So, one of the biggest problems for me when writing has been turning off my police officer brain. Trust me, this isn't an easy thing to do. Just ask anyone who has been in a car I've driven. But what I realized was that, while most of the time being a police officer helped my writing and creative process considerably, it also hurt my writing and creative process at times.
As a police officer you are a trained investigator. You know what to look for and who to talk to. You know what piece of evidence may hold value and what leads are promising. These are all great tools when writing a crime novel. However, as a cop your goal is to solve the crime reported, and solve it as quickly as possible. And sometimes that is exactly what happens. Your first and only suspect may confess. You may immediately pick up a key piece of evidence that cracks the case. All good things in law enforcement. And not so good things when writing a novel.
When you already know who committed the crime up front, it seems unnatural not to immediately reveal this information. I noticed the investigators in my writing starting to lean toward my bad guy almost immediately. I needed to learn to cover my bad guy's tracks and steer my investigators away from him. So I had to start thinking like a criminal just as much as I thought like a cop.
Now, I understand this isn't a problem for everyone, but I still think a few things are overlooked when writing crime fiction and I had a few ideas to help develop not just better investigators, but better criminals and investigations.
1- It's not far fetched anymore to have a bad guy with a good knowledge of forensics- Thanks to shows like CSI(all of them), pretty much everyone knows about DNA, fingerprints, hairs, fibers, etc. It doesn't make your bad guy an evil genius if he is able to counter these now routine police procedures and leave no traceable evidence. Most people also know that cell records and where a cell phone pings from is also a way criminals get tripped up. Therefore, it is also not out of the realm of possibilities your bad guy has taken action to get around this. It will depict realistic police investigations and prolong the suspense for a little while.
2- Serial Killers- Ahh yes, everyone's favorite bad guy. And it is not unrealistic to have your bad guy be a serial killer. Unless, of course, you have a city with a revolving door for serial killers like on Dexter, then perhaps you may be a touch unbelievable. Most people forget that the definition of serial killer is widely accepted as someone who has murdered multiple people (generally 3 or more) over a prolonged period of time. So you killer doesn't have to have a body count like Dahmer to be regarded as a serial killer and an uber high priority for law enforcement.
3- Read- Not just the likes of James Patterson either. Sure it's great to read masters of the craft of fiction and pick up a few things each time, but it is also equally important to read non-fiction books on crime. There are tons of books written by former FBI profilers and lawmen or women that will detail the psyche of a criminal. These books are great for developing true to life psychopaths as well as accurate and clever investigative techniques.
So take it from a cop, don't get bogged down on the good guy stuff all the time. You know in the end how to get your man if that's what you choose. But the cat and mouse game in the middle is what makes a crime novel great.
As a police officer you are a trained investigator. You know what to look for and who to talk to. You know what piece of evidence may hold value and what leads are promising. These are all great tools when writing a crime novel. However, as a cop your goal is to solve the crime reported, and solve it as quickly as possible. And sometimes that is exactly what happens. Your first and only suspect may confess. You may immediately pick up a key piece of evidence that cracks the case. All good things in law enforcement. And not so good things when writing a novel.
When you already know who committed the crime up front, it seems unnatural not to immediately reveal this information. I noticed the investigators in my writing starting to lean toward my bad guy almost immediately. I needed to learn to cover my bad guy's tracks and steer my investigators away from him. So I had to start thinking like a criminal just as much as I thought like a cop.
Now, I understand this isn't a problem for everyone, but I still think a few things are overlooked when writing crime fiction and I had a few ideas to help develop not just better investigators, but better criminals and investigations.
1- It's not far fetched anymore to have a bad guy with a good knowledge of forensics- Thanks to shows like CSI(all of them), pretty much everyone knows about DNA, fingerprints, hairs, fibers, etc. It doesn't make your bad guy an evil genius if he is able to counter these now routine police procedures and leave no traceable evidence. Most people also know that cell records and where a cell phone pings from is also a way criminals get tripped up. Therefore, it is also not out of the realm of possibilities your bad guy has taken action to get around this. It will depict realistic police investigations and prolong the suspense for a little while.
2- Serial Killers- Ahh yes, everyone's favorite bad guy. And it is not unrealistic to have your bad guy be a serial killer. Unless, of course, you have a city with a revolving door for serial killers like on Dexter, then perhaps you may be a touch unbelievable. Most people forget that the definition of serial killer is widely accepted as someone who has murdered multiple people (generally 3 or more) over a prolonged period of time. So you killer doesn't have to have a body count like Dahmer to be regarded as a serial killer and an uber high priority for law enforcement.
3- Read- Not just the likes of James Patterson either. Sure it's great to read masters of the craft of fiction and pick up a few things each time, but it is also equally important to read non-fiction books on crime. There are tons of books written by former FBI profilers and lawmen or women that will detail the psyche of a criminal. These books are great for developing true to life psychopaths as well as accurate and clever investigative techniques.
So take it from a cop, don't get bogged down on the good guy stuff all the time. You know in the end how to get your man if that's what you choose. But the cat and mouse game in the middle is what makes a crime novel great.
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