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.
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.
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