Before you start writing your crime novel or true crime non-fiction book, you need to research it properly.
the problem with research is that it can become an all consuming passion. So much so in fact, that research becomes an end in itself. or worse still, it can be an excuse not to write the book at all.
Lots of budding authors put off starting their book because they feel that they haven’t done enough research and their work will be judged as less than perfect because the tiniest research has been left out of the final work.
Is it possible to do too much research?
in a work of crime fiction, it is certainly possible. The book is a work of fiction. Getting bogged down in technical details that prove how much the author knows lets say about the art of balistics, how guns work, their distinctive powder flash patterns is to bore your reader and send them somewhere else.
the primary aim of a work of crime fiction is to tell a good well crafted story and to this end research should aid the story, not hinder it.
Some well known crime authors actually write the story then fill in the blanks of what they are unsure with by good research. that to me seems the right way to do it rather than having notebooks full of stuff that one day, you might put into a yet unwritten story.
So where does one start?
As always, with the theme.
Themes lead to ideas, ideas lead to research. In itself, research has no value unless it is for a purpose. Sometimes, research can lead to new ideas but the up and coming writer must beware of digging too deep into a subject to the exclusion of his or her writing.
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Thank you very much! This really opened my eyes. I’m busy with my first novel. I’ve now spent about 3 months just researching and in fact haven’t written a single word. I’m now closing every book and every website I am currently staring at and I am now going to write. When I get stuck with the facts then only will I research that specific fact and then carry on writing until I get stuck on a fact again.
I have seen the light! Thank you.
That’s my motto at the moment. “Just do it”.
For ages now, I’ve been trying to find a reason wgy my detective from Down Under should be in the British Police Force. Today on the news there was an article about British kids being forcibly sent to the colonies. The only thing I heard was that it was extremely cruel and harsh for the kids.
I’m not going to do too much research prefering to let my imagination work first. But, the time period is wrong so the forced emigration will have happened to his father. Then perhaps I can add a subplot about my hero searching for his grandparents. Ideas need to come before research.