Are you one of the many people who are fascinated by crime stories? Do you read crime and mystery novels, or watch tv shows about unsolved mysteries and serial killers? Are you fascinated by the law enforcement techniques used to bring criminals to justice?
If you are one of these people, and you are also a writer, have you ever considered combining those two interests? Why not try writing crime novels or FBI books? One of the benefits of this type of writing is that there is a formula in place you can choose to follow. Your interest in the material will make it even easier to generate stories.
Many crime writers, and especially mystery writers, develop a series based around a particular main character or a couple of characters. This can help to keep you writing, because it makes the exposition of the books easier. You already know your main character's personality, his or her job, and the setting. You just need to come up with a different specific case for each book.
You also may want to borrow from the technique used by Law & Order and other crime dramas, in which they take a real story from the headlines and alter it just enough to turn it from fact to fiction. This is another way to ease the writing process, because some of the work is already done for you. The trick is to come up with enough changes to the real story so that you are not violating the rights of the people involved.
Once you have begun to write your crime or mystery novels, you will want to figure out ways to get them published. There are a few different ways to go about doing this. The publishing industry has changed quite a bit in the past decade, and there are options available that did not used to exist.
Traditionally, writers sent query letters to many different publishing companies and awaited responses. They were usually then asked for a sample chapter, and if that was well received, they might be signed on and given an advance. Writers also often worked with literary agents who helped them through this process. This traditional way of publishing is still in practice, but is less common than it once was.
Another option is to self-publish in print. There is some cost associated with this, because you obviously have to pay for the materials required to print a book. You may handle the design and graphics yourself, and simply pay for the printing. However, there are companies that help authors to self-publish by designing the book and handling the printing arrangements. If you do not have any knowledge of graphic design or printing, and do not know anyone who does, this might be a good idea.
Digital self publishing is becoming more and more popular. One of the reasons for this is that it costs nothing to upload your work to Amazon. The downside is that it can take quite awhile before your sales pick up traction. However, if you already have material composed, there is no reason to to upload it and see what happens. After all, it's free!
If you are one of these people, and you are also a writer, have you ever considered combining those two interests? Why not try writing crime novels or FBI books? One of the benefits of this type of writing is that there is a formula in place you can choose to follow. Your interest in the material will make it even easier to generate stories.
Many crime writers, and especially mystery writers, develop a series based around a particular main character or a couple of characters. This can help to keep you writing, because it makes the exposition of the books easier. You already know your main character's personality, his or her job, and the setting. You just need to come up with a different specific case for each book.
You also may want to borrow from the technique used by Law & Order and other crime dramas, in which they take a real story from the headlines and alter it just enough to turn it from fact to fiction. This is another way to ease the writing process, because some of the work is already done for you. The trick is to come up with enough changes to the real story so that you are not violating the rights of the people involved.
Once you have begun to write your crime or mystery novels, you will want to figure out ways to get them published. There are a few different ways to go about doing this. The publishing industry has changed quite a bit in the past decade, and there are options available that did not used to exist.
Traditionally, writers sent query letters to many different publishing companies and awaited responses. They were usually then asked for a sample chapter, and if that was well received, they might be signed on and given an advance. Writers also often worked with literary agents who helped them through this process. This traditional way of publishing is still in practice, but is less common than it once was.
Another option is to self-publish in print. There is some cost associated with this, because you obviously have to pay for the materials required to print a book. You may handle the design and graphics yourself, and simply pay for the printing. However, there are companies that help authors to self-publish by designing the book and handling the printing arrangements. If you do not have any knowledge of graphic design or printing, and do not know anyone who does, this might be a good idea.
Digital self publishing is becoming more and more popular. One of the reasons for this is that it costs nothing to upload your work to Amazon. The downside is that it can take quite awhile before your sales pick up traction. However, if you already have material composed, there is no reason to to upload it and see what happens. After all, it's free!
No comments:
Post a Comment