An overview 

• What this course will offer you 
• The popularity of mysteries and crime 
• Which sub-genre will you choose? 
• A quiz for the aspiring mystery/crime Writer 

Building suspense: How to use conflict, pace and tension 

• How to create suspense right from the start 
• Ways to create suspense 
• How to maintain tension and conflict throughout your novel 
• Controlling pace through scenes 

The characters in your crime story 

• What comes first - the character or the plot? 
• Characters in a situation 
• Some tips on getting readers to like your sleuth 
• 'Collecting' characters 

Writing mysteries for children 

• What you should know about writing mysteries for children 
• Short books or long books? 
• Pitfalls in writing for children 
• The basics of a workable children's book 

The villain 

• A worthy opponent 
• Criminal profiling 
• Sociopaths and psychopaths 
• Where to find information which will help you create a good villain 

How to write true crime 

• Writing the true crime novel 
• Sources of information  
• Planning the book 
• Writing technique for true crime 

Plotting your mystery novel 

• The best way to plot your story 
• The beginning: that vital idea 
• Subplots 
• Some tips on plotting and editing 

The Crime Writer - ABC 

• Humour 
• Overview: What your story should deliver 
• Redrafting 

Clues, red herrings and crime scenes 

• Laying the trail 
• How to hide clues 
• The crime-scene 
• How police deal with people in crisis 

Marketing your work and building your career 

• Submitting a manuscript 
• Agents - should I have one, what do they change, where do I find one 
• Give Editors what they ask for 
• How you can help promote your book 

Background, atmosphere and Mood 

• The background to your crime novel 
• A trick to make your background come alive 
• The professional environment 
• Examples from well-known Authors 

Writing effective dialogue 

• The importance of good dialogue 
• How do you write effective dialogue? 
• Troubleshooting: How to fix dialogue that doesn't work 
• How to make dialogue and narrative work well together