Q&A for How to Write Crime Stories

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Do the stories have to have a good ending?

Community Answer

Yes. It should at least have an interesting ending. Either the story/case gets solved, or it is left on a cliffhanger to be solved in another story.

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Question

Is it a good idea to begin a crime novel from the perspective of the victim?

Community Answer

If it's done well and written well, any perspective can be amazing. Just work within the realm of what you know you can do.

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Question

Sometimes the crime scene is described before the story starts. Does that spoil the suspense?

Community Answer

It depends on the reader, but if you don't tell anyone who committed the murder, and nobody in the story knows, then it shouldn't be too much of a problem. It might cause the reader some frustration, but that all comes with writing a good book.

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Question

Can I write a crime story from the perspective of the antagonist and the person that committed the crime?

Aditya Sivaram

Community Answer

It is a good idea. This will work if you try something like 'The Godfather', but would make your antagonist the protagonist. And it is important that you add something to the antagonist that will make him relatable, so that the story would feel engaging to the readers.

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Question

Can I have multiple perspectives?

Community Answer

You can have multiple perspectives in any story. In a mystery, some perspectives could uncover clues that the other perspectives don't have, and the other perspectives could do the same, so that the reader could piece together clues before the protagonist(s). Or not.

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Question

I want to write a crime solving game for 3 teams, and the first one to solve it wins. I just can't figure out how to lay the clues down. What could I try for this?

Community Answer

For the main plot (say murder), include subtle details that might be easily overlooked as clues like the location, the time, the people nearby etc. For the characters, make all of them seem suspicious, include overlapping clues like 'where the person was', 'why was that person there', when the person was there' and surnames. Surnames are very important when if the murder has been committed by someone who was related to or was an acquaintance of the departed. In this way all the teams will try to become more competitive to prove their suspicion as the truth. If you want to make it difficult make a time related plot twist like introducing 1 more very suspicious character into the game.

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Question

How can I make my villain seem relatable?

Community Answer

Be smart and find out what emotions, rather than facts, that the audience can relate to. Maybe the villain has a sick brother, he lost his job or is fighting with his self confidence? Most good characters are found in the gray zones. Life is not black or white.

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Question

How can I find my killer's motivation for the story?

Community Answer

Look into their backstory. They could have had a bad experience with the law. They might feel that it is their duty to kill certain people. Someone might kill just for a thrill, too. Do a websearch for "motives for murder."

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