Since joining ww I've read many good stories that have a strong technical element ie: police, forensic etc etc.

My question is, short of watching endless episodes of The Bill and CSI, how do you get the reality of these professions into a story?

Some of the writing seems so realistic - the dialogue and the procedures, but I'm not in too much of a hurry to break into my nearest branch of Barclays, just to see what it's like to get arrested!

Anyone have experience of this kind of research?

thanks,
kitkat

For police procedure, get a set of Blackstone’s Police Manuals. Make sure they’re correct for the time period you're writing – there have been lots of changes over the past few years.

For forensics and lots of medical info, check out this link… it’s fabulous:

http://www.dplylemd.com/

there’s also SciTalk:

http://www.scitalk.org.uk/

Don’t be afraid to go to a specialist and ask. Tell them you're a writer and most people are delighted to share their expertise. I usually find it better to contact people by email, which gives them the time to consider their response.

And don’t forget, you can ask specific questions on here – it’s amazing how much specialist knowledge we have between us.

Dee

Wow, thank you so much for that information. That's exactly what I needed to know.

I was wondering how other writers got that authenticity in their work, they couldn't all be out getting arrested every five minutes and now I know!!!

Cheers
kitkat

Good advice from Dee. The other thing I'd suggest is if your story's set in modern times, talk to yout local police station. I know some even let authors ride around with them on the beat. Failing that ask if you could interview someone who has experience in the field you're writing about. It's not as daunting as you might think. Remember that people like talking about themselves and what they do.

Nik.

It's true, people are really pleased to meet writers, and love sharing what they know.

Sadly, I'd need a medium to talk to most of the specialists I need, but the local authority archive's not a bad substitute. Though Julian Barnes says that he spent a lot of time discussing the police investigation of the crime that he based Arthur and George on with a retired DCI, and the DCI was never convinced by the evidence that George hadn't done it, as eventually turned out to be the case.

Emma

Thank you for your advice Nik and Emma,

I think it's a very good idea to get first hand accounts. I've actually tapped into my father's RAF days for some of the book, so I know how invaluable this resource can be.

kitkat

<Added>

Dee - I've just been having a good look through the websites you've given - they're fantastic. I feel like I've just opened Aladdin's Cave!!
Thanks!

hey kit-kat,
I was lucky enough to get some feedback on my crime novel from Val McDermid last year and one of the things she said was 'don't overdo the procedure'. She said that many new writers tend, when writing crime in particular, to over-compensate for their lack of writing experience by falling back on techy info instead of pushing the narrative forwards. I kind of agree with her - so much work goes into my research, sometimes I feel like it has to go into the book to justify it! But really, for me, technical detail is like special effects in a film. They work best in the background, adding shades and depth and reality instead of coming screaming out at the viewer.

Ian Rankin once said if you can make it as believable for the reader, you've done your job. In my crime novel, I have cut back so much of the day-to-day procedure of the investigation to concentrate on the story - the character progression as opposed to what kind of brush the forensics guys use for print dusting! Even the super-techy writers(Cornwell and Reichs spring to mind) put their technical info in second place to their story and character.

I'm sure views differ, but for me the essence of crime fiction (or any other genre) is the character. Holmes, Rebus, Scarpetta, Wallander, Thorne. its the detectives and the heroes we remember most.

Luke

Well said Pants on Fire. Val McD certainly knows her stuff. One of the best pieces of advice I heard (from goodness knows where) is once you've done your research it's what you don't say that counts.

Best of luck with it.

Nik.

Rose Tremain talks about 'leaving your research behind', which is much the same idea.

Emma

If I may chuck my two-penn'orth in from the soaring heights of my ignorance I would say introducing factual information is similar to giving information about your character. Try and hide it in infomation about something else. For example:

As George eyed the young detective he felt a twinge. Envy, compassion, heart burn? The young bugger probably sent his suits to the cleaners. George couldn't remember the last time he had ironed his.

Hope this helps

Best

John