How to Write a Detective Story When You're Not a Detective

/

It's easy to think that in order to write a detective story, you have to be a detective. But this isn't the case at all! In fact, many famous detective stories were written by people who had no real-world experience in detective work. So how do they do it? How can someone write a detective story when they're not a detective? The answer is simple: They use their imagination, and they do their research!

Continue reading to learn some of the techniques that writers use to create believable detective stories, even if they are not detectives.

How do you make your detective believable?

First let me clarify what I mean by "detective." There are many different types of detective stories. The most common types of detectives are police detectives, private investigators, and amateur sleuths. Each type of detective operates differently and requires different characteristics and background research to be believable. For this article, I'm focusing on police detectives.

There are certain characteristics that are common to most police detectives, and these are the traits you'll want to focus on when creating your own detective character. The detective should be:

  • intelligent

  • logical

  • resourceful

  • observant

  • good at deduction

  • levelheaded

  • patient

You'll also want to determine what your detective is not (a tip I got from Detective Adam Richardson at Writer's Detective School). Where do they draw the line? What won't they do in order to solve the case?

The detective is the most important character in your story, so you'll want to make sure they are believable. One way to do this is to give them some flaws. For example, they might be a little too arrogant or have a drinking problem. This makes them more relatable and human, and readers will be more invested in their story. Be careful here, though. The examples I just gave are used a lot. Even though readers tend to love these tropes, if you use them, you run the risk of your detective seeming cliché. So try to come up with some original flaws for your detective that will make them stand out from the rest.

Another important aspect of making your detective believable is giving them a clear motivation. Why are they solving this case? Is it for the money? The fame? Or maybe they have a personal connection to the victim? Police detectives have a very strong sense of right and wrong and they are often guided by their moral compass. How does this play into your story?

What will happen in your story?

Creating a believable detective character is important, but it's not the only thing you need to focus on. The plot of your story is just as important. In order to create a good detective story, you need to have a mystery that is:

  • complex,

  • has multiple suspects, and

  • is full of twists and turns.

Your detective should be trying to solve this mystery, and along the way, there should be plenty of red herrings and false leads. This will keep readers guessing until the very end and provide them with a more satisfying reading experience.

Most police procedurals also have at least one subplot. A subplot is a secondary plot that is interwoven with the main plot. This can be anything from a detective's personal life to a case they are working on that is unrelated to the main mystery. Subplots add depth to your story and make it more interesting.

Common subplots include a personal issue the detective is dealing with, like a divorce or a gambling addiction. Again, see what you can come up with that is just as intriguing, but not as cliché. The subplot humanizes the detective, furthering the connection readers have with them, and gives readers something else to focus on besides the nitty gritty details of the case.

Recommended Resources

I hope you've found the above tips useful. For further help writing your police procedural, I recommend Writer's Detective School with Detective Adam Richardson. Adam is excellent at explaining things and completely open to answering questions specific to your work in progress. I started with his Crime Fiction Guns Course and learned a ton (even though I had previously taken an in-person guns course to learn more about how to shoot and clean a gun).

Since I enjoyed the guns course so much, I also enrolled in Writer's Detective School where we worked on a simulated case. So fascinating and fun! Adam is such a great teacher, and I highly recommend his courses. You can learn more by clicking the image below to follow my affiliate link. Happy learning and writing!