How Do You Write Detective Stories & Create Main Characters?
Writers like Edgar Allan Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle originated the detective story in the 19th century. Detective stories differ from other forms of crime fiction in presenting the crime in the form of a logical puzzle. In detective fiction culture, there is a sense of playing fair–that is, the criminal must be present from the setup, and every clue must be made available to the reader. In turn, a reader can, conceivably, solve the mystery before the detective does. Aside from this rational payoff, there is usually an emotional reward of reading about picturesque characters. Create your detective. Detectives usually have a few compelling characteristics that give them insights into their work. They are often quirky. Nero Wolfe, for example, never left his house and owned ten thousand orchids. Sherlock Holmes played the violin, wrote monographs on arcane subjects and practiced firearms indoors. Work out your crime. There must be a seemingly insurmountable problem, which is why the
