How to Write Crime Fiction OnDemand Webinar
How to Write Crime Fiction
In order to appeal to readers, crime fiction must be simultaneously fresh and familiar. If it's not fresh, why would a publisher want it? If it's not familiar, how can it be marketed? To solve this dilemma, you need to understand the genre and where your writing fits within it. Once you recognize the conventions, you'll discover how to make your story shine.
This tutorial is taught by Jane K. Cleland. Jane writes the multiple award-winning Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery series (St. Martin's Minotaur), which is often reviewed as an Antiques Roadshow for mystery fans. “Josie" stories have also appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine.
Jane has published four nonfiction books. Jane chairs the Black Orchid Novella Award, is a past chapter president of the Mystery Writers of America, New York Chapter, and served on the national board. Additionally, Jane is the host of the Writer's Room, a series of interviews with authors and industry professionals that appears on cable television and online (BronxNet).
Jane has both an MFA (in professional and creative writing) and an MBA (in marketing and management). She's a member of the full-time faculty of Lehman College, part of the City University of New York (CUNY) system, where she is also the Director of the Program for Professional Communications. She also mentors MFA students in the Western Connecticut State University MFA in Creative and Professional Writing Program and facilitates writing workshops, including Aspiring Writer's Weekend and Memoir Writing, both sponsored by MIT/Endicott House.
In this 45-minute video tutorial, you'll learn:
- The subgenres of crime fiction, including thrillers, procedurals, noir, espionage, and more.
- How to analyze genre conventions such as setting, pace, and victim/killer relationships.
- How to write with reader expectations in mind
