True crime modified or invented?

[Angela]

I have an idea for a story. I'm just starting out and wondering if I should attempt to build my crime from scratch, or loosely base it off of an actual event? I'd say the story leans more toward romantic suspense than actual mystery or crime.

[Darlene]

I.M.O. , all you really need to do is watch an hour of your evening news.
Fact, or Fiction, you can find either there.
UnScene

[Angela]

That's what I was thinking. It's proving very difficult to go into such dark places th ough. I can't seem to find my niche. Thanks for the input : )

[Dana King]

It may help if you remember that you don't have to go to those dark places; your characters do. Allow whichever of your characters creates the drak atmosphere you eluctant to enter to have the personality to make it so, then place your imagination in that situation. It may take some practice, but once you get the hang of it, it's effective, and can be a lot of fun.

[John Boundy]

Hey Angela...

My first work, Justice is Coming was published in February and was inspired by actual life experiences I've had then the imagination took off where it wanted to go.

I agree with Dana, I had a very dark character, Karl Slate that enjoyed his "wet" work a bit more than I have a stomach for but it was interesting to watch him operate.

The fun thing is that you can take loose real things then let them run wherever you have a mind to. The ultimate freedom. Besides, every pump needs a little priming to get started...

Good luck!

[Angela]

Thanks for responding John. This may be the hole I need to fill. My life experience leaves me at a disadvantage. The bulk of my work experience has been bartending/Insurance administration/mothering. Research here I come! I recently ordered some books recommended by Dana. Hopefully this will help some.

[John Boundy]

Well most bars I visit need insurance before I leave because I can be a mother when I drink ;o)

[Angela]

Based on that, maybe I should start my "research" at the bar ; }

[Tin Larrick]

Hi Angela, my advice would just be keep eyes and ears open, something will fly along - like Darlene says, it'll all be on the news. Real events can assist with keeping things realistic but that isn't necessarily the prime consideration. Some great books have been built upon entirely ficitious but very elaborate crimes, but this can be very research-heavy and there is a risk that the MO and detail of the crime will be the story's main motif and taking over the work but I guess this depends on what you want.

When I started writing (aged 17) I had no life experience, so I joined the police. Now I don't have to come up with ideas - my job gives them all to me on a plate! Fancy it?! Cheers, Tin

[Angela]

You are very lucky in that respect, although having it all in your face like that may pose the opposite problem. I know that I don't want the crime to take over the story, I just want it to help move things forward and add a touch of suspense. Can you be an cop so young? I can hardly imagine, the movie 'Hot Fuzz' comes to mind ; )

[Burl Barer]

Research at the bar brings to mind what I did when writing my private eye novel, HEADLOCK. I'm not a drinker at all, and do not go to bars, taverns or cocktail lounges. The story, however, required authentic depiction of the McFeely Tavern, and its patrons, in Walla Walla, Washington. So, I sat there for hours a day, sipping squirt and simply listening. I'll listen to anything, and so will my protagonist. If you read the book, every bit of dialog from secondary characters in the tavern is 100% authentic. I didn't make it up. It was all true. They say "write what you know." If you don't know, find out.

Burl Barer
htp://www.burlbarer.net

[Angela]

I'll have to check it out. If it's anything like some of the conversations I've been privy to, I'm sure to be entertained. An added perk to the bar scenario is an endless supply of characters. I'm tinkering with an idea, except it would revolve around the workings of the bar and those that run it, rather than the patrons. I'll have to chew on that. Thanks for your input.

[Dana King]

I can't agree with Burl enough. I tended bar at my aunt's restaurant one summer in college. No crimes got discussed, but you hear not only the kinds of things that go on in the lives of people who stop for a bump and a beer at 7:00 AM (shift workers), but you'll develop an ear for the cadences of how people actually talk. I've read many books that use all the right words for dialog, but the cadences of speech are all wrong, so it still comes off as stilted. I think being trained as a musician helped me, but anyone should be able to develop an ear for dialog with time and patience.