TEN TIPS FOR WRITING CRIME FICTION

TEN TIPS FOR WRITING CRIME FICTION

(SOME MORE SERIOUS THAN OTHERS)

 

1.     READ! I know this sounds blindingly obvious, but I’m constantly amazed by the number of people I meet who tell me they are writing something, then stare at me blankly when I ask them what kind of stuff they enjoy reading. Every writer I respect is a reader first and foremost, and to try and write without reading widely is nonsensical. It’s like wanting to be a chef without eating food.

 

2.     Write the kind of book you would like to read. Another obvious one, but it’s really worth stressing. You’re on a highway to nothing if you try and look for a gap in the market. So, maybe there isn’t a bestselling series out there about a blind veterinary surgeon in 14th-century London who solves critter-related crimes with the help of a tame leopard. There’s probably a very good reason why not and, trust me, you shouldn’t be the one to try and fill that gap. Not unless that’s exactly the book you’ve been waiting your whole life to read and, if that’s the case, there is probably counseling available.

 

3.     Know what the rules are before completely ignoring them. From Ronald Knox (“No Chinamen must figure in the story”) through G.K. Chesterton (“The criminal must be in the foreground”) to Elmore Leonard (“Never open a book with weather”), many people have attempted to lay down rules for writing crime and mystery fiction. Some have not aged well and now appear ridiculous, while others were never intended to be taken seriously in the first place. They’re certainly worth looking at, though, if only for a good laugh, and many of the great Elmore Leonard’s rules should be pinned above the desk of every writer, especially “Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.” Of course, the only rules that matter are the ones you lay down for yourself, and these tend to be the ones determined by your own tastes as a reader. (SEE TIP 1.)

 

4.     The key to creating suspense is character. These are crime novels, remember, and readers knows what they are in for. Yes, there may be redemption and resolution of a sort, but there will also be suffering and pain, grief and dreadful loss. The reader knows it’s coming, but not when or to whom. The tension is real and terrible because they care. So, by all means, throw in a cliffhanger now and again and time those “reveals” to perfection so as to give your readers a punchline they will remember for a long time. But, most importantly, give your readers characters they genuinely care about, who have the power to move them, and you will have suspense from page one.

 

5.     Don’t be a Chubby Checker. The “twist” is, of course, a vital weapon in the mystery writer’s arsenal: a button that a writer has to push every so often. But…I do think that it can be overdone. There are writers who try and throw as many curveballs at the reader as possible. To twist and twist again. While I admire the craft, I do think it can sometimes work against the creation of genuine suspense. Put simply, I find it hard to engage with any book that is no more than a demonstration of technique.

 

6.     Go easy on the research. Obviously, there will be stuff you need to know about, but then there’s the temptation to crowbar in everything you’ve found out at the expense of the story. Why not be counter-intuitive and do your research afterward? That way you only find out the things you really need to know and avoid falling into the trap of showing off. You’re writing a novel, not a documentary, so don’t worry about annoying the handful of readers who might actually know this stuff in detail and will take great pleasure in letting you know where you went wrong. We all get the occasional angry letter and they’re fun to read out at events. Truth is not always the same as fact…especially these days.

TEN TIPS FOR WRITING CRIME FICTION

7.     Make your location a character. It’s what Connelly does with LA or Rankin does with Edinburgh; it’s what the greats have always done. The way your central character interacts with the city or (God forbid) the countryside around them is hugely important.

 

8.     Don’t use victims as plot devices. The best crime writers have always written about what violence does to people: how a murder impacts on those left behind. It’s not just about a cat-and-mouse game between detective and killer, with endless victims whom the reader is never given a chance to engage with thrown in to move the story along. I know Chandler used to have someone walk into a room with a gun whenever he was stuck, but simply tossing another body into the mix is really not the same thing.

 

9.     Don’t use bad language and don’t hurt animals. The odd angry letter (SEE TIP 6) can be fun, but some readers can get very worked up if a fictional character swears or a fictional dog/cat/pot-bellied pig gets hurt. These are people who like reading crime fiction, who don’t appear to have any problem with murder, rape, child-abuse, etc., so go figure. And remember, you can do any damn thing you like to human beings, as long as nobody curses while it’s happening. Of course, you might be the type who likes to annoy certain people, so how’s this for an opening? He held the gun to the cat’s head and grinned. “How the fuck do you like THAT, Mr. Tibbles?”

 

10.  Be lucky. Along with every other writer I’ve mentioned, luck has played its part in my career as a crime novelist. A manuscript crossing the desk of some agent or editor at just the right time. Yes, hard work is important and it helps if you can at least string a sentence together, but the publishing business is a fickle one, so you need your share of good luck. And if it comes along, grab it…

Posted in Writing Tips.

Leave a Reply