It’s All In the Point of View by Jared Cade
If you ask most people what point of view is, they will probably answer along the lines: ‘It’s whether you write in the first person (I thought he looked ill) or third person (She thought he looked ill). It’s a little more complicated than that...
The Art of Editing by John Dean
I have always said, somewhat glibly, that I dislike writing and love rewriting. There is an awful lot of truth in the statement and it comes home particularly when I have completed the first draft of a novel. I do derive some satisfaction from the in...
Minor Characters by J G Harlond
Most characters in a crime novels are potential suspects, so even if they are minor or secondary characters, make their presence and dialogue meaningful. In historical crime fiction these people should of course also reflect or exemplify the lifestyl...
Seven Writing Tips from Leigh Russell
Chair of the CWA Debut Dagger judges, Leigh Russell, has sold well over a million books. Writer’s Block The best cure for writer’s block is a deadline. If you’re not fortunate enough to have an external deadline set by a publisher, you can ...
How I got by with a little help from the internet – on credibility, by Nikki Dudley
Last year, my psychological thriller, Volta, won the Virginia Prize for Fiction 2020. Fast forward to this year and after receiving my first round of edits, I had one big problem: credibility! My novel features three characters who are a lawyer, a th...
‘Three pieces of writing advice I’ve never forgotten’ by Helen Cooper
For years, I’ve been collecting writing tips from wherever I can get them. While I was trying to get published, and after I succeeded, my addiction to studying the craft of writing never went away. But there are three particular gems of advice that...
What if? by D B Carew
Hello, my name is Derrick and I write under the name D.B. Carew. I’ve been a member of the Crime Writers’ Association and Crime Readers’ Association since 2013. I thought I’d share a bit of the story of how I came to be introduced to the CWA/...
Third time lucky with the Debut Dagger, by Anna Caig
I’ve wanted to write crime fiction ever since I read Death on the Nile as a teenager and was blown away that something so clever, so dazzling and brilliant, could even exist. But life takes over, doesn’t it. It was only in 2017, when I saved up e...
Opening Windows, by John Kennedy
A certain writer, arguably lauded for the wrong things but at the same time often underrated, once said something about writing behind closed doors and rewriting with the window open. Well, for me, the Debut Dagger competition opened that window. Get...
Private: Joffe Books New Publication Prize for Crime Writers of Colour
Joffe Books, in conjunction with bestselling crime writer Dorothy Koomson and literary agent Susan Yearwood, is seeking to discover a new crime fiction writer to join our bestselling list. We are launching a new writing prize for unagented crime fict...
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