how to write mafia stories

How To Write A Mafia Romance Novel [21 Tips + Examples]

Imagine the Godfather meeting Romeo and Juliet – that’s the kind of spicy, thrilling recipe we’re cooking up as we delve into the art of writing a Mafia romance novel.

Here is how to write a mafia romance novel:

Write a mafia romance novel by blending thrilling Mafia elements with passionate romance. Create complex characters, authentic settings, balanced conflicts, and unexpected twists. Ensure emotional depth and a satisfying resolution for an unputdownable read.

This guide offers practical tips and examples to help you craft a compelling story that captivates your readers.

What Is a Mafia Romance Novel?

Table of Contents

A Mafia romance novel is a unique blend of romance and crime fiction, set against the backdrop of organized crime.

These novels typically explore the lives of characters who are involved in or affected by Mafia activities.

The core of a Mafia romance novel lies in its ability to weave together the intense and often dangerous world of crime with the emotional and passionate aspects of a love story.

The appeal of these novels often comes from the stark contrast between the harsh realities of the Mafia world and the tenderness of the romantic relationships.

Characters are usually complex, with the Mafia member often portrayed as a flawed anti-hero.

Meanwhile, their love interest is usually someone who challenges or changes their world.

The setting is crucial, as it should convincingly portray the world of organized crime, adding a layer of authenticity to the narrative.

In a Mafia romance novel, the stakes are high, both in terms of the crime elements and the romantic plot.

The tension and conflict arising from the characters’ dual involvement in crime and love are central to the plot, making these stories intense and gripping.

The romance in these novels isn’t just a subplot.

Instead, it’s an integral part of the narrative, often driving the storyline and character development.

Types of Mafia Romance Novels

Mafia romance novels come in various forms, each offering a unique twist on the theme. Here are ten types of Mafia romance novels, each with its own appeal:

• Classic Mafia Romance : These novels focus on traditional Mafia settings, often featuring a powerful mob boss and a love interest who gets entangled in the dangerous world of organized crime.
• Modern Mafia Romance : Set in contemporary times, these novels explore how modern-day organized crime intersects with romance, often featuring tech-savvy criminals and complex global networks.
• Dark Mafia Romance : Emphasizing the more brutal aspects of the Mafia world, these novels often include intense and sometimes controversial themes, offering a grittier take on the romance genre.
• Mafia Comedy Romance : Blending humor with crime, these lighter novels approach the Mafia theme with a comedic twist, often leading to quirky and unexpected romantic entanglements.
• Forbidden Love Mafia Romance : Centered around a love that’s off-limits, whether due to family rivalries or moral dilemmas, these stories explore the tension and passion of forbidden relationships.
• Undercover Romance : Involving characters who are undercover agents or spies infiltrating the Mafia, these novels combine the thrill of espionage with the complexities of secret romances.
• Historical Mafia Romance : Set in historical periods, these novels explore the origins and evolution of organized crime, coupled with historical romance elements.
• International Mafia Romance : These novels take the Mafia theme to a global stage, exploring international crime syndicates and cross-cultural romantic encounters.
• Mafia Revenge Romance : Centered around themes of vengeance and retribution, these stories often feature a protagonist seeking revenge against the Mafia, only to find love along the way.
• Supernatural Mafia Romance : Adding an element of fantasy, these novels combine the Mafia theme with supernatural aspects, such as vampires or werewolves, leading to unique romantic dynamics.

13 Point Plot Structure of a Mafia Romance Novel

Let’s go over the plot structure I’ve found so helpful to learn how to write a mafia romance novel.

1. The Ordinary World

The first plot point in a Mafia romance novel is establishing the ordinary world of the protagonist.

This is the life they lead before the main events of the novel kick in.

For a character in the Mafia, this could mean a glimpse into their involvement in organized crime or their life outside of it.

For the love interest, it might involve a life far removed from the world of crime.

For example, in The Godfather , the ordinary world is the wedding of Don Corleone’s daughter, which juxtaposes the family’s criminal activities with their personal lives.

2. The Call to Adventure

The protagonist encounters a situation that signals the start of their adventure.

In a Mafia romance, this could be a direct threat, a new assignment, or even a chance meeting with the love interest. This moment should disrupt the protagonist’s normal life, setting them on a path of conflict and romance.

For instance, in Romeo and Juliet , Romeo’s encounter with Juliet at the ball is a classic call to adventure that sets the stage for their forbidden romance.

3. Refusal of the Call

This stage involves the protagonist’s hesitation or refusal to engage with the new situation.

In a Mafia romance, this could manifest as a reluctance to get involved in a new operation or a denial of the attraction to the love interest, often due to the risks involved.

This hesitation adds depth to the characters, showing their internal conflicts and fears.

4. Meeting the Mentor

The protagonist meets a mentor figure who helps them navigate the new world they are entering.

In the context of a Mafia romance, this could be a seasoned member of the Mafia who offers guidance, or it could be a friend or confidant who provides emotional support.

The mentor plays a crucial role in preparing the protagonist for the challenges ahead.

5. Crossing the Threshold

This is the point where the protagonist fully commits to their new path.

In a Mafia romance, crossing the threshold might involve taking on a dangerous task or admitting their feelings for the love interest.

This marks the end of the beginning and sets the stage for the challenges to come.

6. Tests, Allies, and Enemies

The protagonist faces tests and challenges, makes allies, and encounters enemies.

In the Mafia context, this could involve rival gangs, law enforcement, or internal power struggles.

These trials test the protagonist’s resolve and further complicate their relationship with the love interest.

7. Approach to the Inmost Cave

This stage represents the protagonist’s preparation for the central challenge of the novel.

In a Mafia romance, this could be a plan to take down a rival gang or a personal mission that puts the protagonist in danger.

It’s a moment of reflection and anticipation, often involving a deepening of the romantic relationship.

8. The Ordeal

The protagonist faces their greatest challenge yet.

In a Mafia romance novel, this ordeal could be a life-threatening confrontation or a critical decision that tests their loyalty to the Mafia or their love interest.

This is often the climax of the novel, where the stakes are highest.

9. The Reward

After surviving the ordeal, the protagonist receives a reward.

In the context of a Mafia romance, this reward could be a newfound sense of power or clarity, or it could be the deepening of the romantic relationship.

This is a moment of triumph, but it’s often bittersweet, as the protagonist realizes the cost of their journey.

10. The Road Back

The protagonist begins their journey back to their ordinary world, but they are changed by their experiences.

In a Mafia romance, this could involve a return to normalcy in the Mafia world or a decision to leave it behind for the sake of love.

This stage is about integrating the lessons learned and preparing for a new normal.

11. The Resurrection

The protagonist faces a final test, often a mirror of their original challenge.

In a Mafia romance, this could be a final showdown with a rival or a critical moment that tests the protagonist’s commitment to their new life and love.

This is the final step in their transformation.

12. Return with the Elixir

The protagonist returns to their ordinary world, but they bring something valuable with them.

In the context of a Mafia romance, this could be a new perspective on life, a sense of peace, or a lasting relationship.

The protagonist has grown and changed, and they bring this growth back into their world.

13. The New Normal

The novel concludes with the protagonist settling into their new normal.

In a Mafia romance, this might involve a balance between their life in the Mafia and their relationship, or it might mean a complete departure from the world of crime.

This stage is about closure and resolution, leaving the reader with a sense of completion.

These plot points provide a framework for a Mafia romance novel, offering a balance of crime and passion that can captivate and engage readers.

Remember, the key to a successful Mafia romance novel lies in the depth and complexity of the characters, the authenticity of the setting, and the tension between the world of crime and the power of love.

How to Write a Good Mafia Romance Novel

Crafting an unputdownable Mafia romance novel requires more than just a compelling plot and dynamic characters.

It demands a deep understanding of the genre’s nuances and a skillful blend of romance and suspense.

Here are advanced tips to elevate your Mafia romance novel from basic to exceptional:

• Layered Characters : Create characters with depth and complexity. Your Mafia protagonist should have vulnerabilities beneath their tough exterior, and the love interest should be more than just a damsel in distress. Rich, multi-dimensional characters make for a more engaging and believable story.
• Authentic World-Building : Research the intricacies of organized crime to make your setting authentic. Understand the hierarchies, codes, and operations within the Mafia world. This authenticity will lend credibility to your story and immerse readers in the narrative.
• Balanced Conflict : Balance the external conflict of the Mafia world with the internal conflict of the romance. The danger and moral dilemmas of organized crime should intertwine with the emotional stakes of the love story, creating a multi-layered narrative that keeps readers hooked.
• Unpredictable Plot Twists : Keep your readers on their toes with unexpected plot twists. Subvert genre clichés and take risks with your story. Unpredictable developments in both the crime and romance plotlines will maintain suspense and intrigue.
• Emotional Depth : Infuse your story with genuine emotion. Go beyond surface-level romance and explore the deeper feelings of love, fear, loyalty, and betrayal. Emotional depth connects readers to the characters and makes the story more impactful.
• Pacing and Tension : Master the art of pacing. Build tension gradually in both the romance and crime elements of the story. The interplay of fast-paced action scenes with slower, intimate moments will create a rhythm that keeps readers engaged.
• Satisfying Resolution : Ensure your story has a fulfilling conclusion. Whether it’s a happy ending or a more bittersweet resolution, the ending should feel earned and consistent with the tone of the novel.

How to Use AI to Write a Mafia Romance Novel [Video]

Here is a short TikTok video about how to write a mafia romance novel with AI:

@noelle_gifford14 I got my ai to write a romance mafia story and omg! I enjoyed doing this!! #greenscreen #story #snapchatai #fyp #fun #silly #booktok #mafiaromance ♬ style by taylor swift sped up – loann

Tiktok video by noelle_gifford14 – How to Write a Mafia Romance Novel

Examples of Romance Novel Scenes in a Mafia Setting

Creating vivid and impactful scenes is crucial in a Mafia romance novel.

These scenes bring the story to life, showcasing the intricate balance between the danger of the Mafia world and the intensity of the romantic relationship.

Here are three examples of such scenes, each written in a different style to illustrate the versatility and richness of this genre.

Scene 1: The Tense Meeting (Intense, Direct Style)

The dimly lit room was heavy with tension, the air thick with unspoken threats. Antonio, the feared Mafia boss, sat at the head of the table, his eyes cold and calculating. Across from him, Maria, a rival gang’s negotiator, was a vision of calm defiance. As their eyes met, an electric charge crackled between them.

“We can do this the easy way, or the hard way,” Antonio’s voice was like ice. Maria leaned forward, her response equally chilling. “I’m not afraid of you.” The room held its breath, sensing the dangerous dance of power and attraction unfolding.

In that moment, amidst threats and bravado, something shifted. The world outside faded, leaving only the intense connection that sizzled in the space between them. It was a connection that defied their roles, their duties, and the very world they lived in. A dangerous, forbidden attraction that neither of them had anticipated.

Scene 2: The Secret Encounter (Descriptive, Flowery Style)

Under the moonlit sky, the garden was a tapestry of shadows and silver light. Luca, the young Mafia heir, moved through the flora with a predator’s grace. Waiting for him, hidden among the roses, was Isabella, the daughter of a police chief, their love a forbidden song in the night.

As they embraced, the world seemed to stand still. Isabella’s hair, a cascade of ebony silk, fell over Luca’s shoulder, a stark contrast to his crisp white shirt. “We shouldn’t be doing this,” she whispered, her voice a melody of fear and longing.

Luca pulled her closer, his voice a soft murmur. “In this garden, in this moment, nothing else matters but us.” Around them, the night bloomed with the scent of roses, a fragrant witness to their stolen love. In each other’s arms, they found a haven, a respite from the chaos of their conflicting worlds.

Scene 3: The Heartbreaking Choice (Minimalist, Subtle Style)

The café was a bubble of normalcy in Sofia’s tumultuous life. She sat there, sipping coffee, waiting. Marco, her Mafia lover, was late. The ticking clock was a reminder of the decision looming over her – a choice between love and safety.

When Marco finally arrived, his eyes were stormy. “I can’t do this anymore,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. Sofia’s heart clenched. She knew this moment was inevitable, yet it shattered her.

Their conversation was a dance of words and pauses, a delicate balance of saying too much and not enough. They spoke of love, of danger, of impossibilities. In the end, they parted with a kiss – a soft, lingering goodbye that spoke volumes.

As Sofia walked away, her heart ached with a bittersweet pain. She had chosen safety, but in doing so, had lost a part of herself. Marco, and the love they shared, would forever be a shadow in her heart.

100 Ideas for Writing a Mafia Romance Novel

• A Mafia boss falls for an undercover FBI agent.
• The daughter of a Mafia don falls for a rival gang member.
• A forbidden romance between a Mafia heir and a police officer.
• A Mafia princess in hiding starts a new life and falls for a local.
• A love triangle between a Mafia boss, his right-hand man, and an outsider.
• A Mafia accountant falls for a client who’s unaware of his true profession.
• A Mafia boss’s sister secretly dating a detective.
• An arranged marriage within the Mafia that turns into real love.
• A romance blossoms during a war between two Mafia families.
• A Mafia boss falls for a victim’s family member seeking revenge.
• A Mafia enforcer and a nurse’s unexpected love story.
• A Mafia widow falls for her husband’s enemy.
• A love story set during the prohibition era.
• A journalist goes undercover in the Mafia and falls for her target.
• A Mafia boss’s child and a cop’s child fall in love.
• A romance between a Mafia boss and a rival gang leader’s sister.
• A Mafia boss falls for a witness he’s supposed to silence.
• A romance between a Mafia heir and an artist with no ties to the crime world.
• A forbidden love story in a small town controlled by the Mafia.
• A Mafia princess and a biker gang leader’s unexpected romance.
• A Mafia hitman falls for his next target.
• A romance between a Mafia lawyer and a judge.
• A Mafia boss and a charity worker’s unlikely love story.
• A Mafia don falls for a single mother who moves into his neighborhood.
• An ex-Mafia member falls for a woman with a dark secret.
• A Mafia prince and a diplomat’s daughter’s forbidden romance.
• A Mafia member starts a new life and falls for a small-town librarian.
• A romance between a Mafia boss and a rival’s daughter in a peace treaty.
• A Mafia boss falls for a therapist who doesn’t know his true identity.
• A romance between a Mafia member and a fashion designer.
• A Mafia enforcer falls for a ballet dancer.
• A love story between a Mafia accountant and a tax officer.
• A Mafia boss in exile falls for a local woman in a foreign country.
• A romance between a Mafia princess and her bodyguard.
• A Mafia member falls for a woman while on a mission abroad.
• A Mafia prince and a pop star’s secret romance.
• A romance between a Mafia boss and a competitor’s widow.
• A Mafia member falls for a victim’s sister seeking justice.
• A Mafia boss’s daughter and a cop’s forbidden love.
• A romance between a Mafia boss and a rival gang’s spy.
• A Mafia prince falls for a woman trying to dismantle his empire.
• A love story between a Mafia member and a bakery owner.
• A Mafia boss and a wedding planner’s unlikely romance.
• A Mafia member falls for a politician campaigning against organized crime.
• A Mafia enforcer and a veterinarian’s unexpected romance.
• A Mafia boss falls for a college student working in his casino.
• A love story between a Mafia princess and a struggling musician.
• A romance between a retired Mafia boss and a vineyard owner.
• A Mafia prince falls for a foreign ambassador.
• A Mafia member falls for a rival gang member during a truce.
• A love story between a Mafia boss and a rival’s spy who defects.
• A Mafia boss falls for a woman with amnesia.
• A romance between a Mafia boss and a luxury real estate agent.
• A Mafia boss and a librarian’s secret love story.
• A Mafia prince falls for a circus performer.
• A love story between a Mafia member and a tech entrepreneur.
• A Mafia boss falls for a woman running a shelter for abused women.
• A romance between a Mafia boss and a chef.
• A Mafia boss’s daughter falls for a detective investigating her family.
• A Mafia member falls for a foreign journalist.
• A love story between a Mafia prince and a humanitarian worker.
• A Mafia boss falls for a woman he meets at a charity event.
• A romance between a Mafia boss and a rival gang leader’s widow.
• A Mafia member falls for a woman while on the run.
• A Mafia boss and a yoga instructor’s unexpected romance.
• A Mafia boss falls for a woman who saves his life.
• A romance between a Mafia boss and a high school sweetheart.
• A Mafia prince falls for an actress.
• A love story between a Mafia member and an antique dealer.
• A Mafia boss falls for a woman he accidentally kidnaps.
• A romance between a Mafia boss and a flight attendant.
• A Mafia boss’s daughter falls for a man she meets while traveling.
• A Mafia member falls for a rival’s sister at a peace negotiation.
• A love story between a Mafia prince and a foreign princess.
• A Mafia boss falls for a woman who opposes his business.
• A romance between a Mafia member and a personal trainer.
• A Mafia boss falls for a woman involved in a rival gang.
• A Mafia member falls for a woman who turns out to be an undercover cop.
• A love story between a Mafia boss and a social worker.
• A Mafia boss falls for a woman he meets during jury duty.
• A romance between a Mafia member and a school teacher.
• A Mafia boss’s daughter falls for a man trying to leave the Mafia life.
• A Mafia boss and a foreign diplomat’s romance.
• A Mafia member falls for a woman while posing as a college professor.
• A love story between a Mafia prince and a local news reporter.
• A Mafia boss falls for a woman running a rival business.
• A romance between a Mafia member and a rival gang member during a ceasefire.
• A Mafia prince falls for a woman whose business he’s trying to acquire.
• A love story between a Mafia member and a fashion model.
• A Mafia boss falls for a woman who is secretly gathering evidence against him.
• A romance between a Mafia boss and a doctor.
• A Mafia boss’s daughter and a former FBI agent’s love story.
• A Mafia member falls for a woman who runs a community center.
• A love story between a Mafia prince and a foreign exchange student.
• A Mafia boss falls for a woman working in a rival casino.
• A romance between a Mafia member and a foreign dignitary.
• A Mafia boss and a bookstore owner’s unlikely romance.
• A Mafia boss falls for a woman he meets at a masquerade ball.
• A love story between a Mafia prince and a rival gang leader’s niece.
• A Mafia member falls for a woman who saves his brother’s life.

Final Thoughts: How to Write a Mafia Romance Novel

Now that you know how to write a mafia romance novel, there is still so much to learn.

Browse through some of our other great articles on writing romances (and more). I’ve hand-selected a few below that I think you will enjoy.

Read This Next:

• How To Write A Romance Novel With a Protective Hero (2024)
• How To Write a Synopsis for a Romance Novel (Examples)
• How To Write a Query Letter for a Romance Novel (13 Tips)
• How To Write A Romance Novel With ChatGPT [Ultimate Guide]

Mafia Story Ideas: 10 Unique Ways to Spice Up Your Plot

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on October 2, 2022

Categories Creativity , Inspiration , Storytelling , Writing

Do you love mafia stories? Do you love reading about their lives and the drama and intrigue that comes with it? If so, then you’re in for a treat. This blog post will discuss 10 unique ways to spice up your mafia story plot. Whether you’re writing a book, screenplay, or just coming up with ideas for a new plotline, these tips will help make your story more interesting and exciting!

10 Mafia Story Ideas

Make your protagonist a woman..

The mafia is typically a man’s world, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any powerful women in the mix. Making your protagonist a woman will add a unique perspective to the story and create more obstacles for her to overcome.

Have the protagonist be from a different country than the mafia is based in.

This will again create more obstacles for the protagonist and add an element of culture clash to the story. It will also be interesting to explore how the Mafia operates in a different country than what is typically portrayed in media.

Have the mafia be involved in something other than crime.

The Mafia has many facets, and crime is just one of them. Perhaps your story could revolve around the business side of things or even delving into their personal lives. There are endless possibilities!

Make one of the main characters gay.

This is another way to add diversity to your story and break away from traditional norms within the Mafia world. It will also create additional conflicts and challenges for your character, making for an interesting plotline.

Create a love triangle within the mafia ranks.

Nothing is more dramatic than a love triangle, especially within a group of criminals! This plot line will keep readers on their toes as they try to figure out who will end up with whom – and who will get killed in the process!

Have rival gangs be at war with each other.

Mafia stories are often about one gang taking over the other, but what if two different gangs were fighting for supremacy? This will add a new dynamic to the story and keep the reader on their toes throughout the plot.

Create a more sympathetic antagonist.

Many Mafia stories feature a character who is pure evil, and the reader doesn’t necessarily get to know why they’re so evil. Try creating a more sympathetic antagonist with a backstory that explains why they turned to a life of crime.

Create a better ending.

Every book/movie/story has flaws, which goes for Mafia stories. Try creating a more satisfying ending for your story. It doesn’t necessarily have to be happy, but it can be more fitting with the rest of the story (and what you originally intended).

Create a more realistic setting.

Most people assume the Mafia is a strictly American phenomenon, but the truth is that the Mafia has existed in many different countries around the world. Research the Mafia in your country of choice to create a more authentic and realistic setting.

Create an unexpected twist.

Mafia stories have a lot of common storylines, which is why they’re so popular. But adding an unexpected twist to your story will make it more unique and intriguing.

These are just some ideas you can use to make your next Mafia story stand out from the rest. If you’re stuck on your story idea , take advantage of these tips, and hopefully, you’ll be able to come up with something that works for you!

How to Write a Mafia Novel

There’s something about the mafia that just captivates audiences. Maybe it’s the violence, the power struggles, or the forbidden love stories. Whatever the reason, if you’re a writer who wants to try your hand at writing a mafia novel, here are some tips to get you started.

Do Your Research

The first step to writing any good novel is to do your research. This is especially important when writing about a topic as sensitive as the mafia. You’ll need to make sure you understand the history of the mafia and how it operates before you can start writing your own story. Look for books, articles, and websites that can give you an insider’s perspective on the mafia world.

Develop Compelling Characters

One of the most important elements of any good story is its characters. When writing a mafia novel, it’s important to create characters in which readers will be invested. Your protagonist should be someone readers can root for, even if they’re not always making the best choices. And your antagonists should be truly evil—the kind of people that readers will love to hate.

Create a Believable World

Another key element in writing a good mafia novel is creating a believable world in your story to take place in. This means developing a clear understanding of the setting and ensuring all details fit together logically. Pay attention to small details like what cars your characters drive and what kind of food they eat. These seemingly insignificant details can help bring your world to life for readers.

Write With Authenticity

Finally, one of the most important things you can do when writing a mafia novel is to write with authenticity. This means using your voice and experiences to bring something unique to the story. Avoid trying to imitate other writers—instead, focus on telling the best story you can.

How do you write a romance mafia story?

There’s something about the mafia that just exudes romance. Maybe it’s the danger, the secrecy, or the fact that there’s always a possibility of getting caught and punished. Whatever the reason, writers have been penning steamy mafia romances for years. If you’re thinking about writing one of your own, here are a few tips to get you started.

Choose Your Mafia

The first step in writing a romance mafia story is to choose which mafia you want to focus on. Are you going to write about the Italian mob? The Russian mob? The Japanese Yakuza? Each option comes with its own set of challenges and opportunities. Do some research on your chosen mafia so you can make your story as authentic as possible.

Create Compelling Characters

Your next step is to create some compelling characters. Who is your protagonist? What does he or she do for the mob? What kind of person are they? What do they want out of life? Be sure to give your character plenty of dimensions so readers can connect with them.

Build the Romance

Of course, no romance mafia story would be complete without a little (or a lot) of romance. How does your protagonist meet his or her love interest? What drew them together? How does their relationship progress throughout the story? Be sure to answer these questions so you can create a believable and compelling love story.

Add in Some Drama

No good story is complete without a little drama, including romance mafia stories. What conflict will your protagonists face? Will they be able to overcome it? Throw in some plot twists and turns to keep readers guessing what will happen next. Be careful not to go overboard; too much drama can overwhelm readers and make your story feel contrived.

End on a High Note

Lastly, be sure to end your story on a high note. What resolution do your protagonists reach? Is it a happy one? A tragic one? A realistic one? Whatever ending you choose, be sure that it feels earned and satisfying for your protagonists and readers.

What Makes a Good Murder in Fiction?

There’s something oddly compelling about a good murder mystery. The suspense, the twists, and turns, the never knowing who did it until the very end… it’s a formula that has been captivating readers for centuries. So, what makes a good murder in fiction? Let’s take a look at some of the key elements.

The first step in writing a good murder mystery is to choose an interesting victim. This person should be well-liked by the other characters in the story and have a distinct personality to make them memorable. In Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, for example, all of the victims are people who have committed crimes and escaped punishment. Their pasts come back to haunt them in the form of mysterious killings that seem to echo the crimes they once committed.

The Murderer

Of course, no murder mystery would be complete without an equally intriguing murderer. This person should be smart, resourceful, and able to stay one step ahead of the detective or detectives tasked with solving the case. In Christie’s novel The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side, the murderer can poison their victim in a crowded room full of people without anyone noticing. It takes an expert detective like Hercule Poirot to put all the pieces together and figure out the whodunit.

The Detective

Speaking of detectives, another key element of a good murder mystery is a sharp-witted sleuth who knows how to think like a criminal. This person should be relentless in their pursuit of justice and have a knack for uncovering clues that others would miss. Some of literature’s most famous detectives, such as Sherlock Holmes and Miss Marple, are known just as much for their deductive reasoning skills as for their catchphrases.

How Do You Write a Dark Story?

Something is alluring about a dark story. A tale that plumbs the depths of human depravity, that probes the darkness of the soul. A story where hope is in short supply and despair is never far away. But how do you write a dark story? How do you create a work of fiction that will keep your readers up at night, long after they’ve finished reading? Here are a few tips to get you started.

Find Your Inspiration

The first step in writing any story is finding your inspiration. For a dark story, this might mean exploring the darker side of human nature or looking at real-life events shrouded in tragedy and despair. Once you’ve found your source of inspiration, ask yourself what it is about this subject that interests you. What is it that keeps you coming back for more? Is it the feeling of empathy you have for the characters involved? Is it the suspenseful thrill of not knowing what will happen next? Whatever it is, use that as your guiding light as you write your story.

Creating compelling characters is essential no matter what genre you’re writing in. But this is especially true for dark stories, where characters often struggle against insurmountable odds. When creating your characters, think about what motivates them. What drives them to keep going, even when all hope seems lost? What kind of person would be capable of weathering the stormy world you’re creating? By fleshing out your characters and giving them relatable motivations, you’ll ensure that your readers will be invested in their journey—no matter how dark it may be.

Build Suspense and Tension

Suspense and tension are key ingredients in any good story, but they’re especially important in dark stories. After all, what’s more suspenseful than not knowing if the protagonist will make it out alive? As you write your story, think about ways to keep your readers on the edge. One way to do this is by withholding information—tease them with glimpses of what’s to come without giving it away too soon. Another way to build suspense is by upping the stakes as the story progresses. Make sure each new development raises the stakes and increases the tension until it reaches a boiling point.

Write What You Know

This isn’t necessarily specific to writing dark stories, but it’s good advice. Write what you know—write about things that interest you and themes that resonate with you. Not only will this make your writing stronger, but it will also help ensure that you stay interested in your own story as you write it. After all, if you’re bored with your own story, there’s no way your readers will find it engaging. So make sure to choose a topic you’re interested in before anything else.

Let Your Imagination Run Wild

Above all else, have fun with it! Writing should be enjoyable, so don’t stifle your creativity by adhering too strictly to pre-conceived notions of what a dark story should be like. Let your imagination run wild—explore new ideas and play around with different possibilities until you find something that feels right for YOU and YOUR story. And who knows? Maybe by doing so, you’ll end up crafting something unique and special—a dark story that nobody has ever read before (at least not quite like yours).

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How to Write Crime Stories

Last Updated: January 29, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by David A. Payne, JD . David A. Payne is the President and Executive Producer of RainStream Media, a media company who focuses on telling true crime stories with underlying themes of social justice. He has extensive experience in media and entertainment, having served as both General Counsel and a C-level executive for comapnies such as Turner Broadcasting, CNN, and USA Today. He is also a lawyer - he received his JD from the Duke University School of Law and is licensed to practice law in California. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 239,728 times.

Like many authors, crime writers sometimes get an itch to break the conventions of the genre and create something unique. This is a fine impulse to listen to, but not one you want to take too far. Weigh the advice you hear against your own opinion, and find a path forward that includes everything you love about the mystery genre, garnishing the story with your own style.

Outlining the Plot

• What could have led to this crime scene?
• What motivation would cause someone to commit the crime, or to frame someone else?
• What kind of person would follow through on that motivation?
• Use Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? questions to get you started: Who committed the crime and who did they do it to? What was the crime? When did it happen (morning, evening, afternoon, dead of night)? Where did it happen? Why did they do it? How did they do it?

• Recognize that the size of the place will influence the development of your story. For example, in a large city or busy public place, you will have lots of opportunities to introduce witnesses. However, in a “locked-room mystery” (one where all the characters seem to be present in the same room throughout the occurrence of the crime), you will likely have no external witnesses, but may be able to draw upon your characters opinions and biases of each other.
• Focus on the elements of your setting that are essential to the story. For example, is weather essential? If it is, write about it in great detail. If it is not, only mention it briefly or leave it out altogether. A dark, gritty setting adds atmosphere and works well with stories centered on organized crime. Setting a crime in an idyllic, ordinary town adds its own kind of chill.

• Some characters should be potential suspects for having committed the crime (and at least one should actually be guilty of the crime), some should be supporting characters that serve to make the storyline interesting (a love interest or meddling mother-in-law, perhaps), and one (or more) should be focused on solving the mystery.
• Well-written characters will have motives for acting in ways that further the plot.Okay, the gritty noir detective or genius investigator is an option, but come up with alternatives or twists.
• Make the crime matter personally to the protagonist, to raise the emotional stakes. This could be related to the protagonist's mysterious past, a close friend or family member in danger, or the fate of the town, country, or world. [1] X Research source

• Describe your villain well, but not too well. You don’t want your reader to guess right from the beginning of the story who is the culprit. Your reader may become suspicious if you spend a disproportionate amount of time describing one character.
• You may want to make your villain someone that has been slightly suspicious all along. On the other hand, you may want to make the revelation of the culprit or criminal a complete shock. “Framing” someone throughout the story is a surefire way to keep your readers hooked to your mystery short stories.
• Instead of a villain, consider including a sidekick. Maybe your sleuth has a friend or partner that will help her sort the clues and point out things that she misses. [3] X Research source No one says the sleuth has to do it all alone! What if the sidekick and villain end up being one in the same?
• Think of the basics. Male or female? What is the detective's name? How old are they? What do they look like (hair color, eye color, and skin tone)? Where are they from? Where are they living when your story starts? How did they become part of the story? Are they victims? Are they the cause of the problems in your story?

• Present an opportunity for mystery. Create a situation in which a crime can reasonably occur and one that you will be able to reasonably recreate yourself. Did all the power go out in the city due to a thunderstorm? Was a door or a safe accidentally left unlocked? Paint a vivid picture of the situation surrounding the occurrence of the crime that will be the focus of your mystery.
• Don’t underestimate the power of the “backdrop” for the crime. [4] X Research source An intricate understanding of the setting in which the crime takes place is an important tool that will help when it comes to developing your narrative.
• Here are some suggestions for crimes: Something has been stolen from the classroom, Something is missing from your bookbag, Something strange is found on the baseball field, Someone has stolen the class pet, Someone is sending you strange notes, Someone has broken into the Science materials closet, someone has written on the bathroom wall, someone has tracked red mud into the building.

• You should include evidence processing skills such as fingerprinting, toxicology, handwriting analysis, blood spatter patterns, etc.
• The detective work must be good. Develop how your detective or protagonist ultimately solves the case, keeping their personality and qualities in mind. Make sure it isn't cheesy or too obvious.

Writing the Story

• If you want to write about what happens before the crime, you can go back in time for the second chapter, adding a subheading such as "one week earlier."

• This is especially important for the biggest reveal — whodunnit? — and the wrong choice can ruin a novel for a lot of readers. The villain should either be a suspect or demonstrate enough suspicious behavior that a clever reader can guess the identity.

Community Q&A

• Give yourself time. You can plan everything in advance, or you can write rapidly and edit later. Both approaches require a great deal of time, and a willingness to make major changes. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 1
• Enlist people to edit your story and give feedback. After some polishing, steel yourself and show the work to strangers. Their advice will be harsher but more honest than your friends'. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 1

• Crime fiction is a genre filled with cliché. There's a fine line between paying tribute to your favorite stories and style and straightforward copying. Thanks Helpful 12 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://armchairinterviews.com/pages/crime-fiction-tips-and-pet-peeves
• ↑ https://writerunboxed.com/2022/05/03/hiding-your-villain-in-plain-sight/
• ↑ https://screencraft.org/blog/writing-a-likeable-sidekick-7-archetypes-you-can-choose-from/
• ↑ https://jerichowriters.com/how-to-write-an-immersive-setting/
• ↑ https://www.novlr.org/the-reading-room/the-art-of-the-plot-twist-how-to-keep-your-audience-guessing

About This Article

If you want to write a crime story, start by choosing a crime, then work backward, describing what led to the crime. Think about what kind of person might commit a crime like this, and what might motivate them to do so. For instance, if you’re describing a bank heist, your criminals might be a gang of petty thieves looking for a big score, or it could be parents of a sick child who need money for treatment. Give the reader clues, but throw in some misleading details as well so the audience won’t guess what’s going on too early in the story! Read on to learn tips on describing your crime scene! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Writing Tips Oasis - A website dedicated to helping writers to write and publish books.

How to Write Crime Fiction: A Beginner’s Guide

By Georgina Roy

Welcome to Writing Tips Oasis and our newest guide – this time around, on Crime Fiction.

Crime Fiction as a genre is often confused or mixed up with other genres or its own subgenres/categories, like mysteries, which we will talk about later. The Crime genre is an umbrella that entails everything that is related to a crime: from mysteries to thrillers, although in thrillers, the crime is often ongoing, while in crime fiction , the crime is already perpetrated and the protagonist is looking for the perpetrator. For that reason, we will look at thriller as a separate genre that crosses with crime, rather than as a part of the crime genre as a whole.

On the whole, we will divide this guide in three parts. In the first part, we will focus on the crime itself, because that will define the category (or subgenre) of your novel. The second part will focus on the plot of a crime fiction novel, and the third part will focus on how to build a crime puzzle.

Without further delay, let’s move on to the first part and try to tackle the task of writing a crime fiction novel.

Table of Contents

Part One: The Crime

1. what crime fiction encompasses, 2. choosing the crime, 3. crime fiction categories, part two: building the crime plot, 1. choosing a protagonist, 2. creating the world, 3. portraying secondary characters, 4. creating ambiance and mood, 5. balancing plot and character, 6. twists and resolutions, part three: building the crime puzzle, 1. how to create a crime puzzle, 2. usage of unreliable narrators, 3. using foreshadowing, 4. creating the usual suspects cast, 5. red herrings and chekov’s guns, 6. avoiding clichés, 7. avoiding plot traps.

The crime is the most important element of a good crime fiction novel. Although, it’s worth noting that the crime, in this case, comes after compelling plot and characters, which are necessary for any kind of novel. The crime in a crime fiction novel, however, needs to provide two things:

• interest in the readers as to how it was done;
• interest in a compelling protagonist who will solve the mystery for the readers.

Here is the thing, you can have a compelling protagonist and interesting characters (upon which we will talk extensively in the second part of this guide), but unless you have an extraordinary crime, you are not giving your protagonist and characters anything to work with. For that reason, let’s start by distilling all the separate elements of crime fiction novels before we move on to creating one.

The list of what a crime fiction novel needs, or what the crime fiction in general encompasses, can be way too long. For that reason, let’s begin by analyzing what a crime fiction novel provides for the readers.

First, we mentioned the compelling protagonist and interesting characters. The compelling protagonist is usually a detective/investigator/agent in a secret/clandestine organization, usually a government institution, and in legal organizations like PI agencies or various different police departments. That means your protagonist will be the readers eyes and ears (and emotions) in the legal process.

The interesting characters fall into different categories. First category is victim/eyewitness, the second is the bad guys (or just one bad guy) among many suspects, all of which need to have motive to perpetrate the crime, the means to do it, and finally, alibis or lack of them, which leads to the protagonist investigating these people in order to find out what happened. The thing about these characters is that they become the readers’ mediums for experiencing what it’s like to be an eyewitness or to be a suspect in a crime (and as much as we like to say that the world has become a horrible place, most people don’t actually want to be eyewitnesses or suspects in a crime. For this reason, crime fiction along with romance are among the best-selling genres in the world – they provide escapism for the readers in realms that they don’t particularly want to visit).

Third is the crime itself. Here is the thing: a crime that is easily solved by the protagonist will be even more easily solved by your readers, most of which will be crime fiction fans, and if you write in a crime that can be easily solved, the readers will lose interest.

Next in line are ambiance, setting, worldbuilding, and the way that you handle them need to fall in line with the story you want to tell.

And by choosing the crime, we don’t really mean decide if your novel is going to revolve around a murder or a theft, for example. Nor do we mean decide if the protagonist is going to be a man or a woman. What we mean is the crime as a whole: what (murder, theft, kidnapping, etc.) it is, who did it, who will investigate it, and how will they go about it. These three things will decide in which crime category (or subgenre) your story will belong in. And these categories have their own markers that the readers will expect, and knowing that gives you, as a writer, the chance to subvert their expectations and surprise them.

Moreover it will keep you from making rookie mistakes, like for example, having a spunky 22-year-old private eye investigate someone’s murder instead of a detective, going to morgues and other places, investigate witnesses and so forth. A private eye will never have the authority to investigate someone’s murder. When private eyes are hired to investigate someone’s murder, it means that the police have closed the case and have been unable to solve it, or have locked up an innocent man or a woman as the perpetrator. However, a private eye would not investigate the murder right after it happened. Unless the private eye is closely related to the victim, which would give her a personal motive.

And so forth. A spunky 22-year-old female private eye as the protagonist will shoot your novel straight into the chick-lit crime mystery pile, or the cozy mystery. On the other hand, make the woman a little older, late twenties, for example, and make her a legit investigator, and then you have a crime novel that would belong in a different subgenre, like legal or police.

In conclusion, the category your story will belong in will ultimately be decided by your story itself. Deciding on a category before starting to write your will enable you to:

• read other novels in the same/similar subgenre, enabling you to know the most common expectations and plots;
• outline your novel, so you do not end up involving psychics to give your protagonist clues to the antagonist;
• find ways to subvert known clichés and tropes and storylines.

Let’s take a look at the most common categories or subgenres of crime fiction and their expectations and common themes.

There are many different subgenres or categories when it comes to crime fiction. Some of these are more prolific than the others. For example, we can look at mystery as a separate genre, as well as detective, and thriller as well. All of these, however, involve two things: crime and the legal system, and protagonists who need to solve the case, no matter what.

The mystery genre is easy to describe. Everything starts with the perpetration of a crime: someone has been murdered, or something has been stolen. A good mystery will involve both, for example. Then, the investigator comes along and begins to investigate the crime. Your job as the writer here is to throw hurdles and obstacles at the protagonist, even go as far as to make it personal for the protagonist to solve the case to provide more motivation. In addition, you need a cast of the usual suspects, and the more unusual you can make them, the better. The faker their alibis, the better. However, be careful not to make everyone fake their alibis just for the sake of it. Red herrings are fine as long as they do pay off in some way. Keep the readers engaged by creating a mystery that seems impossible to solve at a first glance.

One of the best things about the crime fiction genre is the possible overlap within its categories, as well as the possible mixing of crime with different genres. A detective crime fiction novel always features a detective who is most often investigating a homicide. Along the way he has to go through many obstacles in order to get to the truth, and if he is dealing with a serial killer/a ring of organized crime, the bodies will continue to drop. And even the seemingly natural death of the victim’s neighbor turns out to be a murder. There are two things to be careful of: if there are too many murders and victims, your readers might get lost in the details. Second, if the murder is too complicated to be solved, you might fall into the deus-ex-machina trap. In addition, you don’t want to make the murder too simple – that would make your detective not up to his job.

• Thriller (as cross-genre)

A good example of a thriller and crime fiction mix is a novel that revolves, for example, around a kidnapping. The reason why we’re looking a thriller novel as a separate genre is because usually, a thriller novel happens while the crime is being committed. It’s a conflict between the villain and the victim, and, if the victim loses, that’s when the legal department becomes involved. That fact, by default, separates the crime genre and the thriller genre.

However, for example, if the police are involved and trying to prevent a serial killer from committing another murder, and if the novel also focuses on the serial killer’s next victim to be (who he probably has already kidnapped), then you have a novel that is both crime and thriller.

Police procedural fiction novels revolve around a police department that’s trying to solve a crime. Usually, you have the cast of a detective (who may or may not have a partner, who may or may not be a sidekick), a couple of forensics and at least one pathologist, and maybe even additional lab people like a toxicologist, etc. The crime and the perpetrator are usually shown in a prologue, and the readers follow the story of the police department solving the crime. Police procedural fiction allows a glimpse into the world of the police and the story is more about how to catch the murderer through evidence and investigation.

Legal crime fiction novels are a specific subgenre of crime novels. They still involve the same elements of crime fiction: a crime has been committed, and an organization is involved in solving that crime. This time, that organization is the legal department. This means that the action is all in the court room, and usually, the conflict revolves around a lawyer trying to prove that the accused is innocent of the crime, sometimes to the extent of solving the mystery and finding the real murderer, putting himself or herself and their close friends or coworkers in danger.

• Locked room

Again, there are many overlaps in crime fiction categories, and the locked room mystery is one of them. It can overlap easily with all the other subgenres. All it needs is to have a crime committed in a locked room (though not necessarily an empty one). This means that the perpetrator could not have easily come and gone from the scene of the crime. What really sets this subgenre apart is the impossibility of the crime. They almost always revolve around a murder, and the readers are presented with the same puzzle – the locked room – as the detective. The puzzle is what entices the readers to read more, hence the major overlap with other subcategories, from detective to legal to cozy mysteries.

• Cozy mystery

What sets the cozies – or cozy mysteries – apart is the setting and the ambiance. The violence is toned down, and the murders are usually through poisons or other means, and the motive is almost always personal. Another element that sets them apart is the protagonist, who in this case can be anyone within a community. Usually, the cozies are set in small towns in scenic locations, where the ambiance plays just as big of a role as the characters themselves. The protagonist is usually in a position to solve the mystery: a sheriff, a librarian, a doctor – someone who will have a lot of contact with almost all of the people in the community.

Whodunit refers to the subgenre of crime fiction where the plot revolves solely around discovering who murdered someone. As with other categories, the protagonist is the detective who is investigating the crime, and the usual suspects are making difficult to tell, well, whodunit.

There are other categories of crime fiction. Chick-lit mysteries, where the protagonist is a female, hardboiled crime fiction, where a cop in the Prohibition era has to deal with both the crime gangs and the crooked crime system, the caper crime fiction, where it’s more about committing a petty crime (theft) and getting away with it, and many other categories.

Many different writers define plot in different ways: we all know it when a novel has a tight plot, and when the plot is not right, all readers know it. Here is the thing – plot is what your story depends on. You can think of plotting a novel as putting all elements of one story into a linear grid and knowing which event of the plot happens when in the novel. You can have a good story, but if you don’t put each element of it in its proper place in the grid, you have a jumbled novel with a very loose plot.

A well balanced structure will have three acts: the exposition, or act 1, which is the beginning of your novel. During this part, your protagonist needs to be introduced to the problem. In the case of crime novels, regardless of category, the problem will always be a certain crime – murder, theft, both, or something else. You have created a situation – a problem, and now the protagonist has to solve it.

In the real world, whenever we face a problem, we go for the easiest solution. It’s human nature to take the shortest path to solve a problem. When your protagonist decides to go for the easiest solution to the crime leads you to the first plot point – where the easiest solution to the problem – the easiest explanation for the crime – is actually not right.

However, not all is lost, for the protagonist – be it a detective, an investigator, a private eye – will have other clues to follow. The continued investigation in the case is what will make up the second act of your novel. The second act is very important because here you will present the readers with two things: one, what your novel is really about, and how the protagonist managed to solve the crime and discover who did it. Often, the closer the protagonist is to the truth, the more in danger he or she will be (or their loved ones, like friends and family). Someone – usually the villain, or depending on the connection between the protagonist and whoever committed the crime, the antagonist. The closer the connection between them, the more personal the story will get, thus increasing the stakes for all characters involved.

The closing of the second act is when the protagonist solves the crime. The third act – the resolution – is all about catching the villain, making a valiant attempt at rescuing or saving someone, and for wrapping up all the other secrets and red herrings that were bound to prop up in the first act.

In the next two parts, we will talk about everything from plotting to worldbuilding – to how to create red herrings and use other storytelling tools to plot your novel just right and give your readers a great thrill of a read.

When it comes to choosing a protagonist, we don’t really refer to making up a cast of characters and then deciding which one of them will move the plot forward. Stories often dictate who gets to tell them, and the same thing applies in this case as well. For example, you cannot tell a cozy mystery story if you choose the neighborhood gossip as the protagonist. Every category has its own share of most common protagonist. The neighborhood gossip or the old spinster that lives around the bend might get to be a protagonist of a cozy mystery novel if the crime and the perpetrator are directly connected to her. But, you can also place a dazed city detective as the new head detective in a small town and tell the story through his eyes. The detective would be a better candidate in this particular example, simply because of two reasons:

– the detective, as a newcomer, will have a great perspective on the little town, enabling you, as the writer, to fully immerse the reader inside the world you’ve built;

– the detective has more potential to change, due to the fact that he has recently moved to a new place to live. An added bonus is the fact that he is moving down in his career by moving to a small town where he is bound to have less work, which immediately poses the question as to why he would do that, hinting a dark and possibly traumatic past in the big city. (An additional added bonus is the opportunity to connect said dark traumatic past to the present mystery that the detective has been presented with).

In conclusion, by choosing your protagonist, you’re choosing what kind of a crime story you will tell. However, make sure that your protagonist is in the best position to tell a story. Due to the fact that crime fiction is all about giving the readers a taste of crime investigation, your protagonist needs to be in the best position to tell the story and give the readers that glimpse, and, in addition, make sure that the protagonist is in a good position for a change. This means ensuring that there is a certain inner conflict in the protagonist that prevents him from solving the crime. Thus, dealing with that inner conflict becomes paramount to the resolution of the story, and giving a satisfying answer to the mystery.

The creation of the world in a crime fiction novel depends, for starters, on the genre that you’ve chosen. A cozy mystery demands a small town, a police procedural novel will be more colorful and the mystery more difficult to solve if it happens in a big city. Meanwhile, you need to determine if you’re going to mix in other genres – paranormal, science fiction, medical science, or maybe even romance – which will further define the parameters of your world. For example, a paranormal crime fiction novel will need a crime that was paranormally done, and by default, you need characters that will be equipped with the right paranormal tools to solve the mystery.

However, when it comes to pure crime fiction that has not been mixed with other genres, the world is all about the crime. For this, you will need to do a lot of research into investigative procedures, and, depending on the story you want to tell, you should find people who have had personal, real experiences, either as witnesses or as investigators. And while the internet has become an enormous resource for writers, it is best if you can have real-life interviews to get a recount of such experiences in real life.

Because here is the thing: no decent investigator will fail to look for prints, clues and DNA at the scene of the crime. Of course, the best mysteries revolve around the lack of clues, prints or any kind of DNA to point the protagonist in the right direction. However, your readers will immediately catch onto an amateur investigator, and if that’s the kind of story that you want to tell, then you need to present your protagonist as an amateur from the start – and have him or her become better and better at their job as the novel progresses. On the other hand, if your characters are supposed to be experienced investigators/detectives/crime solvers, they need to act and do things that would show that, rather than have them blunder and wander around the case like amateurs.

This means that your world will be made up of two sets of characters: the protagonist and the usual cast of people who will help him or her solve the crime (fellow investigators, partners, friends, forensic people focusing on different fields that will do tests and provide the protagonist with clues coming from analysis, mentors, family members who may or may not contribute to the drama, or, in fewer words, the good guys), and the characters who are connected to the crime: suspects, victims that hide something, shady characters who may or may not be connected, and the villain and his collaborators, of course.

The protagonist will be flung into a world of laboratories, interviews with suspects, and a lot of going back and forth as he or she is trying to solve the crime. Remember, the world you will create will need to be the perfect place for the crime to be committed, but you also need to figure out the scale of the crime. Then, there is also the impact that the crime would have on an established community – a small town, a precinct, a county, or a big city neighborhood. The people from a big city neighborhood that sees crime daily will react differently to a crime than people from a small town that has not seen any crime for years.

The world needs to be consistent, especially in locations, time, and the daily life of the characters. Moreover, in most stories, the protagonist is flung into a different world than the one he knew before when he or she is introduced to the problem (in this case, the crime). However, in a crime fiction novel where the protagonist is usually a detective or an investigator, the world of crime investigation will be familiar to them, so make sure that you’re presenting the protagonist with a highly unusual case that forces him or her to go out of their comfort zone, both personally and professionally, to solve the crime, and explore a new world along the way.

Besides the protagonist, we will divide the rest of the cast into several categories.

1) The Suspects

The suspects are very important. The more suspect they are, the more difficult will it be for the protagonist to dig the truth out of them. The mistake that you might make here is to make all the suspects unwilling witnesses and unwilling to talk to the protagonist just for the sake of making things difficult. Remember, if people are shady and secretive, then there must be a good reason for it. They might be protecting something, like the existence of an affair, or maybe they were stealing money and are afraid of that fact coming into the light. Regardless, whatever it is, the secret needs to be big enough and have enough impact for the suspect to do whatever they possibly can to keep the protagonist from discovering it.

2) The Helpers

Or, people who will help the protagonist to solve the crime. The helpers can be other professionals, as we mentioned before, or they might even be family members with the right insight at the right moment. The right information at the right moment has to be delivered in a way that makes sense in the plot, otherwise you’re looking at characters who are only there to be the writer’s deus-ex-machina and help the protagonist achieve his or her goal easily. Remember, a good mystery will present obstacles even in the process of obtaining clues. The best way to bring these characters to life is to present them with clues that make matters more confusing, rather than more clear.

3) Other characters

Not all of the characters in a crime novel will be part of the suspects or the helpers group. If you keep your characters strictly into those two categories, your novel will lack color and vividness. However, make sure that you’re not creating extra family members and friends for the protagonist just to make sure that they are present in the novel. Make sure that even the side characters that are not directly related to the plot are still needed in the story.

The reason why we put the suspects as number 1 is because you need to know and develop these characters just as much as the protagonist and the villain. A decent villain has a deep reason as to why he or she is doing things, and the suspects will need an equally compelling reason and motivation to keep their secrets. When it comes to the other characters, the more you develop them as characters, the easier it will be for you to discover their voices and traits. Make sure that each character is unique – otherwise, your readers will feel like they are reading a long two-sided monologue rather than a dialogue.

In a crime novel, there are several ways to create the right ambiance and mood.

Creating ambiance and mood in a novel begins with the right location. Choosing a beach town for a cozy mystery is a good idea, especially if the events happen during winter and you have fog rolling in from the ocean. On the other hand, if your story happens in the middle of summer in Vegas, the atmosphere will be a lot more different. The first location helps create the cozy mood needed for that type of a crime novel. The second location (Vegas), on the other hand, would be a perfect setting for a police procedural and create an ambiance of speed and thrill, helping you make the readers feel excited about where the story is going.

The pacing of a novel is important in many different ways, but here, we’re looking at pacing as a tool to create ambiance. Here is a very simple rule in pacing: action scenes demand a fast pace, which means using shorter sentences to convey the speed of the action itself. Longer sentences, on the other hand, are used to slow the pace down, to allow time for reflection, on the side of the characters. Both fast and slow pacing of a novel need to be used when creating the mood and ambiance in your story.

Different PoV’s:

you can use multiple point of views in a crime novel: the protagonist, the villain, and you may even offer point-of-view chapters through the eyes of a victim. However, you need to be careful when you choose to add different PoV’s. If you follow the villain, you might reveal so much that the mystery will be obvious to the reader. This is not a good idea, unless you’re writing a story about how the villain was caught, while his or her identity is not that really important in the overall course of the story.

Or, in other words, on the structure of individual scenes and how to build them. One of the easiest ways to understand scenes is to divide them into two parts. The first part of a scene is the disaster, where the protagonist tries to achieve a goal but fails. The second part of the scene is called reflection: where the protagonist faces the new problems and makes a decision and creates a new short-term, immediate goal for himself (or herself). The first part of the scene focuses on the plot (achieving a short term goal that will take the protagonist one step closer to the resolution), and the second part of the scene focuses on the protagonist’s reaction to not being able to achieve the goal (or he or she does achieve it, but that only leads to more problems that the protagonist needs to face), hence, the second part focuses on character.

What makes each story unique is the characters that are in it, not just by what happens in it. What makes characters pop and come to life are their reactions to the events that happen to them. Balancing your scenes in the form of disaster/reflection allows you to move the plot forward and to offer insight inside the protagonist’s mind, further bringing that protagonist to life.

In a crime novel, the protagonist is faced with the problem of solving a crime. A twist is when the protagonist solves the crime either wrongly, or only partially. He may arrest the apprentice, but he has not arrested the master yet – and sometimes, the protagonist is not even aware of this fact. In other words, be careful not to make your twist cause the readers to believe the protagonist is incompetent. If the protagonist catches the wrong guy, then make sure that the protagonist has very compelling evidence against him.

This, however, does not mean that you need to pull of mind blowing twists in order to have a satisfying conclusion and resolution to your novel. Depending on the plot and your story, you might choose to go in one direction only to offer a twist right before the end. However, a twist is not that easy to pull off, so make sure that the twist makes sense in hindsight, and then make sure that you both hide and present all the clues leading up to it beforehand. Otherwise, the twist will not belong in the story, and can really be a havoc to the final resolution of the plot and the story.

The crime puzzle is the puzzle you present the readers with when you present them with the crime that propels the start of the story. In other words, the more unusual the crime, the better are your chances at creating a puzzle. The reason why it’s important to treat the crime as a puzzle is because your readers will automatically do that, and as they read your novel, they will try to guess who did it. If you reveal too much, you will enable the reader to figure out who did it before your protagonist does. It’s good if this happens towards the end of the novel, however, if your readers discover by themselves that the villain is the character who seemingly randomly appears on page 15, then you have revealed way too much way too soon.

In this section, we will focus on the tools and elements that can help you build up a great puzzle in the course of the story that will be just as difficult for the reader to solve as it will be for your protagonist.

The best crime puzzle in a novel begins with the crime itself. An unusual crime will present a better puzzle than a usual one. This does not mean that you need to go out of your way to create a crime that is out of the ordinary. For example, you can start your novel with a seemingly random shootout on the street, where the murderer decides to take his own life. Then, the puzzle that needs to be solved would be why the murderer acted that way, so the focus befalls on the murderer and the secrets he was keeping while he was alive. Not every crime needs to be committed behind locked doors without forced entry and without any immediate physical evidence besides a dead body. Often, unusual circumstances will do: a children’s Halloween party ends on a bad note when one of the children is found to have been drowned in an upstairs bathroom.

In a novel, anyone can be an unreliable narrator, if the writer decides so, even the protagonist. However, in a crime novel, an investigation will depend on witnesses. People might have been at the crime scene, or nearby, and they may or may have not heard or seen something. That’s when you get the opportunity to use unreliable witnesses. Their unreliability can be a result of many reasons, which means that the unreliability must be a part of their character. Maybe someone down the alley heard something, but he is a homeless man fighting off a hangover, and his recalling of events is not ideal. He may have seen a man when in fact he was looking at a really tall woman, for example.

However, remember that here, we are talking about building a crime puzzle. Unreliable narrators do not always lie – but make sure that your unreliable witnesses do offer some useful clues. Otherwise, you will have both your protagonist and your readers stumbling about in the dark trying to solve a crime without any real clues whatsoever.

Foreshadowing is a tricky tool to use in a novel, because it always needs a pay-off. You cannot foreshadow a big showdown between a corrupt system in the city and a small-time investigator without delivering on it.

In addition, you might foreshadow too much – so much that your foreshadowing has become foretelling, or, letting know your readers exactly what is going to happen. Foreshadowing as a tool can be used to steer your readers in one direction through use of symbolism, only to pull the plug on them and deliver the payoff in a way that they did not expect. As a storytelling tool, you can use it to foreshadow anything from significant moments to the actual resolution of your novel, maybe even through a simple painting that the protagonist will pay minimum attention to.

Usually, there is a vast array of suspects in any crime novel. The more unusual the crime, the more unusual the suspect list will be. In fact, the crime might even cause the protagonist to look in unusual places for the perpetrator. In the example of the Halloween party from above, depending on the age of the children, the suspect list might range from teenagers who were at the party to the elderlies. This is the moment when the protagonist chooses which suspects to discard as the possible criminals, and which ones to keep investigating.

This means that among the suspects, there will always be some who will be discarded: due to a strong alibi, or because of other reasons, like lack of physical health. It’s not necessary for the protagonist to discard the real criminal as a suspect, but when that happens, the suspect is revealed in a twist at the end.

However, in order to create a better crime puzzle, the serious suspects need to have a motive to commit the crime, the means (physical strength, location, etc.), and proximity to the crime scene. In addition, they need to keep their secrets close and be unwilling to tell the truth when they’re being interrogated. Some might keep secrets that can put them in jail, others can keep secrets because of other reasons. But, like all the other tools, the use of unreliability in characters needs to be sparse and limited to when it’s really needed.

Red herrings are clues that you place in the novel in order to steer the protagonist and the reader in the wrong direction. Red herrings are your best friend when you want to write a novel with a good twist at the end. Here is the deal about red herrings: they mustn’t be too obvious, but they also need to be effective. A red herring that is too obvious will make the protagonist look incompetent when he follows it. On the other hand, the red herring is useless if the reader and the protagonist completely miss it.

The elements that actually should be missed – or not paid much attention to – are the Chekhov’s guns. The rule of Chekhov’s gun is easy to remember: if you introduce a gun in the first act of your novel, by the end of the third act, that gun needs to fire a bullet. However, the bigger the introduction of the Chekhov’s gun, the more obvious their firing will be. For that reason, it’s best to introduce these elements as minimally as possible, and then when the gun does fire off, it’s both a surprise for the readers.

Like all other genres, the crime genre is also filled with tropes, situations, twists, resolutions, and character clichés. There are many common ones that appear in almost all crime fiction novels.

– The estranged wife – the detective is such a workaholic that all he ever thinks about is the job – the crime, the missing person, the theft – and he almost never sees the kids, he never pays attention to their home anymore. They may be divorced, if they’re not, they probably will by the end of the novel.

– The hospital situation – a key witness has been so severely injured that the doctors are not sure if he or she is going to survive. The detective has to go to a hospital to check on the witness, all the while dodging and dealing with family members who are outraged that all that the detective cares about is solving the crime.

(The above two examples offer a very good glimpse into the rule of clichés: once you start, it’s easy to build a cliché on top of a cliché until your whole novel ends up being nothing more than a string of clichés – which does not guarantee you a big audience)

– The good cop/bad cop combo – often seen in police procedural, a suspect or a witness is being interrogated by two cops, one of whom is playing bad cop. A good subversion of this cliché is when the two partners consciously decide to play those roles for a reason (maybe to manipulate a manipulative suspect), however, if you’re going to use this cliché, then maybe you need to rethink the whole story.

– The veteran gets a new rookie partner – and from then on, you can continue building on top of the clichés: the partner might throw up at his first autopsy, he might feel too much empathy for other people, something the gruff, old, veteran detective cannot stand anymore because the streets have hardened him.

The danger with clichés is that you will easily start building on them. The best way to avoid clichés is to first recognize them, and then turn them over. Make the rookie be able to deal with anything, while the older detective is tired of all the evil he has seen. Make the rookie reckless and get into danger, while still managing to solve a crime, reminding the old grizzled detective that the cause they’re fighting for is noble and brings good. There are many ways to subvert a cliché with a little thinking outside of the box. The more you apply it, the easier it will be for you to detect clichés during the writing of your novel and subvert them in interesting ways.

Here is what happens when you fall into a plot trap – i.e when you write a crime that is proving to be impossible to solve. First, you might get stuck during the writing process and may have to fall back on deus-ex-machina to solve your problem, or, to fall back on another gem: when stuck, have a gunman come in and stir things up. If you need a gunman to come in to stir things up, then you’re in trouble, plot-wise.

In order to avoid plot traps, it’s advisable to plot your novel before you write it. This will help you foresee possible problems. Since the novel will revolve around a crime, you will need to plot the course of the protagonist’s investigation. Then, you will need to know exactly what the villain will be doing during this time: will he take action against the protagonist, forcing him into a reactive position, and if so, how and when will that action take place, how will it enable the protagonist to continue with the investigation, and how is the villain able to pull such a thing off.

Another way to deal with plot traps is to make drastic changes in order to eliminate them. This usually happens when you discover plot holes during the editing process of your novel, and it might take a lot of time (months even), to deal with them. Be wary of the solutions that come out of nowhere, because they are bound to anger your readers. In other words, do not have a psychic come up with clues for your protagonist, unless you’re writing a story where the evidence of psychic people is recognized as legal by the law.

Writing a crime novel is not an easy process. Compared to other genres, like romance, a crime fiction novel demands that you do your research into crime and the investigation process. If you’re going for a courtroom crime novel, then you need to have really good insider knowledge of what really is happening in a court room. In addition, you need to read as many novels from the crime fiction genre, because that will enable you to recognize clichés easily. It’s a lot easier to recognize clichés when you’re reading them, and it’s even easier to unconsciously regurgitate clichés in your writing without even realizing it. Having a good basis of research and reading to fall back on will help you write a better novel – and if it’s your debut novel, it will help you attract more readers.

This concludes our guide to writing crime fiction. We hope you will find it useful when writing your crime fiction novel. Make sure to give yourself enough time to prepare with research, so you do not need to look up random (but important facts) when you’re writing your novel. In addition, do not forget that in a crime novel, everything revolves around the crime, however, it is the characters that will bring your story to life, so, make sure to focus both on plot and character (and the balance between them) in order to tell  a tighter – and more profound story.

Georgina Roy wants to live in a world filled with magic. As a screenwriting student, she is content to fill notebooks and sketchbooks with magical creatures and amazing new worlds. When she is not at school, watching a film or scribbling away in a notebook, you can usually find her curled up, reading a good urban fantasy novel, or writing on her own.