Hi! Is a plot lingering in your mind for quite some time? Are you wondering whether you should put that story into print?
Why not? After all, it’s one of the most sought after genres in the world of story-telling! Moreover, detective stories are most difficult to form. You have to be extremely careful not to keep loose ends (unlike other casual stories) & very intelligently bind the plot to give it the final look.
Most detective stories are written from the point of view of a detective, and many detective-story writers feature the same detective throughout a series of books.
The first modern detective story is widely considered to be “The Murders in the Rue morgue”, the most popular ones being Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, HerculePoirot…
Even if writing a detective story, requires a keen eye and sixth sense, the rewards are manifold if you have the knack for it. Hence, you should not let your plot go in waste. Associate with best self-publishing companies UK.
There are some sub genres of detective stories;police-department procedurals, cosy mysteries, hardboiled detective stories, thrillers, locked-room mysteries.
Whatsoever, there are certain elements which makes for a great detective novel:
@A detective who’s the protagonist and who should be unique & interesting.
@Crime- which is the catalyst of the story should be memorable and seemingly unresolvable enough to tantalize the audience.
@Suspects are also vital parts of the story which takes away the attention from the actual culprit.
@An antagonist is the person who commits the crime. But it could be someone who’s trying to cover up the culprit.
@A setting is important because the stories are inextricably linked to the time and place they are set in and are memorable because of those details
Special note: Keep in mind that a professional book cover design gives the first impression to your audience.
Once you have decided on these basic elements, these are some of the tips one should keep in mind for a successful detective story:-
- Characters must have strong /interesting motivation: Motivation of the culprit is one of the most crucial & prominent part of the story. The readers must be convinced that there’s a “who” or a “why’ for the culprit to commit such a crime.
- Have a good idea of how detectives work: Readers would love to be immersed in the world of your story. So, you have to research well to know the sequence in which such plots unfold, for example, when does the police reach, what does the detective do & how does he interrogate, etc. Your audience should feel it’s a real plot they’re following.You may insert images created by UK illustrators for an extra affect.
- Intrigue your readers by a good mystery: Don’t underestimate your reader’s logical intelligence and make it too easy for them to guess the culprit.
- Do not let down your readers: In the words of S. S. Van Dine, a famous mystery-novel-writing art critic, “A crime in a detective story must never turn out to be an accident or a suicide. To end an odyssey of sleuthing with such an anti-climax is to hoodwink the trusting and kind-hearted reader.” By that same logic, try to avoid any storytelling—in which an impossible to solve situation is suddenly resolved with little or no effort from the characters.
- Experiment and innovate: Read lots of detective novels and then surprise your readers- what if the main (good) character committed the crime and the bad guy (to the readers) is actually the detective trying to solve it.
- Create an intriguing book cover Also make use of illustrators for hire for thrilling pictures.
- Associate with a professional publisher such as White Magic Studios.