Crime Fiction & Me

 

I have been trying to write a romance novel. My heart calls out to write a romance novel. I can so easily imagine a novel with a rose on the cover, with my name as the author.

Unfortunately, I am not a romantic person. I read romance novels, but I read them slowly. I don't gobble them up the way I would an Agatha Christie novel. When I want to be entertained, it is to crime fiction that I go. I am an avid fan of crime fiction in all forms of media. My favourite TV show is Columbo. My favourite film is Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt (see poster above).

If I spend so much time thinking about fictitious murder and murderers, what am I doing trying to write a romance? The answer is: I'm making a fool of myself. If I want to be realistic, if I want to play to my strengths, I should write a crime novel, whether that's a straightforward story of a detective or something more subtle (like Agatha Christie's novels Towards Zero and Ordeal by Innocence).

What do I have to do to write a crime novel? Well, I have to write (I already write short stories, so that's a big green check mark). I have to pick a project and stick to it (that's a little more wobbly). Finally, I must make myself acquainted with more modern crime fiction. I can't stay swimming in the twentieth century (there are plenty of new crimes on my To Be Read list, I can't wait to get stuck in).

The path ahead looks clear. I will write a crime novel, and I will love it. There are plenty of crime stories swimming about in my imagination. Time to pluck one down from the ether and stick to it. Let's get started.