Crime Writing Tips: Plot
Crime fiction is plot driven. So much so that, for many readers, the main enjoyment of reading crime novels lies in working out the identity of the killer and solving the case. The genre is not known as ‘whodunnits’ for nothing.
According to E M Forster ‘The king died and then the queen died’ is a story.
‘The king died and then the queen died of grief’ is a plot. A plot adds character and motive to narrative. It’s a good definition. A simple sequence of events is unlikely to engage readers because they won’t really care what happens.
Since crime fiction is plot driven you need some sort of a plan before you start writing. You may find, as I did, that you want to experiment with different methods of planning before you hit on one that works for you, whether it be linear, mind maps, charts or detailed chapter synopses. Even authors who work on their plot as they write have a rough outline to guide them.
Ruth Rendell says: ‘I have a sort of outline in my head but I never write anything down, never have charts and so on. I write something and the next bit develops. Even if I did write the outline it would all change and change again.’
Lee Child says that he never has any idea what he will be writing about until a couple of weeks before he begins. At the end of July he has ‘no idea’. Around the 15th August ‘something will occur to me’ and by the end of August he has his ‘ten second elevator pitch’.
Whether you plan ahead in meticulous detail or start with an elevator pitch, what happens in your story is only part of the planning. You also need to think carefully about the structure of your book. This means paying attention to where the actions occur in the narrative. Space out your episodes, thinking about variety, contrast and colour. If you create a cracking opening with a stunning climax at the end, but leave a lull in the middle, readers will lose interest and many will not reach your exciting finish.
With so much to think about, never lose your focus on plot. ‘What happens next?’ is the question that will keep your readers turning the pages.
Leigh Russell writes the popular Geraldine Steel crime series. She teaches Creative Writing for The Society of Authors and The Writers Lab.
The Crime Writers Association Manuscript Assessment Service is open to all aspiring crime writers.
