How to avoid the crime fiction trap
25 Wednesday Nov 2015
Tags
American Psycho, character, crime, detective, Father Brown, gangster, Goodfellas, Patrick Bateman, Se7en, Sherlock Holmes
Crime is the post popular genre in fiction and on screen today, but many writers fall into the crime fiction trap.
Understanding the crime fiction trap
The big trap in crime movies and novels is that the hero is emotionally detached and unengaging. In other genres, we have built-in emotional connection with the hero. In horror, comedy, sports, biopics, the protagonist is generally likeable and positive, despite his or her undoubted flaws. They are emotionally engaged and 
engaging. They are, often, very much like us.
However, in reality, detectives and criminals are rarely very much like us. They are also emotionally detached.
In real life, a policeman has little emotional engagement in solving a murder – its a job. Similarly, criminals, by their nature, tend to be violent, uncaring people, who are happy to cause physical or emotional pain to the victims of their crimes. So why should we care about any of them?
The answer is to find alternative ways of engaging the characters – and having us care about them.
Make it important
Counteract the detachment by giving them a reason to be emotionally drawn in. In Se7en, Detective Somerset is about to retire and desperate that his last case is not the horrific one that he now finds himself on. At the same time, Mills is the new boy, keen to prove he can survive in the city. For both of them, the killings become a personal challenge that draws them in, and therefore us.
In a similar way, the career criminal generally distances himself from his work. It’s just a way of making money. Not so with Walter White in Breaking Bad. For him, facing a possibly fatal cancer, crime is the only way he can see to pay for his medical treatment and leave something for his family after his death.
Give the character flaws
All heroes need flaws, but to avoid the crime fiction trap it’s crucial that the hero has flaws that we can identify with – normal flaws, as it were.
Whether it’s Sherlock Holmes’ patronising self-assurance (and suggested addictions) or Henry Hill’s fascination with the power of the mob in Goodfellas, their human frailties draw us to them and into the story.
Give them strengths
If your protagonists have no positive side, why should we care about them? Father Brown, in the GK Chesterton stories, is thoughtful, with a dry wit. Patrick Bateman may be an American Psycho, but he’s also satirically funny, with sharp insight into the very fallible people around him.
Give us a ticking clock
There’s nothing like a deadline to engage both your characters and the audience. This is why the cop is so often told she has “24 hours or she’s off the case.” The trick is to find fresh and original variations. In Se7en the detectives are racing against time to stop the killer reaching his total of seven victims. Walter White’s cancer is ultimately another deadly countdown: will he be able to provide for his family before the disease gets him?
Of course all these can be used in a cliché manner, or with truth and artistic skill. Whether you do the former or the latter is ultimately up to you. Being truthful is tough for the writer, but from that struggle to be authentic and honest has come some of the greatest stories, movies and TV series ever made.
2 Comments
November 29, 2015 at 11:21 am
Sadly, Charles, you seem to be caught in a crime fiction trap. To say that “In real life, a policeman has little emotional engagement in solving a murder – its a job”, is factually incorrect and merely encourages stereotypical imaging. It’s often how the role is portrayed dramatically, although there are strong exceptions (Tennyson in Prime Suspect for example).
In the simplest of terms, a murder investigation will involve the lead detectives visiting the crime scene, attending the post mortem examination in order to fully understand the circumstances of the death and learning everything they can about the victim. During the investigation they will connect with the victim’s distraught, traumatised loved ones, often developing strong relationships or bonds. In a drama these relationships are short-lived over the course of the piece, in reality they will last weeks, months or years. Detectives are human. It is impossible not to engage emotionally during these events. Of course, the detective must remain professional and focussed, perhaps giving the impression of being emotionally detached, but they are not. That’s the reality, but from a dramatic pov, to dismiss it, denies the writer a well of dramatic possibilities.
I retired as a Detective Chief Inspector. During my service I was involved in many murder and other serious crime investigations. I am now a full-time screenwriter. http://www.ronniemackintosh.co.uk
December 2, 2015 at 11:00 am
Hi Ronnie
Thank you for pointing this out. You’re right, of course. I accept that many detectives do get emotionally engaged with their cases and should have phrased that point differently.
The issue I was getting at is that while it’s true that a good detective may well become emotionally connected with the case – it’s an indirect connection. It can’t be taken for granted that they will be directly affected by the outcome.
In most other genres, the protagonist is directly affected in very obvious ways – they may die if they get it wrong, or they may have to live the rest of their lives without the person they love. The stakes are extremely high.
A detective may be emotionally engaged, but while I accept that some cases may be devastating, in most cases they move on to the next case, and then the next. When writing a detective protagonist, we must remember to raise the stakes as much as possible, or we will certainly get caught in the crime trap and the audience simply won’t care as much as they could.
Best wishes
Charles