where and how to start with research when you know nothing?

If you're writing contemporary stuff, it might be worth reading some of the crime novels set in LA, such as the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly. There's also a shed load of true crime books about the place.

Follow Helix's advice--read some examples of the genre/setting you hope to emulate. You can also contact the LAPD for help (see link).

http://www.lapdonline.org/inside_the_lapd/content_basic_view/2022

At some point, craft a chapter (or a scene or two) and post it in the Share Your Work section for some feedback (prepare yourself for some frequently blatant candor).

If you have specific questions, you can ask here. There are a number of fellow writers on this board who have real world LE experience and can be very generous with their expertise (you may be surprised how helpful they can be); just don't expect them to ghost write the book for you . Best of luck!

It's a bit daunting, that's for sure. But maybe start with a detailed synopsis to work out what you absolutely need to know about procedure in LAPD and go from there.

If you do abandon plans to set it in Los Angeles, don't forget that crime readers absolutely love stories set in places that aren't LA, NY and London.

I would recommend this book for police procedures. I also found this. (There are many editions) As far as medical stuff goes, you can look a lot of that up on the Internet. Is there anything in particular you are looking for medical-wise?

Maybe read through the LAPD Blog

But as far as the setting goes, movies really are shot in places all over the United States. Two movies were recently filmed in Buffalo, NY and Lewiston NY which are within 20 miles of me, and our corner of the United States gets very little attention so two movies within a couple years was a big hullabaloo. The Patriot featuring Mel Gibson was shot in S. Carolina for a majority of the scenes. Perhaps if film sets, actors / actresses are involved get an idea what kind of movie is being made and where else scenes for the movie could be filmed. Also, if you decide to place the setting in a more rural area (like where I live) you could have fun with the rubberneckers and all the people desperate to have cameo appearances in the film. You could use those people as obstacles for the criminals or police, depending on the circumstances, if you really wanted to.

These were the movies filmed near me. The one in Lewiston: Link 1, Link 2, Link 3

Can't find a link to the recent one in Buffalo, but I did find this.

In selecting western New York for filming, the movie’s director said, “You can’t get Niagara Falls anywhere else, you can’t get the subway, you can’t get the aquarium, you can’t get the history museum, you can’t get the hotels, you can’t do all of this in Los Angeles. You couldn’t make this film for the price that we have.”

Other filmmakers have praised Buffalo for the city’s use in movies, such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Executive Producer Denis Stewart.

“It was remarkably fast and easy, the situation was streamlined really well by the city,” said Stewart. “We scouted Syracuse, Albany, Rochester, we looked all over the state. We got here to Buffalo and the setting was just right.”

Click to expand...

I also found a list of movies filmed in Buffalo, NY Linky

So you may want to put more thought into the setting than just choosing LA.

This is some random stuff that might be irrelevant, but it might help you get an idea on things to research. For example the following link is a link to the Court Process in Buffalo, also the District Attorney's office. This is a link to Erie County Sheriff's department. Here is a possibly irrelevant book, but studying past and present crimes of the city-in-question is a good idea too.

Pick a location and scope through the local websites. Whether it's in Buffalo or if it's in LA, get a feel for their procedures because laws differ by state. What's illegal in NY may be legal in Colorado so also know the possible crime in question that creates the foundation for the plot. Also get an idea for the population. For example, Buffalo has a large colored population and, unfortunately, racism is prevalent in the city, but racism isn't really an issue in the rural towns like Lewiston. (My brother worked as an EMT in Buffalo and saw a lot that went on. The inner-city police can be rather brutal)

Interesting, I found an article that Buffalo police are dropping college requirements. Article.



Wow, I feel like I could write a story about movies and crimes in Buffalo, NY now and I only did like 15 minutes of research. Lol. The big thing is knowing what to look for, I guess. I don't live in Los Angeles and the LAPD is definitely a more daunting task than choosing a small place in the USA. Also, the smaller the town, the more freedom you might have.

If you happen to choose a location in WNY, let me know. I can help you with the geography and personality of the people. And depending on the crime, I might be able to help a little, but I'm not a police officer. I do however work for a surgeon. Never went to school for medicine, but I've learned some things on the job.


But in general, just read mysteries by American writers. You'll learn some things, and I really don't think you should have to PAY someone to help you oversee your book. Read, research, write. When in doubt come here and ask for help. We'll help you for free.

Sorry the LAPD wasn't more helpful (they used to be much more amenable to such requests--but alas, times change).
Since you're not in the US, I realize that it can be a bit difficult to understand the considerable diversity of LE jurisdictions, investigative responsibilities, and police procedures in the US. From just a statutory perspective federal, state, county, and municipal laws & regulations are in play, frequently overlap, and can easily overwhelm the uninitiated. If you still want to dive into the maelstrom of US police procedure, PM me.

You should go ahead and write your story if you have an idea. Once you're done, you can research and start making a lot of changes to be accurate. It can be painful, but for me, if I try to research and then write, I don't ever write. It's like running a business. The business will tell you what you need once you have it going. Your book will also tell you what you need once you're into it and focus on learning a little every day. You're a writer and most likely have many years to live. Most great works take time. Books are rarely written overnight and good ones are never written overnight.

I try to stick with things I do know about for my main plot, and then generalize, without too much detail, and with supplemental research, on things I don't for the fill-in sub plots. My protagonist is a private investigator who is a former US Army military intelligence officer, who started out as enlisted Infantry during the cold war.

So citing a novel about an LAPD crime investigation, my approach would be to have the POV of a private investigator peripherally involved in the case, and bring in researched LAPD procedural activities as warranted. But honestly, as you get in to it, I think that you will find that researching and applying procedure and protocol is really not that difficult, as most of the drama is brought in through character development and personal interactions. My PI will have flashbacks to is former soldier/MI days which go in to agonizing detail (and some are based on events and situations that actually happened) and the LAPD jerks (or heroes) will focus less on strict procedure and more on dialogue and action.

Also understand that you don't actually have to be technically perfect, or even correct to have a good selling novel. Case in point - James Bond. Entertaining? Yes. Books popular? Yes. Credible plots? Accurate depiction of intelligence agency operations and procedures? Give me a break. If you're a good writer, you can fudge the unknown to sound believable.

The biggest challenge for a writer taking on a foreign POV is getting the customs and colloquialisms right. I sometimes have characters from the UK and Australia, and I have no problem with incorporating their phraseology in dialogue, but I wouldn't attempt to set my own plot centered in the UK or Australia from the perspective of a local citizen. I'm not saying it can't be pulled off, but it would take a lot of work. I would, however, be comfortable placing my American there, and writing primarily from his POV.