Crime Fiction

Crime fiction is basically work which has its main interest in criminal events, and the solving of mysteries.

 

The plot in a detective story should be your starting point.  It is essential that you know from the start:

who has committed what crime, and why

what clues the detective will follow to discover the culprit

what methods the detective will use to uncover those clues

how easy will it be for the reader to follow the clues to discover "whodunit" ?

 

 

The setting for crime fiction can be anywhere in any time, for, like love, crime is also eternal. Consider whether you want to set your story in a time or culture that is unfamiliar to you as this can cause realism problems: Think about how the following will work:

the moral and social values of the society

the legal repercussions of crime in different countries and times

the technology available to detectives in different cultures and periods

the style of detective work appropriate to time and place

 

 

In crime fiction, your main character needs to be your detective - think very carefully about your characterisation here:

is your character a member of the police force or a private detective ?

will their name be a clue to their character ?

how will they look, dress, speak, move ?

how will you make the reader sympathetic to your detective  ?

will he discover the truth by logic, use of technology, old-fashioned detective work, instinct ?

 

Within Crime Fiction, your the theme will probably be crime, but there are moral and social areas that you could consider:

the police force and its role in society

crime and punishment

the causes of crime

greed

hatred

jealousy

 

 

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