Crime Fiction Writing Guides
Craft guides on plotting, suspense, dialogue, and character — from Phillip Strang, author of 150+ crime novels. Practical techniques from the writing desk.
The decision to write crime fiction under a pen name extends far beyond simple anonymity—it fundamentally shapes how you approach genre boundaries, reader expectations, and the practical mechanics of building a sustainable writing career. Every crime writer faces this choice at some point, whether launching...
Most crime writers treat their backlist like evidence locked away in storage—forgotten, gathering dust, presumed irrelevant. The assumption that older titles have exhausted their commercial potential represents one of the most costly misconceptions in genre publishing, particularly when market dynamics...
The first month after launching a crime fiction series determines whether you’ll build sustainable readership or watch your books disappear into the Amazon abyss. Most authors treat this crucial period as an afterthought, assuming readers will magically discover their brilliant detective or compelling...
Every crime novelist faces the fundamental tension between writing quickly and writing deeply. The pressure to maintain reader engagement through regular releases conflicts with the desire to craft intricately plotted mysteries that reward careful attention to character development and atmospheric detail.
Across...
Your choice of writing software can make or break a 90,000-word crime novel. After wrestling with character arcs across multiple timelines, tracking forensic details, and managing subplot threads that weave through twenty-plus chapters, the wrong tool becomes a creative obstacle rather than an enabler.
Across...
Every crime writer faces the moment when a secondary character from book three contradicts their backstory from book seven, or when a detective’s childhood trauma shifts between novels without explanation. The question isn’t whether you need documentation for your series—it’s determining...
Long investigation novels present unique structural challenges that digital tools simply can’t solve. When you’re tracking multiple suspects across twelve chapters, three red herrings, and two parallel investigations, the complexity demands something more tangible than scrolling through endless...
Beat sheets promise to solve every plotting problem, but most crime writers approach them wrong. They treat these structural tools like rigid formulas rather than flexible frameworks that should bend to serve the story’s unique demands.
Across eighteen series and more than 150 novels, I’ve...
Discovery writing—or ‘pantsing’ as it’s commonly called—presents unique challenges for crime novelists who must juggle clues, red herrings, and investigative logic without a roadmap. The traditional wisdom suggests crime writers need detailed outlines to manage complex plots, but many...
The question of outline detail haunts crime writers more than any other genre practitioner, and for good reason. Unlike literary fiction where characters can meander through emotional landscapes, crime fiction demands precision in plotting, clue placement, and revelation timing. Too little detail and...
The third draft represents the crucial transition from storytelling to precision craftsmanship. Most crime writers rush this phase, treating it as mere proofreading when it should be the stage where your narrative voice crystallizes and every sentence earns its place on the page.
Across eighteen series...
The second draft separates professional crime writers from perpetual first-draft dreamers. Your story exists, but does it work as a crime novel? Structural revision demands you gut-check every scene against the fundamental mechanics of suspense, investigation, and revelation.
Across eighteen series and...