Writers Tricks of the Trade Issue 6, Volume 6 | Page 23

F IS FOR FACT FINDING
EXCERPTED FROM THE WRITERS TRICKS OF THE TRADE BOOK
MORGAN ST. JAMES
HOW MUCH DETAIL? HOW MUCH RESEARCH?
One of the first things to consider is the genre of the story. Since I mostly write
mystery and romantic suspense, I opted to use mystery as the benchmark, but this
overview is easily applied to most types of fiction.
Each genre has its own requirement for details and examples. Procedurals like
Patricia Cornwall’s books featur-ing forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta depend
upon well researched details. As a forensic coroner, she certainly isn’t going to
look at a contusion and say, “Hmmm. That looks like a bump thingy.”

THAT EVERY WRITER SHOULD
OWN. THIS IS A MODERN,
HANDBOOK FROM AN

Those who read thrillers, suspense or the multitude of other procedural genres
and subgenres, expect situations to have at least some ring of reality. So if the
author isn’t an attorney, doctor, police officer or knowledgeable in another
profession held by their characters, tap the minds of good consultants and do
accurate research. That's essential.
Let’s move on to whodunits, whydunits and howcatchems. Remember,
although the terms suggest a mystery, these guidelines apply to many genres.
Clues and partially explained situations are designed to capture the reader’s
interest and keep them guessing.
To make the “ah ha moment” feasible, the situations must be well-drawn, and
to do that requires varying levels of research. Maybe what appears to be the
murder weapon is found a short distance from the body. If the police officer,
amateur sleuth or detective instantly makes the assumption that it’s an open and
shut situation, that presents great opportunities to prove him or her wrong.
What if the bullets recovered from the corpse prove that whatever the initial
assumption was, it couldn’t possibly have happened that way when compared to
the make and model of the gun? The author needs to know something about
weapons and how identifications are handled or they could make massive
mistakes. Mistakes that anyone who does know about guns spots instantly.
I recently heard an interesting observation about Cordite. Mystery novels often
include the distinctive smell of Cordite as one of the clues. However, my curiosity
was aroused when the speaker said it has not been used as a propellant in bullets
for many years. He added that making the reference to the lingering smell is
errone

PAGE
15

WRITTEN A TERRIFIC BOOK

STREET-SMART, WORKING

RESEARCHING FOR WHODUNITS, WHYDUNITS AND HOWCATCHEMS

WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE

“MORGAN ST. JAMES HAS

AUTHOR AFTER MY OWN
HEART. GET SMART. GET
INSPIRED. GET THIS BOOK.”

~TONY N. TODARO,
AUTHOR, FOUNDER WEST
COAST WRITERS
CONFERENCES
“WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE
TRADE IS ONE OF THOSE RARE
BOOKS THAT YOU CAN READ
OVER AND OVER. READ IT
THROUGH ONCE, BUT KEEP IT
HANDY WHENEVER YOU ARE
BLOCKED. YOU CAN OPEN IT
TO ANY PAGE AT RANDOM
AND FIND INSPIRATION. THE
BEST PART IS THAT MS. ST.

JAMES GIVES US WAYS TO
DEAL WITH EVERY ASPECT OF
THE WRITING LIFE, FROM
CREATION TO SALES. A GREAT
BOOK.“

~JOHN BRANTINGHAM,
PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2016