5 Key Tips For Writing Fiction –

As a writer I am always trying to improve what I do. I want each successive book to be better– the best book yet. I believe that with every book we write we should learn something new and for me writing Blood Tide was no exception. In fact writing crime fiction taught me a lot.

When I started writing Blood Tide I hadn’t intended it to be a crime novel, but as it became clear that it was crime through and through I found myself turning to crime writers I admired for some help along the way. How had they done it so successfully I wanted to know?

In particular I looked at Henning Mankell author of the Wallander series, as I liked the understated but real characters he created, his acute sense of place and weather, and the way he was not afraid to express his social conscience.

In thinking about Mankell  I realised why I’d come to write Blood Tide in the first place –  because as I writer I enjoyed evoking place and atmosphere, creating understated characters (perhaps too understated at times) yet could never get away from my conscience especially as far as the plight of abused women was concerned. It seemed we had more than one thing in common and so with Mankell at my side (and I make no apology for using the best as models) I proceeded into the world of my Private Investigator, Danny Beck.

Here are 5 key things I learned along the way – and which I fully intend to take with me to my next novel.

1. Less is more when it comes to describing place, weather, etc – it can all be done in a line or two – you just need to slip these lines in regularly to keep the winter/summer /city …whatever in the reader’s mind.
2. Character is everything and although characters might be understated your protagonist  should never be passive – he/she must act.
3. Dialogue is key to the pace of a novel  (especially if it’s crime) and needs to be authentic and sharp – readers rarely skip dialogue.
4. A hook at the end of the chapter really cranks up the pace and keeps the reader reading
5. As John Irving, who I’ve recently quoted says, you must write for the reader and never to amuse yourself  – so rather like character story is also everything.