Top Crime Writing Resources Every Writer Needs

Crime is one of the most popular genres in fiction. In this post, we share the top crime writing resources every writer needs.

Crime fiction will always be one of the most popular genres for readers and writers. If you write cozy mysteries, hardboiled stories, or courtroom dramas, we’ve got you covered. If you’re thinking of writing a thriller, a mystery, a horror, or a police procedural, you will appreciate this post.

I’ve put together a list of all our writing resources for crime writers. It is divided into genre, characterisation, references, and techniques and devices. All in one place.

Top Crime Writing Resources Every Writer Needs

The Genre

1. A Quick Start Guide To Writing Crime Fiction
2. How To Write A Cozy Mystery
3. 13 Questions To Ask Before You Turn Your Idea Into A Crime Novel
4. 20 Things A Crime And A Novel Have In Common
5. 5 Fabulous Tips for First Time Crime Writers
6. 5 Reasons To Write Crime Fiction
7. 7 Important Crime-Writing Guidelines
8. 9 Examples of Sub-Genres in Crime Fiction
9. Crime Writing For Beginners – An Infographic
10. Why People Read Detective Novels
11. Why Revenge is Such a Brilliant Plot for Beginner Writers
12. Thriller Book Title Generator
13. The 5 Pillars Of Thrillers
14. The 5 Pillars Of Police Procedurals
15. How Much Blood Do You Need In A Crime Novel?
16. Mystery, Horror, Thriller – What’s The Difference?
17. How To Write A Sherlock Holmes Story
18. Writing Courtroom Fiction
19. How To Write Hardboiled Fiction

Characterisation

1. How Many Suspects Do You Need In A Crime Novel?
2. 10 Essential Tips for Writing Antagonists
3. 10 Ways To Create Dangerously Nuanced Antagonists
4. 3 Dastardly Different Villains & Why We Love To Hate Them
5. 4 Ways To Get Your Reader To Identify With An Unsympathetic Character
6. 7 Deadly Rules For Creating A Villain
7. 9 Anti-Social Fictional Characters We Can’t Forget
8. 9 Useful Character Questionnaires For Writers
9. 9 Ways To Make Readers Care For An Amoral Protagonist
10. How To Use Your Antagonist To Define Your Story Goal
11. Personality Disorders: DSM-5 Resource for Writers
12. Resources For Writing About Troubled Fictional Characters
13. The 9 Types Of Unreliable Narrator
14. The Antagonist As A Literary Device
15. The Least You Should Know About Your Protagonist And Antagonist
16. Torture Your Character – The 3 Most Effective Types of Inner Conflict
17. Use The 7 Deadly Sins To Strengthen Your Antagonist’s Motives
18. Use These 7 Gaslighting Phrases To Make Your Antagonist More Manipulative
19. When Crazy Is Good – 9 Good Reasons For Your Character’s Bad Behaviour

References

1. 10 Deadly Poisons – A Crime Writer’s Resource
2. 32 Ways To Write About Fear
3. 37 Ways To Write About Anger
4. 50 Ways To Say ‘Villain’
5. 6 Things Alfred Hitchcock Can Teach You About Writing
6. 7 Invaluable Lessons For Writers From James Patterson
7. Cheat Sheets For Writing Body Language
8. Crime Writer’s Resource – The Human Body After Death
9. Dashiel Hammett’s 24 Rules For Detective Writers
10. Professions With The Most Psychopaths
11. Famous Fictional Detectives
12. The Man With The Golden Pen — 5 Writing Secrets From Ian Fleming
13. 10 Elementary Tips For Writers From Sherlock Holmes
14. How To Write The Death Scene
15. Elizabeth George’s Writing Process
16. The Best Priest Detectives In Fiction
17. Harlan Coben On Writing Suspense

Techniques And Devices

1. 10 Cliffhangers That Make Readers Turn The Page
2. 5 Tips To Help You Write A Gripping Read
3. 7 Awesome Foreshadowing Tips For Fiction Writers
4. 7 Ways To Create Suspense In Your Memoir
5. Adding Suspense To Stories
6. Creating Tension In Characters, Plot, And Setting
7. Literary Devices For Crime Writers – A MacGuffin And A Gun
8. The Locked Room – A Simple Way To Test Your Plot
9. What Is A Plot? – A Writer’s Resource
10. What Is A Red Herring?
11. What My Six-Year-Old Taught Me About Storytelling
12. Getting Away With Murder: A 5-Point Plan On How To Kill A Character

Top Tip: If you want to learn how to write a book, sign up for our online course.

Source for image: Pixabay