Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 2: Setting up the plot
• Part 2 of 2: Writing the story
• Tips
• Warnings

Like many writers, crime authors sometimes get itching to break the genre's conventions and create something unique. This is a great prompting to listen to, but not one you want to take too far. Weigh the advice you hear against your own opinion, find the right one that covers everything you love about the crime genre, and embellish the story with your own style.

To step

Part 1 of 2: Setting up the plot

1. Try to work backwards. Most crime stories start with the crime, and this can be a helpful technique for the author as well.Briefly describe a thrilling or mysterious crime scene: jewels disappearing from a locked safe, a fortune teller found dead in a canoe, or the prime minister's secretary caught carrying a bomb to his home. Ask yourself the following questions, and use the answers to get a rough idea of ​​the plot:
   • What could have led to this crime scene?
   • What motive would move someone to commit the crime, or to frame someone else?
   • What sort of person would follow that motive?
   • Ask who, what, when, where, why, how, to get you started: who committed the crime and who did he or she do it to? What was the crime? When did it happen (morning, evening, afternoon, middle of the night)? Where did it happen? Why did he or she do it? How did the person do it?
2. Choose an environment. The environment should be described in such detail as to give the reader a clear mental picture of the place, be it a women's salon or a battlefield. Your crime short story can be set in a room, a house, a city, or around the world. Either way, make sure to provide a detailed and vivid description of the environment of your short crime story.
   • Realize that the size of the place affects the development of your story. For example, in a big city or busy public place you will have many opportunities to introduce witnesses. However, in a `` closed chamber murder '' (a murder where all the characters appear to be in the same room throughout the entire crime scene), you probably won't have outside witnesses, but you can draw on your opinions and prejudices. characters about each other.
   • Concentrate on the elements of the environment that are necessary for the story. For example, is the weather essential? If so, write about it in detail. If not, only mention it briefly or omit it altogether. A dark grim environment adds atmosphere and works well with organized crime stories. Running a crime in a lovely normal town adds a kind of chill.
3. Decide on a main character. Create immersive characters. In a crime, you want to make sure that every character is both realistic and easy to spot. Make sure their names are clear, that they each have uniquely identifiable features, and that they have ways of acting or speaking that are unique.
   • Some characters must be potential suspects for committing the crime (and at least one must be actually guilty of it), some must be supporting characters that serve to make the storyline interesting (a love interest or meddling mother-in-law, perhaps), and one (or more) should focus on solving the crime.
   • Well-written characters must have reasons to act in ways that promote the plot. Okay, the gritty "noir" detective or genius detective is an option, but think of alternatives or twists.
   • Make the crime of personal interest to the protagonist, to increase the emotional stakes. This could be due to the mysterious past of the protagonist, a close friend or family member in danger, or the fate of the city, country, or world.
4. Invent your antagonist or villain. Who is the "villain" in your short crime story? To spice up your story, consider introducing a few potential villains with suspicious characteristics. This way you let the reader guess who the real antagonist in your story is.
   • Describe the villain well, but not too well. You don't want the reader to guess who the culprit is right at the beginning of the story. The reader can become suspicious if you spend a disproportionate amount of time describing one character.
   • You can turn someone who has been somewhat suspicious all along into the villain. On the other hand, you can make the disclosure of the culprit or criminal come as a complete shock. "Tricking in" someone throughout the story is a surefire way to keep readers glued to your short crime stories.
   • Consider a sidekick instead of a villain. Maybe your sleuth has a friend or partner who helps her organize the clues and point out things she's missing. Nobody says the sleuth has to do it all on his own! And what if the sidekick and the villain are ultimately one and the same?
   • Consider the fundamentals. Male or female? What's the detective's name? How old is he or she? What does the detective look like (hair, eye, and skin color)? Where does he (or she) come from? Where does he live when the story begins? How does he become part of the story? Is he a victim? Is he the cause of the problems in your story?
5. Think about the crime scene. This is a very important part of your story, so take the time to really flesh it out. Try to describe every detail so that the reader can imagine the scene of the crime. How does it look? Is it different during the day than at night?
   • Create an opportunity for crime. Create a situation in which a crime can reasonably take place and one that you can reasonably simulate yourself. Has all the power in town been cut due to a thunderstorm? Had a door or a safe accidentally not been locked? Sketch a vivid picture of the situation surrounding the incident of the crime that will be the focus of the crime.
   • Don't underestimate the power of the crime scene. Understanding the environment in which the crime takes place is an important tool in the development of your story.
   • Here are some suggestions for crimes: something has been stolen from the classroom, something is missing from your school bag, something strange is found on the football field, someone has stolen the class pet, someone sends you strange notes, someone has broken into the cabinet for scientific materials, someone wrote on the bathroom wall, someone left red mud marks in the building.
6. Come up with clues and the detective work. What clues will you have? How will they be associated with the potential suspects? How will they be processed?
   • You should also include evidence processing skills such as fingerprinting, toxicology, handwriting analysis, blood spatter, etc.
   • The detective work must be good. Develop how your detective or main character ultimately solves the case, with his or her personality and traits in mind. Make sure it's not clichéd or too obvious.
7. Work together as a writing group. Work as a group to make your story and the crime scene interesting and make sure you are able to recreate the crime scene.

Part 2 of 2: Writing the story

1. Determine the genre. The crime, or the discovery of the crime scene, almost always happens in the first chapter, and this cliché can be effective. Immediately, the tone of the story is set, whether it is occult, violent, emotional, thrilling, or exciting. If your crime story is a whodunit then the reader will be made to think about the unusual nature of the crime or the hints dropped in the course of the scene.
   • If you want to write about what happened before the crime, you can go back in time in the second chapter and add a subheading, such as "a week earlier."
2. Choose a perspective. Most crime writers choose a viewpoint that conceals as much information about the crime as possible without confusing the reader. This can be the protagonist's first person perspective, or a third person perspective that stays closest to the protagonist's actions. Think carefully before switching to another person's thoughts; it is possible to get it done, but it often adds unnecessary complexity.
3. Investigate when necessary. Most crime stories are written for a readership, not for FBI agents or expert criminals. Readers don't need to have perfect realism to enjoy a story, but the main elements of the plot need to be fairly believable. You can find a lot of information online or in a library, but for highly specialized topics you may need to ask someone who works in the field or in a specialized online forum.
4. Stay on track. If a scene isn't related to the crime or the investigation, then ask yourself what he's doing there. Romance, side plots, and long casual conversations have their place, but they should never divert attention from the main plot and the main characters. This is especially true of short stories, where you cannot afford to waste words.
5. Use plot twists with caution. If you like a good surprise, then go ahead and put in the amazing reveal - and keep it at that. A second plot twist in the same story makes the reader feel cheated, especially when it is nearly impossible to guess ahead of time. Even the most unlikely plot twist should be sprinkled with a few hints earlier in the book so that it doesn't come out of the blue.
   • This is especially important for the biggest reveal - whodunit? - and a wrong choice can ruin the story for many readers. The villain must either be a suspect or engage in enough suspicious behavior for a savvy reader to guess the identity.
6. End on a dramatic note. Have you ever read the last culminating scene of a book, then turned the page to discover a ten-page conversation with a side character? Whatever other intentions you have for the story, in a crime story the criminal investigation is central. If the villain comes to a bad ending, write your poignant closing paragraph and that is the end.

Tips

• Give yourself time. You can plan everything in advance, or you can speed write and edit later. Both approaches require a lot of time and a willingness to make major changes.
• List people to edit your story and give you feedback. After some fine-tuning, brace yourself and show the work to strangers. Their advice will be stricter but fairer than that of your friends.

Warnings

• The crime genre is full of clichés. There's a fine line between paying homage to your favorite stories and style, and copying it outright.