunnel and where the weather is so harsh that your eyelashes could actually freeze. One of my characters noted that “the only real reason people moved out there was because they were running from somebody or something.” It was a perfect opportunity to come up with characters who all have their secrets.
5. Community Development
Aside from individuals, the community, as a whole, can add color to your piece. Perhaps there are rules, either governmental or self-imposed that are unique to the town? This is your sandbox, so even if it’s a real place, you can fill your world with details that are real or fictional. In my city, not only does the community have its own condo regulations, but there are implied rules and codes that the residents abide by. The isolated nature of the town necessitates that the inhabitants rely on each other for survival, so it makes sense that they cooperate with each other in unwritten ways.
Whether you’re looking for a way to raise tension and stakes, set the tone, or make your world and characters stand out, setting your mystery or thriller in an isolated town can do much of the legwork for you.
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