When writing procedural fiction, research is the hot, molten core that determines how good your story is going to be. This is especially true when it comes to writing a mystery, where your story depends on thrilling twists, on-point procedure, and accurate finer points, ranging from how a firearm should act to what happens to a human body after death.<\/p>\n
It takes a lot of research to get procedural fiction right, but it doesn\u2019t have to be a complete mystery. Here\u2019s how to approach intensive research for your mystery fiction novel or short story by jumping right into the deep end.<\/p>\n
Successful mystery fiction relies on understanding proper and legal police procedure. If a real detective can read your novel and not find a single error in procedure, you\u2019ve done your job well \u2013 and you\u2019d be surprised at just how many detectives and police officers read detective, mystery, and police fiction during their break.<\/p>\n
Procedure means things like how suspects will be arrested, how they will be charged, how evidence is collected and processed \u2013 and this is all vital information to get right\u00a0from the beginning.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s not forget about consistency with internal procedure. For example, a wayward cop wouldn\u2019t be able to shoot their way through a chapter like in a Bruce Willis flick and face no consequences from victims or their superiors.<\/p>\n
Procedure is different in every country, and sometimes even in every state. If you\u2019re writing about a specific area, it\u2019ll have a specific police station connected to it \u2013 and it\u2019s especially important to get your facts straight.<\/p>\n
Get in touch with the police station you\u2019re writing about and find out if they would be happy to accompany you through a walk-around of the station: Most are happy to do this, and it gives you a basic framework to go with.<\/p>\n
Know where to draw the line when making fiction reflect real life. Your fictional officers can\u2019t correspond to anyone actually working at the station.<\/p>\n
If you don\u2019t know something about procedure, there are 3 ways to get the information:<\/p>\n
Technically, the fourth way is knowing procedure from the inside \u2013 but most writers haven\u2019t worked in a legal or law enforcement career, nor have they ever been arrested.<\/p>\n
When writing a mystery, the value of shadowing a real-life professional is absolute gold.<\/p>\n
Here, you\u2019ll see and experience things that you wouldn\u2019t come across anywhere else \u2013 and you surely won\u2019t find this kind of information online. It\u2019s living, breathing experience \u2013 and you\u2019d be surprised at how many professionals are happy with a visit to their work environment from a writer taking notes.<\/p>\n
Send an e-mail with some background on your story, and you might be surprised when you\u2019re able to see the inside of it all. Listen to the person in charge, keep your eyes open, and stay out of the line of fire. Oh, and wear a ballistic jacket. (Before you laugh, I wasn\u2019t kidding about that one \u2013 and that\u2019s from experience.)<\/p>\n
If and when this is not possible, the internet remains a wonderful resource: There are many case files, as well as case information and weird documented crimes that you can read through to form a background and find out facts.<\/p>\n
Every country lists ranks and positions differently \u2013 and every rank has a different role when a crime or investigation is involved. Don\u2019t guess, and hold off on any rank puns like \u201cSergeant Pepper\u201d or \u201cGeneral Knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here are some suggestions for where to look up the world\u2019s common police ranks:<\/p>\n
Procedure and rank aren\u2019t the only things you have to think about when writing a mystery. Criminal law (and sometimes other\u00a0laws) will also be a huge part of your writing \u2013 so make a list of resources and legal experts who don\u2019t mind answering random questions from writers. There are many out there.<\/p>\n
Keep in mind that federal and state laws might differ in certain countries. Again, ask a legal expert such as a lawyer or law professor when you aren\u2019t sure how something would be handled in real-life.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s advised that you familiarize yourself with any relevant laws as a crime writer, too \u2013 so stock up on law books and resources and keep them nearby, especially the country\u2019s relevant criminal act.<\/p>\n
Here are a few as a starting guideline:<\/p>\n
Life\u2019s gruesome facts matter when you\u2019re writing mystery fiction. For example, the way things would decompose under certain circumstances \u2013 or just what kind of sound a knife makes going into a human body. (Clue: \u201cThud\u201d or \u201cThwack,\u201d depending on the knife.)<\/p>\n
For these, don\u2019t guess, and don\u2019t rely on what you\u2019ve seen in other fiction. That\u2019s the easy way out. Swallow your pride and go ask an expert (which will usually fall in the realm of a doctor, nurse or forensic pathologist in this case) to make sure\u00a0you get it right.<\/p>\n
They can give you the answer to a lot of theoretical situations for your character, too \u2013 but make sure you clarify why you\u2019re asking this, and give your sources some background on your writing career: Otherwise, they might think you\u2019re nuts and put in a call to the police themselves.<\/p>\n
More practical research can also be called for: Sometimes you\u2019ll have to get your hands dirty and take a raw Sunday roast to a shooting range, but that\u2019s half the fun \u2013 as long as you aren\u2019t breaking any laws.<\/p>\n
Remember those textbooks we mentioned earlier? Sure, it looks the same as a serial killer\u2019s Kindle, but you get to say that it\u2019s for research. Here are six excellent ones to get your collection started:<\/p>\n
Thorough outlining and research is all that it takes to remove the mystery out of writing mystery fiction. Crime can pay when you\u2019re a crime writer \u2013 now go out there and create your fictional sleuth!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","categories":[11,34,12,40,15],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/929"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}