Writing what you don't know

morngnstar

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Hi mystery / thriller / suspense writers. This is not my genre, but my WIP is about to take an excursion into the criminal underworld. I've never killed anyone, or owed a favor to the mob, or been involved in criminal justice, and I'm guessing you guys haven't either, except maybe the last. How do you get your info on how to write realistic criminal activity? I only have TV and movies to go on.
 

mrsmig

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TV and movies are going to give you only dramatized versions of your topic areas. There are literally millions of true crime books out there to research for veracity. If you can pinpoint exactly what you're looking for, maybe folks can suggest specific titles.
 

Marlys

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Lots of newspaper and magazine articles, too.
 

Jamesaritchie

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Read, and watch documentaries. The are thousand of books, tens of thousands of articles, and a great big bunch of documentaries on every aspect of the criminal underworld all over the planet.

You don't write what you don't know. First you learn about it, get to know it, and then you write it. You might try YouTube first.
 

blacbird

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You might also benefit from attending a criminal trial. They're generally open to the public. You walk in, sit down, watch and listen. Much of what you will see and hear will be pretty tedious and boring, but you'll learn stuff.

caw
 

morngnstar

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I've never read a true crime book.

Specifically I'm looking for Russian (in Russia) organized crime. Not focused on the violent stuff. More vice - drugs, prostitution - and shady business deals with bribes and kickbacks and investment scams. I need a character to get in and catch the interest of the bosses.
 

mrsmig

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I've never read a true crime book.

Specifically I'm looking for Russian (in Russia) organized crime. Not focused on the violent stuff. More vice - drugs, prostitution - and shady business deals with bribes and kickbacks and investment scams. I need a character to get in and catch the interest of the bosses.

Time frame? Contemporary or historical?

You could start here: Solntsevskaya Bratva.
 
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ironmikezero

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Another tip: Read crime fiction authored by folks who are/were in criminal justice/investigation careers. They really know what goes on and can craft tales of crime fiction that are typically more engaging and more lively paced than true crime/documentary works. And often best of all, since these authors are very accurate as to procedure, their tales enjoy a high degree of credibility/plausibility. Take a look at some of the works by some of our own AW members (MarkEsq, cornflake, jclarkedaw, WeaselFire, etc.); you may be in for a pleasant surprise.
 

field19

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I have the same problem with my CIA story. I've never been an operative, nor was I trained in the martial arts or joined Delta Force, yet, I feel there is enough on line to fake it. Of course, it also helps if one of your local cops was a special ops sniper in Iraq!

(I also learned about selling drugs from watching The Wire and reading Clockers).
 

wonderactivist

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Research, imagination and more research. With everything on the internet, there's no excuse not to make it real. So yes, imagine the scene, but then back up your imagination with ride-alongs, reading specific, relevant articles and biographies. It will not only make people ask how you know so much, the research will INSPIRE plot twists.
 

andadu27101

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I’m not Russian, but know the country pretty well. The Russian Mafia is much more complex than what we had/have in this country. It’s all across the country and doesn’t stop at its borders…actually it’s much involved in all former republics. Different organizations control large swats of the country and at times fight one another. If you have specific questions ask and I’ll try to help.
 

beckyhammer

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Research, imagination and more research. With everything on the internet, there's no excuse not to make it real. So yes, imagine the scene, but then back up your imagination with ride-alongs, reading specific, relevant articles and biographies. It will not only make people ask how you know so much, the research will INSPIRE plot twists.

Yes! So many times while working on my WIP, factual research suggested new directions for my plot.
 

field19

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That's cool. Could you expound upon what kind of 'rituals' they engage in both in the initiation process and afterwords?
 

Laer Carroll

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I have the same problem with my CIA story. I've never been an operative, nor was I trained in the martial arts or joined Delta Force...
Sounds like some of your ideas have been shaped by popular movies and books. As others in this thread have pointed out, those sources talk about the exciting stuff. Those people (operatives) are a small fraction of the Agency. Most agents do ordinary stuff like support, analysis, management, and other unexciting stuff. And even the operatives everyday life includes a lot of unexciting stuff: study, training, etc.

The average agent couldn't box their way out of a paper bag and hasn't shot a weapon in a couple of decades. (For one thing, they are supposed to be smart enough to avoid trouble, not get into it.) Even the on-the-ground spies rarely do anything exciting; if they did all the secrets they discovered would be worthless.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Intelligence_Agency

http://www.worldcat.org/title/from-...s-and-how-they-won-the-cold-war/oclc/33947302
 

Purplesnow

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Talk to cops or criminal attorneys, too. I'm happy to answer specific questions, if I can help.

Hi Mark,

Do you know anything on the forensic side and body identification?

I posted something in the other forum about wanting help, then I just saw this so thought it might be worth asking you
 

dinky_dau

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There's at least two different types of 'true crime' book (in my humble layman's estimation).

Beginning with Truman Capote's 'In Cold Blood' (though he was not exactly the first, as is often claimed) then on to writers like Thomas Thompson ('Blood & Money', 'Serpentine') and then stuff like 'A Murder in Canaan' and 'The Shoemaker' (in more recent times, both authors female)...and then more famous titles like 'Fatal Vision' and 'Executioner's Song' and finally, notable works by Joseph Wambaugh ('The Onion Field', 'Echoes in the Darkness') ...by now I'm sure you know the kind of book I mean. In spite of themselves, they are written novelistically, and unfortunately at times, somewhat sensationally.

Reference & research books are a whole other matter. Very different style of book. These are the kind I would rather steer you to. There's less verbiage to wade through; and more cold, hard, data. I think for the sake of creating something unique (unpolluted by other authors) this is perhaps the best bet.

These days there are even reference books specifically written by crime experts for the crime author's markets. An example of this trend might be:
'The Crime Writer's Reference Guide: 1001 Tips On Writing the Perfect Murder' by Martin Roth

...but there are many others too. Good luck!
 
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