Crime writing Archives - Professional Writing Academy

How we designed a crime scene investigation course for writers

Police Advisor Graham Bartlett details his experiences designing our unique online course where writers race to ‘solve a murder’.

10 top tips on how to ace NaNoWriMo

Bestselling author Heidi Rice successfully completed NaNoWriMo. Here’s what she learnt from the process.

UK police and firearms: how to write gripping and credible drama

Police Advisor Graham Bartlett explains when UK police carry firearms and how to write credible crime fiction without losing an ounce of the drama.

Police advisor Graham Bartlett explores police procedure in fiction

Police advisor to authors Graham Bartlett explores why it’s essential to get your police procedure right in your fiction, and how to nail it down.

Police Advisor Graham Bartlett explains good crime research

Graham Bartlett explains you can make the most of your crime research so that your fiction stands up in court.

Does reality matter in crime fiction?

Crime Writing: making it real – who cares?

Retired police officer and author advisor Graham Bartlett explores why you should bother getting your facts right when writing crime fiction.

Crime Writing: Making it Real – the faint whiff of policing

Retired police officer turned crime advisor to authors Graham Bartlett explains how important it is to include the senses in crime fiction.

How writing romance has helped my crime fiction

Romance isn’t just for romantics

Writing Romance alumna Sabine Marschner explains that although she writes crime fiction, understanding how to craft romantic relationships has helped her overcome hurdles in her process.

Sam Blake at Cork World Book Fest

Crime author Sam Blake at Cork World Book Fest

We attended 2019’s Cork World Book Fest and spoke to author Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin (who writes as Sam Blake) about what not to do when pitching to agents.

Write Advice – author Sam Blake discusses her planning process

Our Writing Crime Fiction students speak to crime author Sam Blake about how she plans her novels, getting facts right and the future of the genre.

NaNoWriMo — should you be planning your story?

We asked authors Sarah Hilary, Heidi Rice, Irenosen Okojie and Paul Kingsnorth about their attitudes towards plotting and planning their work.

Jo Furniss – how an online writing course changed my novel

Tom Bromley caught up with former Writing Crime Fiction student Jo Furniss to find out more about her approach to writing, and how the online writing course helped her discover the character who became central to her new novel.