So you want to write a page-turner? Let leading crime novelist William Ryan and author’s agent David Headley guide you through the key stages of writing a juicy crime thriller. This two-day course begins by looking at the building blocks of great crime fiction, before teaching you how to craft compelling plots, settings and dialogues for your own story. You’ll receive advice on research, as well as tips how to create tension, pace and narrative drive.
Importantly, you’ll also learn what publishers and agents are looking for, and gain invaluable insights into the commercial realities of the crime fiction market. With plenty of practical exercises, it’s the ideal course for crime writers who want to hone their craft, and learn what makes readers and publishers tick.
This course is for you if...
- You’re a beginner looking for a thorough grounding in the key elements of great crime fiction
- You’ve started work on a crime novel and want guidance on how to improve character, dialogue, setting and plot
- You’re a more experienced writer looking for in-depth advice on how to improve your writing and make your work appealing to both readers and publishers
Course content
- An introduction to great crime writing
- How to create believable characters and settings
- Crafting a compelling plot
- Dialogue – how to create voices for your characters and make them talk to eachother
- Creating suspense, atmosphere and narrative tension
- Researching ideas and contexts for your story
- How to keep your readers engaged from start to finish
- An agent’s view – what publishers want to see in submitted crime novels
- The commercial realities of publishing a crime novel
- Practical writing exercises with opportunity for feedback on work carried out during the class
- Q&A and group discussion
Tutor profiles
William Ryan is the author of three crime novels set in Soviet Russia. His latest book, an historical novel set in Germany during the second world war, will be published in 2016. William’s novels have been published in eighteen countries, and have been shortlisted for awards including The Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year, The CWA John Creasey and Historical Daggers, a Barry Award and the Irish Crime Novel of the Year award. As well as being an author, William is a lecturer at City University, teaching on the crime writing MA programme. He will be the co-author, with MR Hall, of three short ebook guides to writing crime fiction, which will also be published in 2016.
David Headley is the managing director of Goldsboro Books, an independent bookseller based in central London, and the founder of the DHH Literary Agency. David represents a number of crime writers and has a reputation for championing debut authors, both as an agent and bookseller.
Details
This course has now passed – but we update our programme all the time. For information on our full range of masterclasses, sign up to our newsletter, follow us on Twitter, or keep an eye on our calendar.
To contact us, click here. Terms and conditions can be found here.
Returns policy
Tickets may be refunded if you contact us at least 14 days before the course start date. Please see our terms and conditions for more information on our refund policy.
