I have almost completed my first free Writer's Guide.  It is called Top Seven Mistakes Made By Writers of Crime, Mystery and Legal Drama.  

There are common mistakes that I see again and again in crime and criminal law scenes in books, on television and in movies.  Such mistakes, which are often trivial to the story, can take away from the authenticity and credibility of the entire work. 

I am creating this free Writer's Guide to help writers of crime, mystery and legal drama avoid these common mistakes and write with more authenticity. 

You can be among the first to receive this valuable Writer's Guide.  I will only make this free Writer's Guide available for a limited time, so sign up today!  Make sure you're not making these common mistakes!

Yesterday, I discussed five tips for non-lawyers writing about crime and criminal law.  The last tip was to consult an expert to review your draft or answer your questions.  Once you decide you could use some advice from an expert consultant, how do you choose one? 

Here are a few things to consider:

1.  Expertise:  Make sure the person you're consulting is an actual expert.  Do they have real world experience as well as book smarts about the topics you're interested in?

2.  Simplicity:  Can the expert discuss complex legal issues in a way that is easy for a non-lawyer to understand?

3.  Passion:  You want to work with someone who loves what they do and loves what you're doing.

4.  Educating:  A good expert educates at every opportunity (whether they're being paid or not).  You 'll learn the most from someone who naturally and constantly shares their knowledge.

5.  Time:  Make sure the expert you're consulting with has time for you and your project.  If your emails or phone calls aren't being answered in a reasonable time (like 24 hours), start looking elsewhere. 

6.  Flexible pricing:  Not every project or consultation is the same.  An expert should be flexible enough in their pricing to work with your budget and needs.  Sometimes a project may require a flat fee, an hourly rate, or a per page rate.  Look for someone who is open to your particular needs.

7.  Free initial consultation:  Any expert consultant worth their salt will be willing to spend time to get to know you and your project before charging.  A free initial consultation allows you to feel out the consultant and decide whether they will be right for you and your project.

Contact me for a free initial consultation.

Taking on a subject like crime or criminal law can be intimidating.  In the world of criminal law, there are innumerable rules, practices and procedures.  Criminal lawyers speak their own language.  To write a good crime or legal story, a writer needs to have credibility. 

Credibility comes from understanding and working with the rules of criminal law and from speaking the criminal law language.  But you don’t have to be a cop or lawyer to write about crime or criminal law with authenticity.  Here are five tips to get started:

1.  Brainstorm:  Physically write out brainstorming ideas without regard to order, quality or completeness.  Just start writing, and let the ideas flow.  Creating a great plot and characters is the first step in any genre.

2.  Get Inspired:  Read great crime books, and watch great legal drama movies.  Read about crime in the news.  Follow interesting trials.  Watch true crime stories on television and read true crime books.  You never know when something you read or see will spark your next story.

3.  Outline:  Whether organized by chapter, act, scene, character or plot point, outlining is a critical organizational tool.  The more complex the story, the more important an outline.  Outlining can be especially important in a crime novel or legal drama because your story needs to fit within the rules of the criminal law world. 

4.  Educate Yourself:  Read up about criminal law on the internet and in books.  Look for information specifically targeted to the non-lawyer, like that in the Rescources section here.  Watch real trials.  Watch true crime shows and read news stories and true crime books (but be aware that they often leave out details you might want to know).  Do not rely on talking head lawyer commentators or other criminal law fiction. 

5.  Consult an Expert:  When in doubt, ask a question.  As you brainstorm, outline and draft, keep notes of questions that come up.  Then find an expert you can use as a trusted resource. 

Check out tomorrow's post about how to choose an expert consultant.  Contact me for a free initial consultation.

Following these tips will give you confidence to create within the world of criminal law and to write crime and legal stories with authenticity.

This is the most common question I get:  a writer has a story idea, a scene, a plot twist or a character action and wants to know, "Is that realistic?"  

A common goal for writers and filmmakers is to create authentic crime and legal elements in their stories.  Would a prosecutor really do that?  Would a witness be allowed to testify to this?  Is this a correct use of a legal objection?    Is that hearsay (and what exactly is "hearsay")?

There are of course a million variations to this question, and that is partly why I decided to offer criminal law consulting services to writers, producers and filmmakers who want to get it right.  (Of course, poetic license allows you to discard reality and do whatever best suits the dramatic needs of your story.  But even then, a writer should at least know the right way and make a conscious and informed decision to do things differently.)

If you have a question about whether a legal scene you're working on is realistic, contact me for a consultation.