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20 Things A Crime And A Novel Have In Common
Writers Write is your one-stop writing resource. This post is about 20 things a crime and a novel have in common.
I have written a few posts on Crime Writing, from All About Writing Crime Fiction – Five Reasons to Write Crime – to 10 Deadly Poisons – a crime writer’s resource, to The Human Body After Death.
When we read about a crime, or hear about one, we can’t wait to find out the details. We are obsessed with people’s motives. We are vicarious detectives who take a serious interest in the motivation, execution, and solution of crimes.
This got me thinking about how similar solving a crime is to writing a novel. I think authors are all amateur sleuths at heart. There is a reason that you can plot a novel and ‘plot’ a murder.
Why writing a novel is like solving a crime
You need:
- A motive (beginning)
- A crime (inciting moment)
- A crime scene (setting)
- A criminal (antagonist)
- A victim (love interest)
- A detective (protagonist)
- A profiler (genre)
- A sidekick (sidekick) or friend (confidant)
- Desire for justice (story goal)
- Suspects (characters and body language)
- Witnesses (back story)
- Forensics (description)
- Investigative skills (plotting)
- The means and opportunity (conflict)
- Clues (plot points)
- Red herrings (red herrings)
- Evidence (exposition)
- A confession (ending)
- Justice (denouement)
- A lesson (theme)
Can you think of any others? Please share them in the comments section below.
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© Amanda Patterson
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Posted on: 24th April 2015
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