A good Crime story is all about putting the puzzle together. It's about finding a balance between describing the crime and letting the reader the solution. Each crime novel has two aspects: the crime itself and the solving of the crime. The crime itself can be scary. Your readers don't know who committed the crime and they don't know why it happened. They are just reading your crime book and taking everything in you are offering.
So, what makes the crime scary? The idea is to play on people's fears. The success of your scene comes down to how you describe the scenario and how you play on people's fears.
Perhaps you are great at describing a dark alley with an attacker, who preys on young women going home. Maybe you can truly create a sense of fear by just describing what people fear the most - random attackers in a dark place.
Whodunnit story
When writing a crime story, you can use the traditional "whodunnit" story with a sense of fear. Of course, it is scary that there's someone out there who has killed one or more people who are unknown. There's someone who has committed a crime, but no one knows who it is. It could be the guy at the bus stop, it could be your personal driver, or it could be your partner.
A crime can be described as a something fearful. You can use words, descriptions, contexts, and situations that people fear.
Maybe it's the place, like a dark alley, or maybe it's the way the crime occurs. Or maybe fear is the type of crime it is. If you need to talk to people to see what big fears are common to really pack a punch, go for it. You could always start by asking the people closest to you.
Don't be worried about common fears
Are you concerned that the fear you are playing on is minor?
Don't be. Some people are terrified of heights. Many people are scared of insects or snakes. Some people can't be near a fire. Others hate scalpels. You just have to pick a fear and write about it in such a way that your readers get goosebumps. It may take a few tries to get the scene just right. One idea is to speak to people with these fears and see what pushes them over the edge.
Knowing these details can help you write a perfect scene.
One idea is to speak to people with these fears and see what pushes them over the edge. Maybe it's the height of the building that causes panic for people, who are scared of heights. Or maybe it's the wet feeling of a snake, for those terrified of these animals. Knowing these details can help you write a perfect scene.
What kinds of fears do you play with when you write?
