If Not a Thriller, a Duller

I'm worried that my new story might be more a Duller than a Thriller. Do other's think this? When Dan Brown wrote DaVinci Code was he bored as he wrote it and only found a way to make it gripping during the rewrites?

Matt Lynn, a thriller author, advises in his blog (here) to learn about structure for Thrillers and to do so by studying early Frederick Forsyth novels. I'm listening to Day of the Jackal right now and two years ago I read Dogs of War. Although they're good books I still feel as though that they both act as treatises on how to be a project manager in the 1950's. Both are filled with the minutiae that go into military operations and assignations. I remember one scene in the Dogs of War where Cat Shannon describes in great detail getting a boat out of customs and bonding it properly. Then again, there's Nelson DeMille. In his book the Lion's Game, the first half seems to be nothing more than a description of the actions during fifteen minutes during an emergency landing of a 747.

So what have I learned? Take your time? Be excessively descriptive? I think of Tom Clancy's books and boy that second one rings true when applied to his books. When I first started writing this thriller I'd hoped to leverage my experiences and history in Special Operations, now. . . particularly if Forsyth is my guide,. . . descriptions of my project management capabilities might be more apropos.

Also, I'm up to 38K for NaNoWriMo. I feel confident I'll hit 50K easily and probably 90K after revising and rewriting.