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A detective novel is a kind of intellectual game. Moreover, this sports competition. And detective novels are created according to strictly defined laws - albeit unwritten, but nevertheless mandatory. Every respected and self-respecting detective writer strictly observes them. So, below is formulated a kind of detective writer’s credo, based partly on the practical experience of all the great masters of the detective genre, and partly on the promptings of the voice of conscience of an honest writer. Here it is:

1. The reader should have equal opportunities with the detective to solve the mystery of the crime. All clues must be clearly identified and described.

2. The reader cannot be deliberately deceived or misled, except in cases where he and the detective follow all the rules fair play the criminal is deceiving.

3. The novel should not contain love line. We are talking about bringing the criminal into the hands of justice, and not about uniting yearning lovers with the bonds of Hymen.

4. Neither the detective himself nor any of the official investigators should turn out to be a criminal. This is equivalent outright deception- it’s the same as if they slipped us a shiny copper coin instead of a gold coin. Fraud is fraud.

5. The criminal must be discovered deductively - using logical conclusions, and not through chance, coincidence or unmotivated confession. After all, by choosing this last method of solving the mystery of the crime, the author quite deliberately directs the reader along a deliberately false trail, and when he returns empty-handed, he calmly informs him that the solution was in his, the author’s, pocket all along. Such an author is no better than a fan of primitive practical jokes.

6. A detective novel must have a detective, and a detective is only a detective when he tracks and investigates. His task is to collect evidence that will serve as a clue and ultimately point to who committed this vile crime in the first chapter. The detective builds a chain of his conclusions based on the analysis of the collected evidence, otherwise he is likened to a careless schoolboy who, having not solved the problem, copies the answer from the back of the problem book.

7. You simply cannot do without a corpse in a detective novel, and the more naturalistic the corpse is, the better. Only the murder makes the novel interesting enough. Who would read three hundred pages with excitement if we were talking about a less serious crime! In the end, the reader should be rewarded for their trouble and energy.

8. The mystery of the crime must be revealed in a purely materialistic way. Such methods of establishing the truth as divination, spiritualistic seances, reading other people's thoughts, fortune telling with the help of magic crystal etc., etc. The reader has some chance not to be inferior in intelligence to a detective who thinks rationally, but if he is forced to compete with spirits other world and chasing a criminal in the fourth dimension, he is doomed to defeat ab initio[from the very beginning (lat.)].

9. There should only be one detective, I mean only one main character deduction, only one deus ex machina[God from the machine (lat.), that is, unexpectedly appearing (like the gods in ancient tragedies) a person who, by his intervention, unravels a situation that seemed hopeless]. To mobilize the minds of three, four, or even a whole squad of detectives to solve the mystery of a crime means not only to scatter the reader’s attention and break the direct logical thread, but also to unfairly put the reader at a disadvantage. If there is more than one detective, the reader does not know which one he is competing with in terms of deductive reasoning. It's like forcing the reader to race a relay team.

10. The criminal should be a character who played a more or less noticeable role in the novel, that is, a character who is familiar and interesting to the reader.

11. The author should not make a servant a murderer. This is too easy a solution; choosing it means avoiding difficulties. The criminal must be a person of a certain dignity - one who does not usually attract suspicion.

12. No matter how many murders are committed in a novel, there must be only one criminal. Of course, the criminal may have an assistant or accomplice who provides him with some services, but the entire burden of guilt must lie on the shoulders of one person. The reader must be given the opportunity to concentrate all the fervor of his indignation on one single black character.

13. Secret gangster societies, all sorts of Camorras and mafias are inappropriate in a detective novel. After all, an exciting and truly beautiful murder will be irreparably spoiled if it turns out that the blame falls on an entire criminal company. Of course, a murderer in a detective story should be given hope of salvation, but allowing him to resort to the help of a secret society is going too far. No top-notch, self-respecting assassin needs such an advantage.

14. The method of murder and the means of solving the crime must meet the criteria of rationality and science. In other words, in roman policier It is unacceptable to introduce pseudoscientific, hypothetical and purely fantastic devices. As soon as the author soars, in the manner of Jules Verne, into fantastic heights, he finds himself outside the detective genre and frolics in the uncharted expanses of the adventure genre.

15. At any moment, the solution should be obvious - provided that the reader has enough insight to figure it out. By this I mean the following: if the reader, having reached the explanation of how the crime was committed, re-reads the book, he will see that the solution, so to speak, lay on the surface, that is, all the evidence actually pointed to the culprit, and, even if he the reader, as smart as a detective, would be able to solve the mystery on his own long before the last chapter. Needless to say, a savvy reader often reveals it this way.

16. In a detective novel, long descriptions, literary digressions on side topics, sophisticated character analysis and reconstruction are inappropriate atmosphere. All these things are unimportant to the story of the crime and its logical solution. They only delay the action and introduce elements that have nothing to do with the main goal, which consists of stating a problem, analyzing it and bringing it to a successful solution. Of course, a novel should include enough description and well-defined characters to give it credibility.

17. The blame for committing a crime should never fall on a professional criminal in a detective novel. Crimes committed by burglars or bandits are investigated by police departments, not by mystery writers and brilliant amateur sleuths. A truly exciting crime is one committed by a pillar of the church or an old maid known to be a philanthropist.

18. A crime in a detective novel should not turn out to be an accident or suicide. To end the tracking odyssey with such a drop in tension is to fool the gullible and kind reader.

19. All crimes in detective novels must be committed for personal reasons. International conspiracies and military politics are the property of something completely different. literary genre- say, novels about secret intelligence services. But a detective novel about murder should remain, how can I put it, in cozy, home within. It should reflect the reader's everyday experiences and in a certain sense give vent to his own repressed desires and emotions.

20. And finally, one more item for good measure: a list of some techniques that no self-respecting author of detective novels will now use. They have been overused and are well known to all true lovers of literary crime. To resort to them means to admit your incompetence as a writer and lack of originality.

a) Identification of the criminal by a cigarette butt left at the crime scene.
b) Arrangement of an imaginary seance in order to frighten the criminal and force him to give himself away.
c) Forgery of fingerprints.
d) An imaginary alibi provided by a dummy.
e) A dog that does not bark and therefore allows one to conclude that the intruder was not a stranger.
f) At the end of the day, placing the blame for the crime on a twin brother or other relative who is like two peas in a pod like the suspect, but is an innocent person.
g) Hypodermic syringe and drug mixed into wine.
h) Committing a murder in a locked room after the police broke into it.
i) Establishing guilt using psychological test naming words by free association.
j) The mystery of a code or encrypted letter, eventually solved by a detective.

Van Dyne S.S.

Translation by V. Voronin
From the collection How to make a detective

1. When you start writing, come up with a sonorous pseudonym. If your real name does not fit with the detective genre, create a fictitious name. This is especially true when the narrative is told in the first person.

2. Be sure to write a plan. List the main characters, define their relationships, draw a clear storyline. This will make writing a detective story much easier, so you can finish all the chapters to the end without forgetting anything.

3. You should not create many names so as not to confuse the reader. 3-5 main characters are enough, as many secondary and 10-12 episodic ones. Decide right away which of them is a negative character, so that as the presentation progresses, you can periodically avert or increase suspicions against them.

4. Carefully choose first and last names for your characters. Detective heroes have a clear division into positive, negative, neutral and comical. Based on their qualities, give them a last name, which should either emphasize their merits or intrigue until the end of the work.

5. Do not correct anything in already completed parts until you describe the outcome. At the end of the process of writing a detective story, a revision begins, during which it turns out that the work is too short, and the beginning will have to be rewritten, or an additional storyline must be introduced, etc.

6. Include characters’ dialogues in the text; they are perceived more easily by the reader than continuous exposition. Try to keep it at least 50-70%. At the same time, the heroes should not always have conversations about who killed whom and who is to blame for what; they can choose other topics for conversation.

7. Don't neglect details. Any little thing can matter, even the curtains on the window, rust on the gate, smells and much more. As if by the way, describe all the evidence as you describe the plot.

8. Introduce love and love into the story. This is interesting to many, but there shouldn’t be many such inserts, yet it’s not love story and the readerships of these genres very rarely coincide.

9. Don't make children victims of criminals. People are sensitive to such stories. In addition, most of the readers are parents themselves and it will be extremely unpleasant for them to read such a work.

10. Write daily, otherwise you will get stuck in work forever. Determine the minimum that must be worked, even if the neighbors caused a flood in the apartment.

11. Send full text works. The chances that someone at the publishing house will be interested in part of the detective story are small.

16. There is no need to demand a report from the editors, in addition, there is no need to express indignation. Reviewers carefully read everything that comes to the publisher. And if they did not give an answer, then the detective will not be accepted by them, that is, the answer is negative.

17. You can post a detective story on the Internet, where an editor from a start-up book publishing house can read it and contribute to the speedy release of a limited series.

18. You can contact a literary agent, who, while you are writing your work, will look for a way to release it. There are our own here. The good thing is that sitting at home, you are not puzzled by the future of your detective. The downside is that you have to share your own fees.

19. Having finished the first book, immediately - before the reader and publisher forgets you - start writing the second.

20. Work constantly, so the chances of publishing at least one of your works will increase, and the success of even one book can pay off all the time spent on work.

Now detective stories are very popular. Some authors write them in large quantities, very fast. There are works for easy reading, more of an entertainment orientation, but among the classic examples you will be able to find truly meaningful, thoughtful, filled deep meaning and realities of life detective stories. You yourself may well try your hand at writing and write a detective story. Perhaps you love the genre, or want to create a piece that has a better chance of commercial success. In any case, the detective is a good choice. This genre is in demand among readers and publishing houses. You will need to take into account some nuances, remember tips and follow the algorithm to simplify the task.

1. Before you get started, it is very important to define your main goal. Modern authors are often faced with a not very pleasant trend: meaningful works written in classic style, which raise pressing issues, unfortunately, are not nearly as popular and in demand as their creators would like. A unique “subgenre” of contemporary detective fiction has emerged. The book should intrigue, captivate, but not immerse you in unnecessary thoughts, not be “negative,” and not make readers think too much and get upset. An attractive detective story that doesn’t scare you seriously, but certainly ends well. The characters are usually a little artificial, so even if something unpleasant happens to them, it does not cause concern to the reader. Having considered all these nuances and read two or three modern popular detective stories, you can decide which path you will take when creating your book:
   • write a commercial text that corresponds to a given format, is lightweight and in demand, for which it will be easier to find a publisher;
     
   • implement your own ideas, approach the process creatively, create a meaningful and deep book in the detective genre.
     
   Both ways are good in their own way. The first one also has a right to exist. You can easily put yourself in the reader’s place, analyze his desire to rest, relax, get more positive, and not negative emotions. Perhaps you yourself love this kind of literature - then you will be even better able to write something similar. By taking a more difficult road, you also have a good perspective. If you write really carefully, thoughtfully, and approach the matter with all responsibility, the work has a chance of success, like any talented book.
   
2. Try to take into account the achievements that are already available in the literature on this moment in the detective genre. Even if you prefer light reading, be sure to take the time to study at least one work by Arthur Haley, A.K. Doyle. Surely you will like something in these works, you will learn something useful and new for yourself. Don’t just read books, but study them according to the following scheme:
   • pay attention to the development of the plot;
     
   • build a logical chain of events (it’s good to do this in the form of a flowchart);
     
   • analyze the images of the main characters and secondary characters: identify for yourself their main features, relationships, role in revealing the idea, developing the plot;
     
   • relate the title to the theme and idea of ​​the work;
     
   • think about whether it is easy to predict the course of events and the hidden qualities of the heroes;
     
   • trace how the idea of ​​a detective story is revealed through its content and plot.
     
   All these observations are very useful. Of course, this does not mean that you should imitate famous writers. It is important to feel the fabric of the work, the process of its creation, the logical sequence and integrity of the narrative, to see all the cause-and-effect relationships. This is necessary for your experience, mastering the skill of writing, and not imitation or stylization.
   
3. Follow events in modern world, watch the news, read newspapers. Do not forget your personal impressions, observations, conclusions and memories of some interesting situations in which you found yourself a participant or witness. Of all this life experience You can learn a lot of important things for creating your own work. To write a detective book, you should devote time to crime news, you can sometimes watch big documentaries about high-profile crimes, criminals and their victims. This way you will learn more about the world of criminals, psychological portrait killer, all sorts of subtleties and features of investigations, unraveling the chain of evidence, random and defining information, evidence. Having acquired such experience, albeit in absentia, you will be able to add realistic details to your detective story and bring it closer to life.
   
4. In the process of reading, watching television programs, various ideas and questions will definitely come to your mind. All this needs to be written down in a separate notebook, and all your observations, opinions about what you saw and read, and conclusions should be briefly reflected there. In future work, these notes will become excellent material for you.
   
5. When you have already formed the basic ideas that you want to embody in your detective story, proceed to choosing the location. Events should develop in conditions with which you yourself are well familiar. You should not write about business or economic crimes if you do not have sufficient information in this area. Otherwise, any more or less knowledgeable reader will see your incompetence, mistakes and inconsistencies. When you have a plan, an intriguing plot, but you just can’t change the little-known area where events are developing to another, you should seriously study it. It will take you more time, but you will write a really interesting and believable detective story.
   
6. Write detailed plan your detective. Draw diagrams, plan events point by point, their sequence and relationships. Think especially carefully about plot moves, twists, unexpected and predictable. Use the technique of understatement to intrigue the reader. You can choose: immediately reveal the mystery of the work to the reader, leaving the heroes in the dark, or force the reader, together with the characters, to unravel a complex tangle. In the second case, a good “presence effect” will be achieved: the reader will feel like one of the characters. But the technique of revealing the riddle is also used, however, for this you need to already master the writing skill of the word, otherwise it will be difficult to keep the reader reading the book.
   
7. Pay attention to the system of actors. They must be different and have individual character traits. Each hero in a good detective story carries his own burden and plays an important role. Give characters features of speech, appearance, inner world. In a well-thought-out character system, all the heroes are in their places, not a single one can be removed.
   
8. Develop your own style, do not imitate great authors. Your work may not be so perfect, but its originality will certainly attract readers.
   
9. Work a lot with text. Re-read each fragment several times, correct, cut out unnecessary things and add new details. Pay attention to small details, describe nuances, captivate the reader.
   
10. Don't forget about storytelling dynamism. Concentrate events, add dialogues, do not get carried away by extensive digressions and author's comments.
    

1. Take into account the established tradition in the detective genre and the achievements of famous authors.
   
2. Gain experience: observe, read, watch news and documentaries.
   
3. Write everything down Interesting Facts, your impressions and conclusions.
   
4. Think over not only the plot, but also the location and conditions.
   
5. Carefully form a system of characters, their connections, relationships, and individual traits.
   
6. Follow the dynamism of the narrative.
   
7. A detective must be logical, but not predictable.
   
8. Captivate and intrigue the reader: saturate the work with understatement and riddles.
   
9. Work a lot on the text: polish, correct, shorten, add new details.
   
10. Be sure to leave your work for a while and then return to it again: this way you can look at the text objectively.
    
11. Try to add something to the detective story that will help your readers in a difficult situation and become useful.
    

How to write a brilliant detective story

The first thing you need to start with is to decide in what vein the book will be created. Will it be a classic detective story in the style of Agatha Christie, or an ironic one, like Daria Dontsova’s, or maybe a children’s one, like those produced by Anna Ustinova and Ekaterina Vilmont. You can write a detective thriller, a horror detective story, or even a detective story. Of course, the audiences for these works will be very different. Keep this in mind before you put pen to paper.

The next important step is to come up with a crime. It could be a mysterious murder in a locked room, a bank robbery, the kidnapping of a multibillionaire’s beloved dog for ransom, or the inexplicable disappearance of pies from the protagonist’s beloved granny - anything.

Plot basis

The crime for the book does not have to be chosen from among those that violate the Criminal Code or ethical standards. However, it must certainly carry some kind of mystery and create intrigue. The entire plot will revolve around this event, so the crime must be worked out very carefully.

Unlike the reader, you will know who the attacker is. This means that you need to carefully consider his motives, as well as how he carried out his criminal plan and how to expose him. Answer the following questions for yourself:

1. Why did your villain commit his dirty deed and how did he succeed?
2. How will the criminal behave to avoid detection (will he try to escape, cover his tracks, etc.)?
3. What evidence and how exactly will the protagonist find it? How will he conduct the investigation?
4. Who will be among the suspects? Why would the detective suspect them?

Welcome the public to "play"

Creators of quality detective novels and short stories always include readers in their game. The clues that the main character receives during the course of the investigation can help those who hold the book in their hands find the answer before the investigator.

But the audience should be interested in investigating the crime you invented. Your game should draw him in and make him rack his brain. A detective story should not be too simple, predictable or deliberate. It should be free of inconsistencies and tensions that will help the investigator lead the villain to clean water, however, they will look unconvincing and inorganic.

The “correct” literary detective always identifies the villain thanks to his intelligence and insight. He logically analyzes the evidence and leads received, conducts surveillance, arranges interrogations, etc. The answer does not come to him by chance - only through persistent analytical work.

The main character is a detective

The protagonist you come up with should attract the audience, be lively and interesting. He may be strange or have an unpleasant character. But all his unsympathetic features must be smoothed out by something attractive - eccentricity, wit, phenomenal memory, love for cats, in the end.

If your hero is a modern policeman or private detective, it is advisable to have at least an idea of ​​the basics of this profession. If the action takes place in Tsarist Russia or in the post-war years, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the features of this era.

Your detective hero will certainly be attentive to the smallest details. You will have to pay even greater attention to them when writing a book. Depending on how the crime was committed in your work, you will have to understand the effects of poisons, bladed weapons, etc. With the same diligence you need to approach the evidence that the main character receives. It is better to completely exclude details that you are not very well versed in.

Circle of suspects

Try not to overdo it with monotonous characters, in which it is easy to get confused. It's better to create several bright images, invent them a fascinating past and motives for committing a crime. The detective and the reader will get to know the characters and try to identify the attacker among them.

The true villain should not remain unnoticed in the text. He may turn out to be best friend a hero-investigator who helped conduct the investigation, or a third-rate, good-natured grandfather who talked with the detective several times. In any case, the reader’s attention should be caught on it, and some details can help reveal its true essence.

Don't make the ending open, illogical, or banal

The ending of a detective work is always the solution to the crime or mystery around which the whole action revolved. The writer answers main question- who, how and why committed the crime - as well as questions that the characters and the reader might have during the course of the story.

An open ending in detective stories is an extremely rare occurrence. After all, the lack of answers will leave the reader, who has been enthusiastically “playing” detective with the main character for several days, dissatisfied. Even if the book is based on real story, which has not received proper resolution, the authors usually offer their own version of the solution.

Another danger for a new writer is disappointing his audience. Imagine how the public puzzles over the solution for hundreds of pages. But in the end, everything is explained by a fatal accident, a coincidence of circumstances, or the sudden appearance of otherworldly forces, which were not even hinted at before the final chapter. It's better that the killer be a butler than some idiot brought in at the last moment.

Still, it is recommended to avoid a banal ending. The effect of surprise is one of the most important elements of a quality detective story. If you can come up with a twist in the style of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, you can consider yourself the new Agatha Christie.

How to write a detective story: step-by-step instructions

So, to write a detective book that will be successful, you need:

1. Decide on the type of genre (classic detective, political, spy, science fiction, etc.) and target audience.
2. Carefully work out a crime or a mystery.
3. Think about who, how and why the crime was committed and how it can be solved.
4. Create a compelling and believable story around the main event - crime or mystery.
5. Come up with an interesting protagonist and bright suspects.
6. Finish the work beautifully and logically, avoiding an open ending.

Detective stories are perhaps the most popular books fiction. They follow the rules of genre, which means that all stories follow the same principles. For example, they always involve a crime and someone who solves it. There is a certain formula for detective stories. And if you know it, you can follow it every time you want to write detective story(Agatha Christie did it!). Read a couple of mysteries and you will see that each of them includes the elements described below. And then you can write your own detective story!

How to write a detective story yourself?

1. Crime

A crime occurs (usually murder). It was committed by a villain who has not yet been discovered.

Arthur Binks, a millionaire, was killed with an encrusted knife while celebrating his sixtieth birthday. He was found dead, alone, in the library. The party took place in his summer house, and among the guests were his two daughters, Lily and Nina, his young wife Helen (the girls' stepmother), his golf partner Pierre H, and Pierre's wife, Roberta H.

1. Detective

A detective arrives to solve a crime. The detective can be a man or a woman, he can be a lawyer, or a policeman, or a tough private investigator, or an amateur with a keen mind (like a nosy old lady).

Helen Binks hired a private investigator, Michael Borlotti. Borlotti is quite smart and has a habit of flipping coins. He doesn't fit in with those rich kids and isn't afraid to ask the tough questions - he's here to do his job.

1. Investigation

A detective conducts an investigation, unraveling and interpreting a tangle of evidence. A detective must be smart and savvy and be able to decipher evidence using strong evidence and sometimes intuition.

Borlotti begins to discover evidence - it turns out that Binks was not liked. Even his golf partner Pierre refers to him as a "slippery guy." Everyone believes that Helen married him for money. Lily and Nina hate their stepmother and blame her for their father's death. But Barlotti is interested in the mysterious Roberta, the reserved and attractive wife of Pierre X, Binks' friend.

1. Scene

In detective novels great importance action takes place, and it is always described in detail. We often imagine a dark, rainy city full of shadows and crime. Sometimes we are in huge old mansions, where closed doors a crime occurs.

Binks has a beautiful old mansion, but it hides many secrets. The garden seems especially frightening - overgrown, wild and unnaturally quiet. Bonnie, Arthur Binks's beloved cat, lurks in dark corners, meowing and hissing ominously.

1. Suspicion

There is always a sense of danger in detective stories, and readers will no doubt become suspicious as they follow the investigating detective. The detective carefully studies mysterious places where armed criminals could be hiding. Throughout the story, the detective collects evidence in places where others would not even think to look. The detective may discover some misplaced item that will prove invaluable in the future.

Borlotti appears to be making no progress in his investigation. All the clues he had found so far turned out to be a pursuit of non-existent shadows. Everyone in the house seems to suspect Helen Binks, who is growing darker by the day. Something makes Borlotti go out. He realizes that someone is hiding in the shadows. And just when we think his song is over, Bonnie the cat jumps out of the bushes and runs away like a wild one. Bolotti looks closely at where the cat jumped out from and finds the key to the mystery.

1. Denouement

The detective story ends once the detective has collected enough evidence, talked to enough people, and is able to correctly interpret the evidence. Often, while the detective is solving a murder mystery, the suspects are gathered together, the criminal gives himself away and surrenders to justice.

Borlotti gathers all the suspects at the crime scene, in the library. He slowly reveals the evidence. He shows an object found in the garden - it is a comb from the head of Roberta X! We learn that Roberta killed Binks because he was blackmailing her, threatening to expose her spy past. To everyone's amazement, Roberta breaks down and admits her guilt and is arrested by the local police.

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