If your cash is running out fast and you have an incessant need to write, why not turn to
crime?
No! Not committing crime, but to writing about crime. Crime is all around us, and
people want to know about it. Don't believe me? Turn on the five o'clock news, Lifetime
TV or USA TV Network. You'll see true crime stories run rampant across television
schedules. True crime on television is the number two genre (next to romance). And
guess what? Someone has to write those movie scripts--might as well be you.
Many movies are adapted from books. Again, someone has to write those books.
It's legal, profitable, and downright intriguing.
You ever wonder, when you're watching the news, "How could she be so stupid?"
or "Didn't they know they were living with a maniac?" I do, it's only natural. In fact, I
think we feel it could never happen to us.
But, crime can happen to any one of us. That's where true crime writing comes in. It
answers the questions in story form.
For instance, we have learned that kids believe 'strangers' are ugly and
'scary-looking'--like monsters. But we know that's not accurate, so we teach our kids that
a stranger can be good looking, well educated, and considerate. We can tell them about
Ted Bundy (without the violence) and show them a picture if we really want to make the
point. Many surviving crime victims often say that the person was so nice; they never
suspected he could be capable of such destruction. We know this because we were told a
story either in verbal, written, or picture form.
If true crime writing interests you, begin by searching local newspapers for stories.
Don't search across the country, unless you are independently wealthy! Anytime you see
an article that looks interesting, clip it and put it in your 'true crime clippings' file. If there
are more articles about the same crime, then you know it is intriguing enough to warrant
your attention. Still... it does not mean it is enough for an entire book. To discover the
answer to that question will take research.
Do you have a fascinating criminal? Is the crime random, or was the victim chosen
for a reason? Is the place of action special (was it at Disneyland, for instance)? Can you
write about a totally different lifestyle than what we know? Is the criminal a member of
MENSA? Is she dressed up as a clown when she commits her crimes? Is the victim the
first woman space rocket engineer? Perhaps the victim is a deaf child. All of these facts
increase the story's public interest and can take us into a world we have never been in
before.
Are there subplots in the crime (not only did he murder his best friend, he also
barged into his friend's family life and became like another son, then he robbed them one
night, and then...). These questions will help you decide if you have a story worth
considering?
True crime writing is lucrative and actually a challenging kind of fun. It is about
combining journalism with novel writing. Nonfiction with fiction. If you have what it
takes -- determination, time, and a strong stomach -- you can take up this as a career and
soar.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nithya K is a India-based writer who specializes in writing fiction and has
tremendous interest in writing non-fiction related to science, technology and other genre.
She is also experienced in creating technical documentation. Basically a BE graduate with
an MBA degree, her main focus is still writing. Nithya is also interested in Ghost writing
of books and articles in the areas of business writing, technical writing, science and
technology writing and fiction.
Visit her webpage at www.geocities.com/tutor19us/index.html
