Come up with the plot and crime.

• To start, ask yourself questions: who? what? Where? when? why? as? Who committed a crime and who was a victim? What was it for a crime? When it happened (in the morning, afternoon, in the evening, deep at night)? Where did it happen? Why was it committed? How was it committed?
• Using this scheme, fully sketches the plot of your story, including so many details in the record as you have come to mind at the moment. The scene ideas are certainly beating the key. Do not worry about them to streamline, just write them down to not forget!

Think about the crime scene. This part of your story is especially important, so do not hurry and work it thoroughly. Try to describe each detail so that the picture of the crime scene stood from the reader before his eyes. What does it look like? Is there any difference in day and night? What is the difference between the places of the first and second crime? What are the details of the crime? Perhaps, at this stage it is worth writing the first draft of the crime scene so that you have a general idea.

Create opponents of the main character. Return to questions with which you described a detective, and repeat the same for its antagonist, worked out by his personality as detailed. Special attention is paid to his attitude towards the hero.

Carefully think over everything related to the crime suspected, antagonist, etc. D. Make sure that you ordered all the information before you start writing.

• Make a list of suspects. Earn their personality in general, using individual questions from step 1.
• Do the same with witnesses and other characters.
• Do not forget: you must represent how the crime will be revealed!

Think about how to describe the work of a detective. He must be good in his business. Think of how your main character will eventually reveal the case (including his personality and qualities). See that the unagnation does not get banal or too obvious.

Start writing. First, imagine the reader of the characters and the place of action. Then let the crime occur.

Enter into the narration of suspects and witnesses. For example: "Anna entered the office. It was a high woman with thin hands and legs. It was her face ..." Make sure the reader will have a lively idea of \u200b\u200beach of them.

When creating the associates of the writer obliges three principles. Unfortunately, no one knows what.

(Somerset Maugham.)

Before we start trying to write a story, you need to ask yourself a few questions. Let's start with this: why do we like to read criminal-sensational literature?

Most likely, the answer will be like this: these books tell exciting intriguing stories, and they are easily read. If the story of other genres can have some, or by everyone, - these signs, the detective genre guarantees their presence.

But how to describe the type of literature that interests us? I'm afraid there is no accurate definition, although a little later I will offer a more detailed description of its characteristics. In the meantime, we only take that crime, as a detective story, and other options, is a story, the central motive of which is a crime, and the sensational story may contain a crime motive, but it is not obliged to do this.

If you say that you do not read such literature, or you do not like her, I must honestly warn you that you will be very difficult to write a good work in this literary genre. People usually believe that if the book is easy to read, it was and writing it easily - ah, if it were so! Therefore, we will not seduce, and imagine that a detective story is light literature, because there are rules that need to use, working on it. Or vice versa - a detective story is easy to write, because there are no rules. In reality, the author of criminal-sensational literature creates as a regular writer, and additionally should still take care that the result is fascinating, and easily readable.

The best way to navigate in any form of literature is to read her good samples. It is possible to sign up for writing courses, and even finish them, you can read the book-guides on the ways of writing, but this is only pleasing. At the same time, reading popular authors, cornea of \u200b\u200bone or another type of literature is the thing absolutely necessary. Therefore, at the end of each chapter, I cite a list of books that I consider mandatory reading to know this genre.

Fascinating books seem to read themselves. The first time they can be run by a look, but then you should return to the beginning, and leisurely read again, paying attention to how they are written. As different authors connect various scenes, as heroes are introduced, the mood changes, strengthen our interest, and do not allow to postpone the book aside. So we will see their techniques, and try to learn something.

Reading and comparing the works of different writers, we begin to understand their strengths and weaknesses. Each author is perfectly managed only some things, while others are worse. In the perfect world, the demanding editor would make corrections and changes to appear the perfect book. In our world, this does not allow this time, because it is believed that the creators of popular sensational literature should be released from under the pen uniform flow of books.

Interestingly, a writer who is wonderful building Stabul and skillfully creating an atmosphere, sometimes amazingly awkwardly in terms of language. It uses too many adjectives and definitions where it would be enough for one correctly used word. The other, using an elegant language, can push us away by a low-actual development of events. Another, perfectly managed by the statement of events, is too unclear, in our opinion, it represents heroes. It is clear that our opinion is subjective, and when we complain, another reader can admire the perfection of the same book itself. All this, however, allows us to understand what can be achieved in this form of literature, and what errors should be avoided when creating our own books.

Did you ask yourself: why do you want to try strength in this literary genre? Do you have a invented story, does it concentrate around some kind of interesting riddle? Do you have a hero who can become a detective? Do you have a professional experience - for example, you are a lawyer, you work in the police - which can be used? These are serious relief, and each of them can be a suitable insurance support.

Criminals, as active people, and usually stupid, are good stuff on literary characters. To commit a crime, they need to show the initiative, intellect and courage performed by their plans. Their moral mistake is that they are unable to appreciate their madness, in conviction that they were caught only because they were not lucky, and the audacity manifests itself in the fact that they again commit a crime, and become recuridated. But no matter whether the plot concentrates on criminals, or their victims, the crime for us is fertile soil for work.

To be a writer - it means to see life is somewhat different than ordinary people. Familiar can talk about some kind of event everyday and simply, but your imagination should revive him. Books are obtained from questions, and one of the most creative is the question: "What would happen if ...". Asking it, you free your imagination. This question must be asked by planning your story, and then again, and also, developing the plot on paper. The story never appears in the head completely finished, usually it is the sum of answers to many questions.

Suppose that leaving the bar with buddies, we see a couple of people who scandals from the grooved car. A man pulls the keys from a woman, leaving, throwing her in the parking lot. Your acquaintances this scene will interest mainly at the fact. Maybe they are only a little exaggerate, telling that they heard during the scandal, but in general the event will be described quite right. What they saw and heard will allow them to decide that the man behaved disgusting, or the woman received what he deserved. Meanwhile, the writer who sits in you, having fun from the soul.

And if, - you think you are, - the child of this couple (they can have a child), stayed in the chair in the back seat of the car? The man was not like a caring nurse, and the woman did not have a handbag with him, probably she left her in the car. How can she cope without a handbag? Up to this point we thought that these people were a family. And if not? If it was the usual hijacking machine? Or maybe robbery?

The story is placed in a single whole, like glass in a kaleidoscope. It could be like this: the man continues in the confidence of a woman, and when she took him (a separate question - where?), I got the knife, and forced her to go beyond the city. Seeing the parking near the pub, the woman turned sharply, and tried to escape. But he ran away, and even with her car.

Minute. After all, the woman did not run into the bar, begging to call the police, she went there calmly, and, as we were remembered, even leisurely. But the victim of the crime should be shocked. She was not. Maybe we misunderstood it wrong? And if this woman was imposed on him, and forced to do what he could not do, or did not want? And if ...

The latest version in which the probable relationship of two main characters turned out to be turned upside down, more original, and therefore it is more interesting than the one that the first came to mind. She could serve as the basis of the story. Since I came up with it, I do not think that someone used it before. In any case, it would not stop me from turning it into a story, because when there is already a plot and end, when the characters will find the corresponding background and motivation, and I will determine the topic - for example, harassment - the story will be written in mine, An individual, difficult to fake style, and this will differ from books of other writers.

Students tell me that they are afraid to start writing, because they imagine that absolute originality is required, and believe that in the field of the genre we are originality, the most difficult to achieve. However, everyone who expects originality will wait for a very long time, and besides, complete originality is not so important, because after the sufferings of Romeo and Juliet can no longer be unhappy lovers?

Therefore, if you catch yourself at the fact that the imagination sends you a story based on events similar to what happened in the parking lot, either concentrates around a unusual person, or a fragment of the opposite conversation, or an article from the newspaper, notes that These stories can be germ stories. Write them all as soon as possible, and those that liked, and those that threw it off. When you write them, you will probably have additional ideas. Later it is all necessary to sift, decompose and think about it, remembering that the unapplied ideas like to forget.

I do not think that it is worth pulling out a notebook when familiar, and advertise your strangeness, but let's use the first opportunity that is still fresh ideas. Live imagination allows you to remarkably entertain, but to become a writer, the ability to keep notes. Otherwise, our fantasy will be only an ordinary sleep.

At the same time, our friends who do not have such a violent imagination talk about growing price of beer, and how well it was in bars before, because it was possible to sit, and calmly talk about growing prices, instead of Crusting modern noise: music from speakers, TV, slot machines, etc.

People often ask writers: Where do you get your ideas from? They are offended when they hear in response that ideas come from everywhere, and at any time. They feel offended because they do not have such experience, and can not understand how the writer sees the world. However, sometimes people say that some kind of person or event "should be described in the book", and since it cannot do this, they offer the topic to a familiar writer. I do not remember that some of these proposals at least in the minimum extent was useful for me. On my imagination there are other things than on them, and probably other than yours, the reader.

Therefore, I understand perfectly well, my example with parking could simply call you, because it does not resemble the story, in writing which I should help you. Well, time to do what you mean.

If you have already spent a lot of time, thinking about ideas for a story, creating a plot and representing her heroes, then probably you have prepared only part of the story, and one, maybe two main characters. Maybe even less. Perhaps you set up an action in some place or environment, and thought only one scene, nothing more. Do not worry - you are in a good company. P.D.James belongs to those writers who have convinced that they are mainly taken from the desire to use some special place in the story story. In her books, buildings play an important role: for example, the Rannevicorian House, transferred to the other side of London for the needs of "intrigues and desires". It is also known that John Fowel's "French Loveman" was a drawing of a shape, looking into the sea, which he found in Lime Regis. Such moments for the writer are valued by the weight of gold. Whatever your initial item, we will begin with it.

It will be needed, as I have already remembered, a pocket notebook to record ideas that come to mind, a pack of clean sheets of paper, so-called chips that can be connected together, or a convenient unit from which pages can be separated. Salvation is a paper folder for free sheets, or a comfortable box. It places not only our manuscript, but also magazines, books, photos that are auxiliary material. In addition to the pencils that we write, probably with a blue or black liner, it is good to have a different color, for example, red or green to mark them certain fragments. In the fifth chapter, we will return to the conversation about the equipment, and while we need only the most necessary equipment.

Writing a story is the art of deterring ideas. The fruits of our imagination are easier to appreciate when they are captured on paper, so let's start with what we know about our future story. If we have already invented the plot, entirely, or at least a small part, let's try to express it in one paragraph. Since it is only an outline, he should only reveal to Fabul, and is not obliged to be recorded in excellent language. But must be brief, in several lines.

This is how I reduced the story that has become the basis of my second sensational story "Threatening Eye":

Three threads of mysterious history:

1. Man A: Pipes, tried, suspicious behavior, dog battles.

2. Man b: hidden from the police.

3. Man in: Buddy, who suspects and in murder.

Place in Herrtfordshire County.

Dog battles can be held in a black wooden shed.

It was the kernel of the story. Its inspiration was the real police investigation associated with the serial rapist. Twice interrogated a person known to me. I learned that he was in prison for murder, and led a double life: he was the editor of a respected magazine, and a "charming" photographer who hunted teenage girls. With the help of questions "What would happen if ..." I turned rape into murder, and the rest was already clean fiction, except for the figures of my character of dog battles and topographic and social details related to the typical village of Herrtfordshire County.

You can use real events and people like a material for imagination, but they must be subject to change - we do not want us to be accused of insulting the honor and dignity of someone who is just as disguised as we are in the role of the killer. Naturally, it is also impossible to use real names. And otherwise, the less we limit the imagination, the better.

Even if you first use the real person, as a result of literary metamorphosis, it will change very quickly. Thanks to this, the veterinarian changes the profession, turning into a doctor, and if he must endure a naughty wife, it would be better if it were, if from decent and fair ladies, conducting free time in the rooms of the local reference book, it turned into a spoiled mannequin; The house in which the doctor lives is so bored that you endure it to the heather empty, in the mansion with ghosts. And when you finish these changes, both to you and the most important thing) it will be difficult for him to recognize the Hero of the criminal story of a long-standing veterinarian.

Tale of any kind, although they differ from each other in the same way as their authors are always based on conflict. Heroes fall into trouble, as the events develop, they are trying to cope with them, in the end their situation changes, or in the worst case, the attitude of the characters to the surrounding problems is changing. In crimes these problems and tests are caused by a crime, and appear as its result. The crime is almost always the murder here is an absolute crime, since the victim cannot be resurrected, and the killer cannot correct his guilt.

The popular method of murder is: shot of firearms, stroke, punch with a knife, blow by stupid object, poisoning, drowning or adjustable accident. To make the murder look convincing, it should be adjusted under the character: a recidivist killer can pull the gun, and the household, in turn, will use the cast-iron pan.

Since our genre is engaged in the behavior of an individual in extreme situations, this situation has been created by us to find its bright reflection. At least one of our heroes should be under rise in pressure, which increases as an action unfolds. Regardless of the most scene, and therefore, regardless of whether this conflict is in the family, the conflict between buddies, neighbors or colleagues in work - problems arising from this tension, from someone stubbornness, jealousy, mania or thirst for revenge, are always a rich source of plot ideas. Another way to create history is the idea, as if our heroes responded if their life was broken by repetition, or the discovery of some events from the past.

Suppose we explore the event from the history of your family. When you take something from life, especially from the life of your family, it is reasonable to trim the problem or conflict to its basics to be confident in the resulting tension and dramatic design. Therefore, we delete for a minute of real people, so as not to clutter the image of a plurality of unimportant for the trial of the smallests. Cutting aunt Anna to a minimum, you can see the weaknesses of its history. If it is unsuitable, it remains to invent a more energetic character that will replace it. There is no place sentimentality. We need a story that can be developed into literature, because we do not write a biography or family chronicle.

I have to warp you before you give to the temptation to write truly difficult and exquisitely, from the fragment of my notebook you can understand that the story "ThreaTening Eye" was technically quite difficult, because it used three different perspectives: a person a, man b, And a friend of man a, that is, a person V. Maybe you are also going to do something like that.

Crossing from the perspective of one hero to the future perspective, is an effective way to increase the voltage, and accelerate the pattern of the narrative. Reading about the relatively calm time of one of them, we still think about what is happening with the character, which fell into a difficult situation, and full fears. It is impossible to believe any soothing information, and even in the very calm point, there is often a notice of concern.

I love to write and read a story containing many perspectives, but must warn beginner writers: the more prospects we have, the more complex the writing process becomes. You must think well if you can take advantage of the form that will be particularly difficult (more information about different perspectives is in the chapter fourth).

I do not suggest turning my work in a hangout, written only from one point of view. It may be the most successful way of narration is a story that is conducted from the point of view of three or four characters. But in this case, this story should be postponed for a while until you gain experience, and you will not become a more mature writer. Usually there are ideas in the heads of authors, so you have no doubt, there is a simpler plot that deserves attention, and which can be perfectly used to begin. After that, I leave the final decision to interested parties.

Quote from my notepad shows the same way that from the very beginning I knew - Threatening Eye will be a sensational story, not a detective or crime. And it could be different. I could focus on a police investigation, which concerned a series of murders in the villages of Herrtfordshire County, and then it would be a detective story. Gentlemen A and B could be suspects while the police, despite difficulties, would definitively define who is a real killer. It could also be a crime telling about a person A who could not take suspicion from himself, not at the same time the secrets of his disgusting criminal biography.

And what about your story? Do you know which of these extensive categories does it applies? Creating a detective, in which the inspidation inspector protrudes, a dedicated sergeant and not too consistently distressed, you can be sure that it glued the right label. In another case, the decision is made, what kind of narration is best suited to the selected design, it will require more time for thought. And when you finally decide, you can want to make another choice under the influence of new ideas, further deepening in the plot and heroes.

In the initial stages of creation, there are no permanent elements in the story, it is possible to reproduce everything and discard, until we decide on something that seems suitable for your task. But when you think about or straighten the story again, do not get rid of old notes, because it can happen that you want to return in the previous version, or you decide to think about it once again.

To create a story, you need something more than just a good story and convincing heroes ... First of all, you have to tell the story to use it to the maximum degree. If this is a sensational story or crime, it is necessary to write it so that it is as mysterious and exciting. Writers with a survey reputation sometimes do not understand this, especially those who write detectives. Their publishers often require them every year supplied the next story about an inspector inspector, therefore each idea, which only him comes to mind, connect with the personality of their inspector, thereby losing the opportunity to write a good story with the new hero.

Therefore, it is unreasonable to tie themselves in advance to some particular type of criminal literature, until you investigate all ideas carefully. However, if this approach bothers you, and you want to glue one or another label at this moment, I advise you to look into the third chapter, fully dedicated to the definition of different types of criminal-sensational literature.

1. Put the story that you intend to use. At this stage, do not deeper in the detailed design of the heroes, you can do this at reading the next chapter.

2. Mark in the notes Source of information: Cutting from newspapers, television, heard anecdote, some event, whose witness you were. Maybe you want to refer to this source later to check whether the necessary changes are made, and real parties are well intake.

3. Check if you can respond to the following key questions regarding each story of this genre: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?

4. Reduce the story to the scheme, and show the place where the conflict is located.

5. Describe a story in one paragraph. Save it, maybe it is still useful.

Solving what kind of potential it has: sensational stories, detective, crime or other type.

1. If you failed to invent a believable story, describe, more or less detail, one of the main characters.

2. Write all your story ideas. Check why they seem to you multiply, or why do you think that they cannot be used.

1. You do not even have a hero? Then describe what is, for example, the place in which you intend to put an action.

Willow Collins. Moon rock.

Maurice Leblan. Arsen Lupin, Thief Gentleman.

Gaston Lero. The mystery of the yellow room.

Edgar Allan P. Murder on Morg Street.

How to spend a detective story

Immediately I want to make a reservation: I am writing this essay, quite giving myself aware that it was not possible to write a detective story. Moreover, it has not been possible repeatedly, and therefore my authority has a well-known practical and scientific significance, like the authority of any great state husband or a thinker who is engaged in unemployment or housing problem. I do not pretend at all to create a sample to follow the starting author: if you want, I am rather a bad example to be avoided. In addition, I do not believe that the detective genre can be samples, as well as in any other right. It's amazing that popular didactic literature that constantly teaches us how to do everything that should not be done yet, has not yet developed sufficient samples for imitation. It is also surprising that the title of the real essay is still not staring at us from each bookstore. From the print, brochures, constantly explaining to people, are completely impossible to comprehend: what is personality, popularity, poetry, charm. Even the literary and journalistic genres are diligently trained, which are strongly not learning. A real essay, on the contrary, is a clear and specific literary leadership, which, even in very limited limits, can be studied, and in a happy chance - and comprehend. I think that sooner or later the lack of such guides will be eliminated, because in the world of commerce demand is instantly reacting to the proposal, but people are not able to get what they want. I think that sooner or later, not only a variety of guidelines for the training of raw agents will appear, but also guidelines for the training of criminals. In modern ethics there will be insignificant changes, and when the dyes and a lifelby business mind will finally bloom with tedious dogmas imposed by the tastechists, newspapers and advertising will manifest complete negligence to the reasings of today (just as today exhibits full indifference to the Middle Age Tabu) . Theft will be presented as a type of usury, and cutting the pharynx will not be a big crime than to buy goods in the markets. At the book trays, brochures with catchy headlines will be collapsed: "Forguing for fifteen lessons" or "How to do if the marriage failed" with the same publicly available poisoning guide, as if it were about the use of contraceptives.

However, let's get patience and not until time to look into a happy future, and as long as it has not come, a good advice on how to commit crimes, it may not be better than a delivered council about how to disclose them or how to describe their disclosure. As far as I imagine, the crime, disclosure of the crime, the description of the crime and its disclosure and the guide to such a description, undoubtedly require a certain voltage of thought, meanwhile, how to succeed or the composition of the book on how to succeed, in no way need it very much burdensome process. Be that as it may, when I think about the theory of a detective genre, I become something like the theorist. In other words, I explain everything from the very beginning, if possible, avoiding exciting inspiring, trust phrases, unexpected turns, designed to attract the reader's attention. At the same time, I am not at all trying to knock him out or - which is good - awaken in him.

The first and fundamental principle is that the purpose of a detective story, as, however, and any other story, not darkness, but light. The story is written for the moment of insight, and not at all for the sake of the hours of reading, which is preceded by this insight. The delusion of the reader is that the cloud, for which the light of understanding was blunting for a while, and most unsuccessful detectives are unsuccessful because they are written to confuse the reader, and not to enlighten it. The authors of the detectives for some reason consider their indispensable debt to knock off the reader. At the same time, they forget that it is important not only to hide the secret, but also to have this mystery, and that that is worth it. Culmination should not be recession simultaneously; It is not necessary to finally confuse the gullible reader, which the author leads for the nose: Culmination is not so much a bundled bubble, how much abandoned dawn, which is brighter than the dark night. Any work of art, whatever it is trivial, appeals to a number of serious truths, and, although we are dealing with just a crowd of brainless Watsons, who from surprise their eyes climb, we should not forget that they rush to light The insight from the darkness of the misconception and that the darkness is needed only to reject the light. I was always amazed that in the fun coincidence, the best stories about Sherlock Holmes have a title, invented as if specifically to emphasize this initial clarity of a detective, - "silver", for example.

The second very important principle is that the essence of all detective works in simplicity, and not in difficulty. The riddle may seem complex, in reality it should be simple. We need the author then to reveal the secret, and not at all to clarify it. The disconnection itself will explain everything; In a detective, there must be something that the street murderer is barely heard or releasing the death of a frightened heroine before falling into fainting from late shock caused by an inadvertent insight. In some literary detectives, the raysflower is more confused than the mystery, and the crime and is more complicated.

From which the third principle follows: an event or character in which the key to the secret is laid, should be a central event and a noticeable character. The criminal must be in the foreground and at the same time completely not to rush into the eyes. I will give an example from the story of Conan Doyle "Silver". Conan Doyle is no less known than Shakespeare, and therefore now there is no need to keep the secret of one of its first famous stories. Holmesa becomes known that he stolen a suggestion horse and that the thief killed the coach for the ex-with this horse. Of course, a variety of people, and not without reason, suspected of stealing and murder, but no one comes to mind the simplest and natural decision of the riddles: the coach killed the horse herself. For me, this is a sample of a detective story, for the attenuation lies on the surface and at the same time it remains unnoticed. Indeed, the story is named the name of the horse, the story is dedicated to the horse, the horse is all the time in the foreground. But at the same time it, as it were, in another plane, and therefore it turns out out suspicion. As a valuable thing, it remains for the reader favorite, but as a criminal - a dark horse. "Silver" is another story of theft, in which the horse performs the role of jewelry, but such a jewel that can become a murder gun. I would call it the first rule of detective, if at all there exist rules for this literary genre. In principle, the criminal must be the familiar figure that performs unusual function. It is impossible to understand what we do not know, and therefore in the detective narration a criminal must always remain noticeable figure. Otherwise, in the disclosure of the mystery there will be nothing unexpected - what's the point in the sudden appearance of a person whom no one is waiting for? So, the criminal must be in sight, but out of suspicion. The art and skill of the author of the detective will manifest themselves quite if he succeeds to invent convincing and at the same time entering the reason for which the killer is connected not only with the murder, but also with the action of the whole novel. Many detectives are not possible precisely because the criminal is no longer obliged to the plot, except for the need to commit a crime. A common criminal - a person is quite secured, otherwise our fair, democratic law would need to delay it as a tramp long before to arrest as a killer. We begin to suspect such a hero to suspect an exception method: mostly we suspect it simply because it is out of suspicion. The skill of the narrator should cause the reader with the illusion that the criminal does not think about a criminal offense, and the author who depicted a criminal does not think about the literary life. For the detective is just a game, and in this game the reader is fighting not so much with the criminal, as with the author himself.

The writer is obliged to remember that in such a game the reader will not say how he would say, having acquainted with a more serious and truthful essay: "Why was the inspector in green glasses climbing on a tree and follow the doctors garden?" He will inevitably arise completely different, and a very unexpected question: "Why was the author to force the inspector to climb on a tree and in general, why was it to introduce this inspector?" The reader is ready to admit that the city, but not the story, not to do without the inspector. Therefore, it is necessary to explain its presence in the narration (and on the tree) not only by the arbitrariness of the city authorities, but also by the arbitrariness of the detective. In addition to small crimes, the disclosure of which the inspector pleases itself in the narrow limits of the Fability, it should be associated with the story and other justifying circumstances, and as a literary character, and not as a simple mortal in real life. Following your natural alarm, the reader who constantly playing his hide and seek with a writer, his main opponent, will not be incredulously: "Yes, I understand, the inspector can climb on a tree. I know perfectly well that there are trees in the world and there are inspectors. But tell me, a treacherous man, why was it forcing this inspector to climb exactly on this tree in this story? "

This is the fourth principle to remember. Like all the previous ones, it may be, will not be perceived as a practical guide, since too many theoretical reasoning fell into the foundation. This principle is based on the fact that in the art hierarchy, mysterious murders belong to a noisy and fun company, called jokes. A detective story is a fantasy, obviously pretentious fiction. About him, if you like, we can say that this is the most artificial form of art. I would even say that this is a frank toy, then what children play. It follows that the reader who is a child looking at the world widely revealed eyes, gives himself a report on only in the presence of toys, but also in the presence of an invisible companion, which is also the creator of the toy, a cunning deceiver. An innocent child is very smart and absolutely trusting. And therefore, I repeat, one of the first rules that the author of the story, concealed as a deception, should be guided by the fact that a disguised killer should have artistic right to go on stage, and not only the life right to exist on Earth. If he comes to the house in the case, then this case should be directly related to the tasks of the narrator: he must be guided by the visitor's motives, but the author's motives to whom he owes his literary existence. The ideal detective is a detective, in which the killer acts on the author's plan, consistent with the development of the plot peripetias in which he does not fall on natural, reasonable necessity, but because of the secret and unpredictable. I note that that is why, despite all the costs of "love intrigue", the tradition of sentimental, sluggish the current, Victorian narration deserves good words. Some will consider such a story-bored, but to conceal the secrecy, it may be indispensable.

Finally, the last principle, consisting in the fact that a detective story, like any literary work begins with the idea, and not only seeks to find it, concerns already purely the technical side of the case. When it comes to the history associated with the disclosure of a crime, its author must begin from the inside, while the detective starts to investigate from outside. Any successfully invented detective task is built on extremely clear, and therefore, a simple conclusion, on some everyday episode, who remembered the writer and will easily forget the reader. But, be that as it may, the story should be based on truth, and, although it contains a pretty proportion of opium, it should not be perceived only as a fantastic vision of the drug addict.

Detective is almost the most popular genre of books "for easy reading", detectives wrote both geniuses that define their time and writers, from whose works not one editor. Without an element of detective story, a plot of any popular film guide is not built, detective series go for decades, defending the series "On the eternal", about love.

Why do we like the detective plots so much? The answer is simple, although it lies in the deep layers of the human psyche. The fact is that two feelings have the greatest impact on us - curiosity and fear. Be inquisitive and careful is what is needed by an animal to survive in the wild. Curiousness and caution are inherent in us.

Moreover, it is because of the fact that in a modern person these qualities are "covered" by civilization, adaptability to existence in an environment where it is not necessary to constantly fear for their lives, to infinitely investigate the surrounding reality, popling in consciousness while reading, these feelings cause We are such a pleasant excitement. By the way, for the same reason, people love both books and horror films, the difference is only in accents. In the first place in "Horror" - fear, and in a detective - curiosity.

For a novice writer, the fastest way to attract the reader and gain confidence that the work is reading, and not throw in the middle - this is precisely the plot of detective.

The plot for a detective to come up with not easy, this is the problem of established genres. Sometimes it seems that it is impossible to come up with anything new, you can only change the names of the heroes and the place. However, famous authors of detectives sometimes use so non-standard moves that it generates a new genre canon.

How to write the most "canonical" detective

The structure of a detective is easier to understand, reading the article not the most popular and intriguing, but, apparently, the most thoughtful author of detectives -.

To develop an idea for a detective story, while staying in the framework of the genre, it is enough to "fit" his story under the "Ten Commandments of Detectivistism", which were not written without irony, but nevertheless, still remain a description of the most classical detective, with Which we have the word "detective" itself are associated.

In order not to retell an article that, undoubtedly, it would be worth reading each novice writer to understand a thin line between the consequences of genre canons and a banality, an infinite repetition of the already written, briefly consider the essence of theses.

First thesis:

The killer should be in sight, but the reader should not know the move of his thoughts (therefore, they often turn out to be the conditional "butler");

Second thesis:

The narrative should be realistic, that is, the culprit of tragic events or crime can not be any otherworked force (but later we will analyze genre modifications and decide that it can, but still be back to the canons of the detective genre from Knox);

Third thesis:

A secret door or a cache is good and detective, but the best detective plots cost only one of the "piano in the bushes" so that, again, comply with the principle of realism;

Fourth thesis:

It is impossible to use previously unknown poisons, some unknown science weapons, too complex devices that cannot be simply and clearly explained to the reader. And it is impossible, because the author of the detective in some sense plays with the reader in chess. The reader should also have a chance to win, so it's easy to simply exhibit new figures on the board right during the game;

Fifth thesis:

You can not use the Chinese. We will not explain this item to, in the spirit of the genre under consideration in this article, intrigue;

Sixth thesis:

Intuition and luck are prohibited (see paragraph 3);

Seventh thesis:

The detective can not be a criminal (see paragraph 3, but again, who will forbate you?);

The eighth thesis:

Evidence - common! In a classic detective, the two investigative parties are a detective character and reader. A good main character will necessarily describe the find to the reading so that he can also think;

Ninth thesis:

The detective has a silly friend, but not obviously stupid, but only a little more stupidly stupid reader;

Tenth thesis:

No twins or twins. Just because this banal reception is tired of everyone at the time of Ronald Knox, and this is almost a century ago.

Having built a detective structure according to theses of Ronald Knox, you will get classic, but devoid of tricks and stamps plot for a detective novel. An example of a detective story written according to these canons can serve as a series of stories of the Ronald Noksa himself about detective.

Now consider 11 species of detective and examples of detective stories written in one or another genre variety.

11 types of detectives

1. Classic Noksu.
   Detective, corresponding to all requests of Knox, that is, preserving traditional forms for a detective form, but delighted from the cliché, we denote by this term. On such detectives, it is necessary to study in this genre - it is unlikely that something innovative will be released, but for sure quality.
2. Fireplace detective.
   Approximately the same classic as described by the Knox, but the use of cliché is not so raised. The situation of crime is given, a circle of suspected persons is given. At the same time, it is absolutely exactly that the crime committed someone from these persons - the author does not want to confuse the reader even stronger. Fireplace detectives, that is, intended for a pleasant reading, not burdened mind, but rather a slightly ticking nerves, wrote and. The gloomy is a good example of a fireplace detective.
3. Complete detective
   The scheme is about the same as in the fireplace detective, but it's a little more difficult to look for a killer. They turn out to be someone completely third-party (yes yes, exactly the case when the killer is the butler).
4. Suicide
   The detective desperately seeks the guilty, suspecting everyone in a row. The reader follows in his conclusions following the main character or perhaps suspects someone else, and the fact of murder was not at all. All the famous work of Agaty Christie is written in this genre branch.
5. Killer - all
   Another special kind of detective, created by agate Christie. She refused the idea that the killer is the only guilty among innocent. Criminals are all except detective. Even the victim is a criminal, although it is not a culprit specifically for his death.
6. Fictive death
   In the "genuine life of Sebastian Knight" decided that in order to be able to investigate the murder, someone should do it. Enough disinformation.
7. Killed a flesh
   And again, this is a wonderful confrontation between the dogs of the Knox and the innovation of Agatha Christie. In the queen detective committed the murder of the hands of the detective.
8. Killed by the author
   The same Agatha Christie (perhaps she looked fundamentally every detective canon, and in some of her works there is a Chinese) it seems like the form "killed a detective". This type of detective is distinguished by the fact that the killer-taller allows the reader to initially follow the progress of his thoughts. The killer author is a reception that gives the work of a psychological depth. That is why Russian classics (,) were also addressed to him.
9. Element of mysticism
   A complex type of detective, because it is very difficult to accommodate from detective fiction or, sometimes, from horrors. For some border holding such works in the detective genre, it is best to take the principle of "whose hands." If there is a person in the influence of something mystical murder, then this is a detective with elements of mystical (A. Sinyavsky "Lyubimov", Stephen King), and if the murder makes otherworldly power without the participation of a person, this is another genre.
10. Killer - you
    In the novel, "Ghosts among us" took such an idea for a detective - it is necessary to prove to the reader that he was committed to the reader. The view of the detective from the book reality into the reality of the reading is a very original and powerful technique that could implement only a real master of the writer.
11. "Crime and Punishment"
    The famous Russian philologist allocates another category of detective - this is a detective Dostoevsky. Indeed, the elements of a detective are in many of his works (,), but the bulls allocated a novel into a separate category. He did it, because in this work the detective is not the element of the plot. "Crime and Punishment" is a practically canonical detective story with murder and investigation, but with a displaced accent. The detective through the eyes of the criminal is another thin line between genres, between a detective novel and novel psychological.

Thus, choosing in what genre variety of detective is best to write its work, you need to focus on classic samples (the period of apprenticeship in any business is always a period of imitation of the classics). And the experience and creative thinking will be shown over time, as it is you to shift accents in the narration to create your own kind of detective.

Video version

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Detective novel is a kind of intellectual game. Moreover, it is a sports competition. And the detective novels are created on strictly defined laws - let unwritten, but nevertheless mandatory. Every respected, and self-respecting writer of detectives strictly observes them. So, below formulated a kind of credo of a detector, based partly on the practical experience of all large masters of a detective genre, and partly at the prompts of the voice of the conscience of the honest writer. Here it is:

1. The reader must have equal with a detective opportunity for a ray of the mystery of the crime. All keys to the rays must be clearly indicated and described.

2. The reader can not be deliberately deceiving or misleading, except in cases where it, together with a detective, for all the rules of an honest game deceives the criminal.

3. There should be no love line in the novel. It is talking about to give the criminal in the hands of justice, and not to join the Uzami Himea of \u200b\u200bthe famous lovers.

4. Neither the detective itself nor any of the official investigators should be a criminal. It is equivalent to frank deception - anyway, as if we slipped a brilliant chest instead of gold coins. Fraud is fraud.

5. The criminal must be deducted by deductive way - with the help of logical conclusions, and not due to the chance, coincidence or unmotivated recognition. After all, choosing this last way of the rapid of the mystery of the crime, the author quite consciously sends the reader in a deliberately false track, and when he returns with empty hands, quietly reports to him that he had a random all the time he was lying on him, in his pocket all the time. This author is nothing better than a fan of primitive draws.

6. In a detective novel, a detective should be, and the detective only then the detective when he sends and investigates. His task is to collect evidence that will serve as the key to the randering and ultimately will indicate the one who made this low crime in the first chapter. The detective is building a chain of his conclusions based on the analysis of the assembled evidence, and otherwise he is likened to a negligent schoolboy, who, without solving the task, writes off response from the end of the task.

7. Without a corpse in a detective novel, just do not do, and than this corpse is naturally, the better. Only the murder makes the novel quite interesting. Who would become with an excitement to read three hundred pages, if it were about a crime less serious! In the end, the reader must be rewarded for anxiety and energy spent.

8. The mystery of crimes should be disclosed for a purely materialistic way. Completely unacceptable such ways to establish truth, like a stoker, spiritual sessions, reading alien thoughts, fortune telling with magic Crystal etc., etc., the reader has some chance not to give in the intelligence detective, reasoning rationalist, but if he is forced to compete with the spirits of the other world and chasing the criminal in the fourth dimension, it is doomed to defeat aB Initio. [From the very beginning (lat.)].

9. There must be only one detective, I mean only one main character of deduction, only one deus Ex Machina. [God from the car (Lat.), That is, unexpectedly appearing (as the gods in the ancient tragedies), who displays the situation that seemed hopeless by its intervention]. Mobilize the mystery of the crimes of the minds of three, four, or even the whole detachment of detectives - it means not only to dispel reader attention and break a direct logical thread, but also to unjust put the reader at a unprofitable position. If there is more than one detective, the reader does not know with which he comes from the part of deductive conclusions. It's like to make the reader run a rope with a relay team.

10. The criminal should be a character who played a more or less prominent role in the novel, that is, such a character who is familiar and is interested in the reader.

11. The author should not be a killer servant. This is too easy solution, choose it - it means to avoid difficulties. The criminal must be a man with a certain dignity - such that does not usually bring suspicion.

12. No matter how much the murders committed in the novel, the criminal must be only one. Of course, the offender may have an assistant or partner who provides him with some services, but all the burden of guilt must lie on the shoulders of one person. We must provide the reader the opportunity to focus all the dust of its indignation on one single black nature.

13. In the detective novel, secret gangster societies are inappropriate, all sorts of camorrs and mafias there. After all, the exciting and truly beautiful murder will be unaffected by refractory, if it turns out that the fault lies with a whole criminal company. Of course, the killer in a detective novel should give hope for salvation, but allow him to resort to the help of secret society - it is already too. No first-class, self-respecting murderer needs a similar advantage.

14. The method of killing and means of disclosure of the crime must meet the criteria for rationality and scientific relations. In other words, in roman Policier It is unacceptable to introduce pseudo-contaminated, hypothetical and purely fantastic devices. As soon as the author regards the manner of Jules true to fantastic dassel, it turns out to be outside the detective genre and sports on the unexplored expanses of the adventure genre.

15. At any time, the impending must be apparent - provided that the reader is enough insight to solve it. Under this, I mean the following: if the reader, coming to explain how the crime was committed, reread the book, he will see that the attenuation, so to speak, lay on the surface, that is, all the evidence actually pointed to the culprit, and, be he, The reader is as smart as a detective, he would have managed to reveal the secret on his own long before the last chapter. There is nothing to say that the smarter reader is often so unfollowing it.

16. In a detective novel, long descriptions are inappropriate, literary deviations on side topics, sophisticatedly delicate analysis of characters and recreation atmosphere. All these things are insignificant for the narration of the crime and the logical disclosure. They only delay the action and bring elements that have no relation to the main goal, which is to set out the task, analyze it and bring to a successful decision. Of course, it should introduce enough descriptions and clearly defined characters to give him reliability.

17. Wines for committing a crime should never be taken in a detective novel on a criminal-professional. Crimes committed by crackers or gangsters are investigated by the police, and not detective writers and brilliant fans detectives. A truly exciting crime is a crime committed by the pillars of the Church or the old Virgin, a famous charity.

18. The crime in the detective novel should not be at the verification of an accident or suicide. Complete the volunteering of the voltage to such a decline - it means to fool a gullible and good reader.

19. All crimes in detective novels must be performed on personal reasons. International conspiracies and military politics are the property of a completely different literary genre - say, novels about secret intelligence services. A detective romance about murder should remain, how to put it in, in cozy, homemade framework. It should reflect the daily experiences of the reader and in a certain sense to give its own suppressed desires and emotions.

20. Finally, another item for an even account: a list of some techniques that no self-respecting author of detective novels will take advantage. They were used too often and well known to all true lovers of literary crimes. Speed \u200b\u200bto them - it means to sign in your writer insolvency and in the absence of originality.

a) identification of the criminal in the cigarette left at the crime scene.
b) The imaginary spiritual session device in order to frighten the criminal and make him out.
c) fake fingerprints.
d) imaginary alibi, provided with a mannequin.
e) a dog that does not bother and makes it possible to make it possible that the invading person was not a stranger.
(e) Laying under the curtain of guilt for a crime on a twin brother or another relative, as two drops of water similar to the suspect, but in no means of the obey person.
g) Syringe for subcutaneous injections and drugs, mixed in wine.
h) committing the murder in a locked room after the police broke into it.
and) the establishment of guilt using a psychological test to configure words by free association.
K) The mystery of the code or encrypted letter, in the end the solidified by the detective.

Van Dyan S. S.

Translation V.Voronina
From the collection How to make detective