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How Flynn Writes
Plot and Structure
Gillian Flynn uses plot and structure to create shifts in the story. The characters she uses can know more information about others in a story. This helps develop the plot in different times because information is being revealed at many different times by different people. For example, in “Gone Girl” she uses differing points of views to reveal secrets about the characters. This creates different structures because readers know information that some characters do not know.
Topics
Flynn uses the same topics for her books. She creates stories using dark, mysterious plots. All of her books are consistent with mysteries and suspense, which create common themes throughout her novels. Her main topics for her novels are mystery and crime.
Setting
Gillian Flynn uses common settings in her novels. Typically it is based in a small town, with little to no drama and crime. Then, as the novel develops, crime starts to evolve and mysteries start to unravel.
Author Emulation:
The first thing people notice about our town is the stillness. Flags still in the wind. Eerily empty streets. I soon learned that this was all an act. My mother used to say that before she disappeared. Not vanished, that would imply mystery or drama.
She just…left
One morning her coffee cup sat clean in the sink, lipstick mark scrubbed off like it never happened. My father called it “a fresh start.” He said it with a tight smile, almost like it hurt. I was sixteen then. I was old enough to know people don’t just walk away. She left nothing, which meant she had been planning this for a long time. The town, of course, had their own opinions. Neighbors would bring casseroles, scanning every surface looking for reasons. I always wondered what they were looking for, signs of struggle maybe. A broken plate. Drops of blood. Anything that would make the story more interesting. That’s the problem with clean disappearances. They leave too much room for imagination.
Three years later, I still live in the same house. Same people pretending not to stare. I came back after my first semester away at college. Told everyone it was about money. But honestly, it was for my father. He doesn’t like being alone in this house. Neither do I. It’s the small things. I tell myself it's my memory playing tricks on me. Memory can be a cruel thing. It changes details and turns people into something they aren’t.
Like my mother.
People liked her.
She volunteered, remembered birthdays, and baked for others. I remember other things. She would keep notes and lists about other people. I wasn’t supposed to see them. But I did. Writing and judging other people. Analyzing every movement and word they said. Watching and waiting for the right time to vanish. No one knew this side of my mom, not even my father. The cops came by a few times after she left. Asking questions they already knew the answers to.
“Did she seem upset or more violent than usual”
“Were there any signs”
I said no, because I didn’t know how to explain who my mother really was. How am I supposed to explain to the cops that I see a different side of her. No one will believe me. How do I tell someone that the most unsettling thing about a person isn’t what they do, but how they hide it? Eventually the visits stopped. Cases like hers don’t stay popular for long. No body, just absence.
Last week, I found her notebook. This time it was under my bed. Handwriting was the same as usual.
Precise.
Controlled.
The entries were recent. I haven’t told my father. He wouldn’t understand. He still believes in the old version of my mom. I know better. You begin to notice things, when you start looking. This morning, I woke up to the smell of coffee. Exactly how she used to make it. When I finally went downstairs, the kitchen was spotless. On the table sat a mug. Lipstick on the rim. Not scrubbed off. Next to it… a folded piece of paper. Surprisingly I felt calm. Inside held that same handwriting.
Three words read “You’re paying attention.”
I scanned the room, expecting almost hoping to see her standing there. But of course the room was empty. That’s the thing, everything is always empty. Now I’m starting to think I am too. Everything is different with her gone. People don’t notice the things I notice. How do I live with myself knowing that my mom could still be here, but can’t be bothered to live in our house?
Explination:
Sentence structure:
I used short startling statements and different sentence structure to display Gillain Flynn’s. She uses different words and sentence structure to create suspense and drama in her writing. The way Flynn reveals information about characters creates drama and helps develop the plot.
Style:
I used a mystery story to display her style of writing. Gillian uses dark tones to display emptiness and grief. Flynn writes about the dark emotions that are difficult to explain. I used this style to imitate Flynn’s writing, and used themes similar to her.
Setting:
I based my short story in a small town like Flynn. Her novels are typically based in small towns with no drama or action. She does this because when something does happen, everyone’s attention is focused on the crime. These small towns are a common theme in Flynn's novels. They help draw attention to whatever is going on in the novel.
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