The Crime Writers’ Association

Join the CWA

Join the CWA Who can join? We offer full membership for those in the UK and overseas who have had published a full length work of crime fiction or non-fiction, and provisional membership for those who have a contract from a recognised publishing ho...


Notes on Word Count for CWA Writing Competitions

Different competitions have different rules – and different levels of rigour in the way they apply them. For the Debut Dagger we are super-strict. We ask for entries not to exceed 3,000 words (1,500 words for the synopsis) by even a word. The ti...


St Hilda’s College Crime Fiction Weekend

The Crime Fiction Weekend at St Hilda’s College, Oxford, celebrates its 30th year in 2023 with an all-star line-up of bestselling authors. Centred on this year’s theme, ‘Celebrations: innocent parties, guilty pleasures’, our guest speakers wi...


Crime Writers Emerging from Lockdown with JG Harlond

Escaping through a picture window... My study has a sliding picture window opening onto a balcony. From my desk I can see the Sierra de Las Nieves in the Province of Málaga, Spain. This was where the Moors of al-Ándalus harvested snow for sherbet ...


Noirwich Crime Writing Festival

East Anglia’s largest annual celebration of crime writing returns to Norwich on 12 – 15 September 2019. Join us in Norwich UNESCO City of Literature for a four-day spectacular of author readings, panel discussions on hot topics, exhibitions, boo...


Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Masterclass

In association with the University of Stirling, this masterclass for writers features Booker shortlisted Graeme Macrae Burnet; author (& Slice Girl!) A K Benedict; and advice on writing a synopsis and pitch by Alison Belsham (who won Pitch Perfec...


CWA Annual Conference: Edinburgh, April 2017

CWA Edinburgh Conference 21 – 23 April 2017 The CWA Annual Conference, open to CWA members only, is shaping up to be a lot of fun – and a chance to get together with fellow writers in a superb setting in Edinburgh, the Jekyll and Hyde of cities ...


Crime Writers in Residence – at home with Jim Eldridge

The CRA: Please tell us a little about yourself and the books you write. I have been a writer for almost 50 years, the first 30 as a scriptwriter, then writing children's books, and - since 2016 - writing historical crime fiction for adults. My curr...


Crime Writers in Residence – at home with John Dean

The CRA: Please tell us a little about yourself and the books you write. A journalist by trade, I worked as a crime reporter on newspapers for part of my career, which gave me ample material for my crime novels. I ran my own business for 21 years, s...


Crime Writers in Residence – at home with GJ Minett

Hi! My name is GJ Minett and my fourth novel, which will be published on July 9 by Bonnier Zaffre, is called The Syndicate. The CRA: Please tell us a little about yourself and the books you write. For several years I taught in an 11-18 comprehen...


Join the CWA

Become part of a thriving community of successful crime writers with invaluable support, expertise and marketing opportunities for all our members.


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