Laurie Buchanan writes the Sean McPherson novels, with her latest, Illusionist: A Sean McPherson Novel, launching in April 2025. You can find out more about her on her website, www.lauriebuchanan.com, or by clicking here, read her last post here, and buy her books here.
When you think of crime thriller writers, you might picture them creating spine-chilling plots and exploring the minds of their dark, twisted characters. While that’s a significant part of the job, much more behind-the-scenes work is involved in bringing those stories to life. And no, we’re not just talking about sitting around all day—though, let’s be honest, a comfy chair is a writer’s best friend!
Research: Digging Into the Details
Conducting thorough research is one of the most important aspects of writing a crime thriller. Writers must ensure their facts are accurate to create believable and engaging stories. Think of Sgt. Joe Friday from Dragnet: “Just the facts, ma’am.”
This involves exploring police procedures, forensic science, legal intricacies, and criminal psychology. Many writers consult with law enforcement or criminal justice experts to ensure their plots are authentic and convincing. As just one example: when it comes to crime scenes that involve blood, for authenticity’s sake, we better be well versed in the varied types of blood splatter:
- Passive Bloodstains: created by the force of gravity alone, such as blood dripping or pooling on the ground.
- Transfer Patterns: occur when a bloodied object comes into contact with another surface, leaving behind a pattern, like bloody shoe prints or handprints.
- Projected Bloodstains: result from blood being projected through the air due to an external force, such as a gunshot or blunt force trauma.
- Impact Spatter: created when a blood source is subjected to an external force, causing the blood to disperse in a pattern that can indicate the direction and angle of impact.
- Cast-off Patterns: created when blood is flung from a blood-bearing object in motion, such as a weapon being swung.
- Expirated Bloodstains: occur when blood is expelled from the nose, mouth, or a wound due to internal pressure, often seen in cases involving gunshot or stabbing injuries.
- High-Velocity Spatter: This fine mist-like pattern is typically produced by gunshot wounds and involves tiny blood droplets dispersed over a wide area.
Each type of blood splatter pattern helps forensic analysts reconstruct the sequence of events, determine the type of weapon used, and identify the positions of the victim and perpetrator during the crime.
Crime thriller writers often create a crime scene board, either mentally or physically, to plot their stories. This board is used to interweave complex clues, misleading information (red herrings), and unexpected twists. This behind-the-scenes work involves crafting detailed outlines, character arcs, and timelines to ensure the story flows smoothly, keeping readers engaged and on the edge of their seats. It resembles a high-stakes scenario where criminals take hostages to negotiate demands, often involving intense psychological manipulation and negotiation skills. Every move in the narrative must be carefully calculated.
Editing: Polishing the Gem
Once the first draft is complete, the real work begins. Editing is a crucial stage of the writing process, where every sentence is carefully examined, and any plot holes are addressed. Writers often undergo multiple rounds of revisions, sometimes enlisting the help of beta readers, sensitivity readers, and professional editors, to refine their manuscripts. This is when the story truly comes to life, transforming from a rough draft into a polished masterpiece.
Researching Real-Life Inspiration
For many crime thriller writers, real-life events serve as a valuable source of inspiration. Staying updated on current news, historical cases, and true crime stories is essential for these writers. This groundwork enables them to create plots that are more realistic and relatable, adding depth and authenticity to their narratives.
Creating Authentic Characters
Creating believable characters with flaws and vulnerabilities is a key part of the writing process. Writers explore the psychology of their characters by examining their motivations, fears, and desires. This involves developing detailed character profiles and backstories (what is their secret they don’t want anyone to find out?) ensuring that each character is multi-dimensional and fully realized.
Setting the Scene: World-Building
The setting, whether it’s a gritty urban landscape or a serene small town, plays a crucial role in a crime thriller. For real-life locations, many writers use sunrise/sunset, tidal, and weather charts to ensure accuracy. For fictional locations, writers invest significant time in world-building to create immersive environments that enhance the story’s atmosphere. Real-life or fictional, the process involves not only describing the physical surroundings but also understanding the cultural and social dynamics of the location.
Promotion: Connecting with Readers
Once the book is ready for publication, the work on the “back end” is far from over. Crime thriller writers begin marketing and promotional activities to connect with their readers. This includes maintaining a social media presence, attending book signings, and participating in interviews, author panels, and library events. Building a loyal reader base and generating excitement about the book is just as important as the writing itself.
The next time you pick up a crime thriller novel, keep in mind that there is much more involved than simply writing the story. The behind-the-scenes work is a labor of love, requiring extensive research, careful plotting, thorough editing, and unwavering dedication. All of this effort comes together to create the gripping, edge-of-your-seat tales that readers adore.
A great overview of the writing life and what goes into creating a crime novel. This is excellent advice for new writers and certainly helps all of us readers appreciate the hard work authors do. Good luck with your novels! I am a fan, as you know.
Thank you, Christine. As a fellow author, you truly understand the behind-the-scenes effort that goes into writing books.
Like Christine, I’m a fan of your Sean McPherson thrillers, and this behind-the-scene peek at your process is fun to read. (Except for the blood section. Triggers my hemophobia.) Thanks for laying out so many of the steps mystery/thriller authors complete on the way to a finished product.
Thank you so much, Saralyn! I’m glad you enjoyed the behind-the-scenes peek into my process. As you know, I’m a fan of your books!
This is such a great summary of all that’s involved in being an author. The duck (novel) may be floating smoothly on the water, but we are all paddling furiously under the surface to make it all look seamless. Thanks for the reminder!
Thank you, Colleen! I’m glad you enjoyed the summary. Your analogy of the duck perfectly captures the effort that goes into writing—paddling furiously beneath the surface to create a seamless experience. Thank you for stopping by.
I loved this post, Laurie. You’ve captured much of what goes on behind the scene of book writing in a nutshell. Thank you!
Thank you, Margaret! I’m so glad you enjoyed the post. Capturing the behind-the-scenes process of book writing is something I’m passionate about sharing. Your kind words mean a lot to me!
Very interesting, but I’m relieved that those of us who write cozies never have to grapple with different kinds of blood splatter!
Thank you, Galit. I’m glad you found it interesting. Writing cozies certainly has its own unique challenges and charms!
Nicely done! I’m with Galit, though. Glad a cozy author can sweep the gruesome stuff under the proverbial rug. Happy writing, all!
Thank you, TK! I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Cozy authors indeed have the unique ability to sweep the gruesome stuff under the proverbial rug, keeping things light and engaging. Happy writing to you, too!
I had no idea there were so many types of blood spatter. Nice summary of all the steps to write and publish a crime novel.
Thank you, Carl! I’m glad you found the post informative. The intricacies of blood spatter analysis can indeed be surprising. I appreciate your kind words about the summary of writing and publishing a crime novel.
It’s good for readers to have that peek behind the scenes and see what we have to learn before we can write a solid murder mystery.
In my work as a handwriting expert I have visited prisons on two occasions. It was interesting (and intimidating) to discover first-hand what a visitor has to know and do before being accepted. And it was daunting to walk through the sally port, knowing that once I entered those doors (with barbed wire at the top of the fence), I was not coming out without someone allowing it. Of course it made great fodder for one of my books.
Thank you, Sheila! I’m glad you enjoyed the behind-the-scenes peek. Your experience as a handwriting expert and the insights from your prison visits are fascinating. It’s incredible how real-life experiences can provide such rich material for our stories.
Great all-in-one post, Laurie. I especially appreciated the info on blood spatter, as I just finished watching (for the second time) the entire 8 seasons of “Dexter.”
Thank you, Laurie! I’m glad you enjoyed the post. The info on blood spatter certainly adds an intriguing layer to crime writing. Watching “Dexter” is a great way to dive deeper into the world of forensics.
You manage all those back end jobs with such finesse, Laurie, and write amazing thrillers too.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Tracey! As you know, juggling the behind-the-scenes work is definitely a challenge, but it’s all worth it when it comes to crafting thrilling stories.
The research, dedication, and care you put into your novels certainly shows, Laurie!
Thank you, Sharon.