Q&A for How to Write Detective Stories

No, it's up to you whether you want to have a friend tell the story. You can have the detective telling the story, or you can have a narrator. You also don't want to have a friend narrating just because that is how it is done in Sherlock Holmes. Come up with your own unique ideas.

Yes, it is. That way you can elaborate on how the person feels and describe all his emotions more effectively than you could from the third person perspective.

You could, but usually a detective wouldn't be investigating something that was ruled an accident. So there would have to be some kind of suspicious circumstances involved.

It can happen either way. Just don't get too caught up in flowery descriptions, as it's best to introduce the mystery quickly.

Yes, that can help your reader get to know your protagonist, just make sure these smaller stories before the main event don't go on too long.

Write however many you'd like, just be careful not to be repetitive with your story ideas.

Yes, that's quite common. It's always a good idea to start your story with something interesting right off the bat, like a crime, then fill in the details (like character development) a little later.

Of course! It is a helpful method so that readers will be hooked from the opening scene.

Check the guidelines in Write a Story Full of Plot Twists and select one or more methods you'd like to adapt to your story.

This scenario isn't very realistic. The primary concern of police is to preserve the integrity of a crime scene so the chain of evidence isn't broken. It's unlikely that someone with whom the police are unfamiliar and who doesn't have the proper credentials would be allowed to access a crime scene, let alone solve the crime; anyone caught tampering with evidence when the police arrive could be charged.

If you're planning to write a detective novel, than the plot may need to be more drawn out, since it's longer than a short story. However, if you don't want to make it novel-length, then writing it as a short story can work. Make sure it still has plenty of action though, since you don't want it to feel as though it's ended abruptly.

Yes there can be. However, do not have more than three detectives unless it’s a group or team of detectives like The novel series “The Secret Seven”. If you do, it risks being confusing and long winded, especially if the reader has to keep track of too many detectives' thoughts and motives.

Yes. It is your story, so you can write whatever you want in it. However, keep in mind that most detective stories are quick-paced, so every scene you add into your story must contribute to the plot. And if it's written for a young audience, leave it out.