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.
Researching Crime Fiction Settings separates the writers who sell from those who struggle. Get the details wrong, and readers will notice—especially in crime fiction, where authenticity drives credibility. Your detective’s procedural missteps or your killer’s impossible forensics will shatter...
Wine Country Settings in Crime Fiction present a fascinating paradox for writers: the bucolic beauty of rolling vineyards and tasting rooms creates the perfect contrast for dark deeds. The genteel world of wine appreciation masks deep currents of family rivalry, corporate greed, and social pretension...
Mining Towns in Crime Fiction possess an inherent darkness that extends far beyond the literal underground tunnels and shafts that define them. These communities exist in a perpetual state of tension between prosperity and collapse, between tight-knit loyalty and dangerous secrets. The very nature of...
National Parks in Crime Fiction present writers with some of the most compelling and dangerous settings available to the modern thriller author. These vast wilderness areas offer complete isolation, unpredictable natural threats, and the perfect backdrop for both intimate character studies and large-scale...
Agricultural Settings in Crime Fiction present writers with a deceptively complex landscape that most authors either romanticise beyond recognition or treat as merely quaint backdrop. The reality is that farms, ranches, and rural communities operate under their own brutal logic—economic pressures, seasonal...
Gentrification in Crime Fiction offers writers a loaded weapon they rarely know how to fire properly. The transformation of neighborhoods from working-class to upscale doesn’t just change real estate prices—it fractures communities, displaces loyalties, and creates the kind of simmering resentment...
Industrial Areas in Crime Fiction provide some of the most visceral and atmospheric backdrops available to crime writers. The combination of mechanical noise, chemical smells, and labyrinthine layouts creates an immediate sense of unease that domestic or office settings simply cannot match. These locations...
Historic districts in crime fiction provide an unmatched fusion of atmospheric tension and practical investigative challenges that modern settings simply cannot replicate. The narrow cobblestone streets, centuries-old architecture, and layered histories create natural pressure cookers where secrets fester...
Waterfront Districts in Crime Fiction deliver something no other setting can: the perfect marriage of beauty and menace. These liminal spaces where land meets water create natural tension, offering writers a landscape that shifts with the tides and shadows that conceal as much as they reveal.
Across...
Fishing communities offer crime writers something precious: natural isolation wrapped around ancient secrets. The closed nature of these maritime societies, where everyone knows everyone’s business yet somehow nobody sees anything, creates the perfect pressure cooker for criminal acts.
Across eighteen...
Tourist destinations in crime fiction present a deceptively complex challenge that separates amateur writers from professionals. The temptation to rely on postcard imagery and surface-level research produces unconvincing narratives that fail to capture the authentic darkness lurking beneath paradise....
Isolated communities in crime fiction function as more than atmospheric backdrops—they become active participants in the narrative machinery. The closed system of an isolated setting creates natural pressure points where secrets fester and violence erupts with inevitable force. When every character knows...