Want to write crime fiction?
Martin has conducted many workshops for aspiring writers around the country. To follow up the success of Howdunit, he has now collaborated with a leading, long-established editorial consultancy, Fiction Feedback, to offer Crafting Crime, a high-level online course designed for anyone who is serious about writing a crime novel. At the end of the course, you can submit the first part of your novel, plus a synopsis, for a personal critique – it’s all included in the cost. There are twelve in-depth learning modules, twelve podcasts, innumerable key tips from top writers from around the world (and also from leading crime publishers and agents) contributed specially for this course, and much, much more….
For more information, check out the Crafting Crime website
Top Ten Tips
- Study the market – read crime novels written by today’s authors
- Only write a crime novel if you enjoy reading them
- Research your setting (and period, if your story is set in the past) thoroughly
- Thinks carefully about the characters you create – what do they want from life?
- If you want to write a series, make your detective credible and likeable
- Aim for a strong first paragraph and first page
- Keep building the suspense
- Make the climax to the story as strong as you possibly can
- Revise, revise, revise
- Remember: writing a novel is a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t lose heart half way through!