Crafting Crime Online Home Study Course

Fiction Feedback has partnered with award-winning author and editor Martin Edwards to create an online home study course called Crafting Crime.

The course comprises 12 written modules and 12 podcasts in which Diamond Dagger winner Martin discusses the details of writing craft with Dea Parkin, Editor-in-chief at Fiction Feedback and Secretary of the Crime Writers’ Association. The course is aimed at those who’d rather learn independently without the constraints of classroom sessions. A critique of your novel opening and synopsis is included in the price.

The content will help you to consider and apply the different elements of writing a crime novel, with explanations of tried and tested tips and tricks from Martin and many other best-selling authors from around the world. It also prepares you for the writing life and casts a guiding light on the publishing world.

The Crafting Crime written modules alone run to over 60,000 words and include countless tips and quotes from leading crime writers from around the globe including Elly Griffiths, Michael Robotham, Steve Cavanagh, Hank Phillippi Ryan and Soji Shimada, as well as insider know-how from literary agents and publishers. There’s supplementary material, such as a sample pitch to publishers, plus editorial guidance on practical ways of making sure your work stands out from the crowd.

Martin has conducted in-person workshops throughout the country for aspiring crime writers so knows what information crime authors seek. Martin is series consultant for the British Library’s popular Crime Classics and his expertise in the genre is acknowledged within the crime-writing world. He has written three series of crime novels and several non-fiction books on the subject of crime writing and crime writers. These include multi-award-winning The Golden Age of Murder and Howdunit, which he conceived as a collection of essays on the ‘art and graft’ of crime writing by top authors such as Ann Cleeves, Ian Rankin, Mark Billingham and Val McDermid.

Dea Parkin, who heads Fiction Feedback, said: ‘Martin has strongly supported our work with crime writers since we started out in 2008. President of the Detection Club and the longest-serving Chair of the Crime Writers’ Association in modern times, his experience of encouraging fellow writers through the challenges of the writing life shine through in Crafting Crime. His expertise and can-do approach to writing make him our perfect partner.’

The course costs £499 and is available from www.craftingcrime.com.