Question on Assassin Fiction

What with James Bond, Jason Bourne, Frederick Forsyth, Vince Flynn novels etc... it seems like assassins have been well represented in fiction over the years.

I'm trying to come up with something fresh but I need some help building the lead character.

My question is two-fold:
a) what would you say are the clichés of assassin fiction to be avoided?
b) what are those essential elements all assassin fiction needs?

thanks.

reply to post by FOXMULDER147


If theres been so much assassin stuff out..........

Why would you want to do something thats over done?


P.S. Dont introduce any Deus Ex Machina , into any of it.........ick

Originally posted by ManBehindTheMask
reply to post by FOXMULDER147

 

If theres been so much assassin stuff out..........

Why would you want to do something thats over done?

To do it new. Also I wanted to create my own Bond type character, but one that's not affiliated to any government or agency. Private assassin was the obvious answer.

Yeah, you're correct. Coincidences to be avoided always. Probably goes for all fiction.

Make him nervous and unstable. Twitchy and all of that. that would make a hell of an assassin. And let him have the opinion that if he is supposed to kill someone, he must do it while looking the victim in the eyes, not 500 yards away looking in a snipe-scope.

Originally posted by FejkNick
And let him have the opinion that if he is supposed to kill someone, he must do it while looking the victim in the eyes, not 500 yards away looking in a snipe-scope.

Love it. Something noble and magnanimous about it.

As for him being twitchy and nervous - would the reader believe someone like that could be an assassin?

reply to post by FOXMULDER147


It's fiction. As long as you have a background-story to WHY he is nervous and twitchy they will swallow the bait. (I mean, just look at this forum what some people are believing in.)

reply to post by FejkNick


nervous and unstable? Sounds like someone with a death wish and no skill. The best assassin is always the sneaky one but people dont like that they want action

Write what you know, and what you don't know, research, research, research.
Seek out and talk to trained Special Forces veterans for material. Get permission to use, or build on their own real life combat stories and have them sign a release.
Visit convicted murderers in prison to get another perspective from someone that's actually killed someone.
Visit and talk to butchers, getting to know the smells and sounds of meat and blood.
Make your character admirable, but flawed; someone you want to know, or be, or have sex with, but with complications, problems, internal or external issues like a disfigurement, or a strange phobia.

Have you published anything in the past?
Do you have an agent?
If not, keep your work between 60k - 100k word count or it'll get filed in the trash bin when you query agents.
When done, revise, revise, revise, and then hire an editor for a few thou to tell you where to revise again.

best of luck.

Originally posted by Evanzsayz
reply to post by FejkNick

 

nervous and unstable? Sounds like someone with a death wish and no skill. The best assassin is always the sneaky one but people dont like that they want action

I was thinking more in the ways of talking to himself and assuring himself that he is able to make the kill or whatever. Looking over his shoulder and maybe even have some strange hallucinations that then expand the story to something else?

He asked for ideas, i gave. What did you do?

Make him imperfect. Assassins have always been portrayed as superhuman, ice-cold megaminds. Real hitmen aren't.

Smart people rarely become hired guns. Don't make him out to be to smart.

Don't make him a hero. The effective killers are ruthless, gritty and without morals.

Make him believable. No one can survive a firefight aginst the odds we see in movies.

The hitman buisiness is not romantic or poetic. Show him in a bad light.

Real hitmen are generally violent and impulsive, not cold and calculating.

Remember where he comes from. Real hitmen mostly come from poor backgrounds, and have experience in robbery, drugs and prostitution. Many use drugs to give them the guts you need to kill someone in cold blood.

Real hitmen are emotionally screwed up. They can't have normal retions/relationships with other people. They have abbysal flaws, and real weaknesses.

reply to post by Ismail


I think Ismail has hit the nail on the head. These people are not sympathetic characters, they are dangerous people best avoided.

A Private Assassin is a misnomer, you're describing a hitman. Whether yours killer operates in the political sphere or the public sphere is irrelevant. You need to research the psychology of such individuals and go to the archives to review the trials of those convicted of such crimes. I suspect you will find a lot of them would be considered dangerous psychopaths and/or sociopaths.

I would search out of copy of Rex Feral - Hit Man for the technical detail on the subject.

I don't know if you've read any of David Morrell's novels, some of his work, "Assumed Identity" touches on areas in which you're interested. Also, go back to older works, Eric Ambler, Graham Greene, & John Le Carre, they seem to capture the characterisation of the flawed individual much better than more recent authors.

make it more realistic.
the assasin would probably have had a difining experience that made him/her an assasin.
that experience might have given the assassin emotional problems.
what weapon is his/her speciality.
my idea:
have a brittish assassin but dont make him as cocky and annoying as bond.
a killer is less likely to be charismatic. he'd need a real job to please the taxman, something with few hours.
dependant on nicotine patches and public transport. but this idea may not work as the main character, maybe it will.

Pet store owner.
No Joke.
Pet store owners are creepy.
Every single one I've met is creepy.
Someone who should be so nice and kind - but all in all is just out to pimp those cute little puppies and kittens for money.
Yeah. A pet store owner.
And make is a woman.

Thank you for all the great advice.

But here's the thing - I'm not too concerned about realism. I'm not creating literary art, I'm writing entertainment. I've no pretensions. James Bond and Jason Bourne are totally unrealistic, but entertaining as hell.

I understand, however, that even the most fantastic characters must be rooted in reality.

Originally posted by listerofsmeg
my idea:
have a brittish assassin but dont make him as cocky and annoying as bond.
a killer is less likely to be charismatic. he'd need a real job to please the taxman, something with few hours.
dependant on nicotine patches and public transport. but this idea may not work as the main character, maybe it will.

Along with FejkNick's suggestion of giving him a conscious of having him need to be with his victim, its all starting to sound a bit like David Callan.

wiki

reply to post by FOXMULDER147


My idea of the perfect assassin would be someone older who has the ablility to read minds and to hear peoples thoughts. When they encounter someone truely evil, they look into their eyes and plant a thought, to commit suicide in various ways. Do weapons, no pattern, no DNA evidence, someone almost impossible to catch................except by one just like them.

reply to post by alfa1


Callan was a complex character, and the whole series was well made and raised a lot of issues about how secret services work, the interests of the state over the individual, how the actions of the individual cause the state to react. Edward Woodward played the character brilliantly and established the character as a very strong presence. it's a series well worth digging out to watch again!

reply to post by FejkNick


Can you not read?