Dubai: Ever wondered how to write the perfect crime novel?
Although it may take up to 300 rejection letters from publishing houses to realise the necessary factors — as in the case of British author Simon Kernick before he achieved success after his third book – there are some basic elements that crime writers follow that are then tweaked with their personal touch.
“A likely impossibility is always preferable to an unlikely possibility,” said thriller novelist Peter James, as he quoted Aristotle to emphasise his point that it is much more satisfying to a reader to be faced with a scenario that’s so impossible that it ends up becoming plausible.
All this and more was discussed on Friday at the Crime Panel of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, which featured James, Kernick, Swedish crime writer Camilla Lackberg, and South African thriller author Deon Meyer.
As our lifestyle is a fast-paced one, chapters have become shorter and sentences tighter. And the key to holding on to the attention of readers is to research, set the pace, and build a three dimensional character that readers can relate to and sympathise with.
“I mostly research characters because as a writer, I’m interested in the perspective of the perpetrator. What makes somebody do the things they do, and why would somebody kill or rape. As well as how did somebody [end up] becoming the victim,” said James, whose insight into crimes grew as he developed a relationship with the Sussex Police over the last 30 years.
The antagonist also plays a crucial role, and as the panel explained, people love a monster that is sympathetic and charismatic at the same time — as in the case of Hannibal Lecter, the greatest villain of modern time that leaves readers cheering for him.
“You have to create a flawed, three dimensional character that readers can identify with and care about, and then make his journey as difficult as possible. And I think if you can get that right, everything else will come much easier,” Meyer said.
Creating a novel’s fast pace is an element of style mostly associated with Kernick, who does not think that you can ever go too fast.
“It is incredibly important for me to have a very good first line and a good first page, and bring in the reader straight away. To do that, you need to have a good plan before you put pen to paper so that you know exactly what is going to happen,” he said.
