You’re Invited to Crime Writer’s Week
Love writing crime? This FREE event is for you.
Whether you’re crafting a police procedural, a whodunnit, or a good old-fashioned mystery, you won’t want to miss this week-long crime-writing summit.
We are thrilled to announce our first ever Crime Writer’s Week. It’s jam-packed with events to help crime and thriller authors develop their craft.
Attend live sessions with bestselling authors, including Karin Slaughter, Lisa Gardner, Ian Rankin, Leigh Russell, Peter James, K.J. Howe, Steve Berry, Fiona Cummins, and more.
There will also be workshops on writing and editing crime novels, insider publishing advice from the Deputy Publishing Director for Crime Fiction at Simon & Schuster, as well as sessions with former police detective, Graham Bartlett, on how to make your crime scenes and police procedures more realistic.
This free summit will take place online, so you are welcome to join from anywhere in the world.
Can’t make a session? No problem. We’ll send you a replay to watch at your convenience.
Click here to sign up (for FREE) now
Crime Writer’s Week Schedule at a Glance
Scroll down for more detail about each event.
Monday, April 19
The Elements of a Crime Novel: From Planning to Plot (12 PM ET / 5 PM UK)
Presented by: Leigh Russell, Bestselling Author
Every genre requires a unique approach, and crime writing is no different. In this session, internationally bestselling crime author Leigh Russell will take you through the key elements of the crime writing process.
Crime Writing: Secrets of the Genre (2 PM ET / 7 PM UK)
Presented by: Anne Hawley and Rachelle Ramirez of Pages & Platforms
Do you have an idea for a mystery, heist, or puzzle story but don’t yet know how to structure it? Got some bad deeds, clues, and some scenes that don’t really work together or entertain? Want to introduce moments of heightened danger and plot twists into your writing? You’re in the right place. In this webinar, you’ll learn the crime story essentials so that you can create intrigue for your readers and have them recommending your story to others.
Tuesday, April 20
Crime Scene Management, Police Interviewing and Covert Tactics (12 PM ET / 5 PM UK)
Presented by: Graham Bartlett, Police Advisor
Retired detective, bestselling author and advisor to over eighty crime novelists and TV writers, Graham Bartlett will help your WIP ooze authenticy. Learn how police use mobile phones, vehicles, CCTV, and social media in their investigations, as well as authentic police interview techniques (avoiding the good cop/bad cop trope) that are used by police today. Getting police tactics right is essential if you want to write a realistic and sizzling crime novel.
Insider Advice on Getting Published (2 PM ET / 7 PM UK)
Presented by: Katherine Armstrong, Deputy Publishing Director, Crime & Thriller Fiction, at Simon & Schuster
The session is intended to demystify the publishing process for writers, give advice on how to get published and answer any questions you might have about traditional publishing.
How to Edit Your Crime Novel With ProWritingAid (4 PM ET / 9 PM UK)
Presented by: Hayley Milliman, Head of Education at ProWritingAid
It doesn’t matter how many hours you spent meticulously crafting your crime novel’s plot. If your writing isn’t clear and effective, your readers won’t engage with it. That’s where editing technology can help. In this workshop, we’ll dive into how to use ProWritingAid to make key edits to your crime manuscript.
Wednesday, April 21
The History & the Mystery: Selecting and Creating an Authentic Setting for Crime Fiction (10 AM ET / 3 PM UK)
Presented by: Fiona Veitch Smith
Fiona Veitch Smith is the author of the Poppy Denby Investigates novels, Golden Age-style murder mysteries set in the 1920s (Lion Fiction). Fiona will give tips on how to research and build an historical fictional world and the importance of selecting the right investigator within the constraints and possibilities of the period.
Thriller Writer Panel Discussion (12 PM ET / 5PM UK)
Presented by: International Thriller Writers (ITW)
ITW Executive Director, K.J. Howe will be joined by four of their members for a lively discussion around the joys and pains of writing thrillers. Expect great tips and life lessons from these popular writers as they discuss their writing journeys so far.
Moderated by K.J. Howe
Panelists: Steve Berry, Lisa Gardner, Ian Rankin, Karin Slaughter
Common Police Mistakes Made by Crime Writers and How to Avoid Them (2 PM ET / 7PM UK)
Presented by: Graham Bartlett, Police Advisor
Graham will be back again to share the most common errors that authors get wrong in their crime novels. Who really runs a homicide investigation? When does a missing person report become a murder enquiry? Find out the answers to these and many more bloopers that could spoil your next bestseller.
Thursday, April 22
Debut Dagger Awards Long List Announcement (11 AM ET / 4 PM UK)
Presented by: The Crime Writers’ Association
For over two decades the CWA has been encouraging new writing with its Debut Dagger competition for unpublished writers. The submissions are judged by a panel of top crime editors and agents.
How to Market Your Self-Published Crime Novel (12 PM ET / 5 PM UK)
Presented by: Nick Stephenson, Crime Author and Founder of Your First 10k Readers
Marketing your book comes down to mastering three key things: traffic, conversions, and scaling up. With the right systems in place for these three things, you can grow your readership and sales without spending your entire day ‘worrying about marketing’. Join USA Today Bestselling author Nick Stephenson as he breaks down some real-world results using examples from his Crime/Thriller series (and others too) and shows you how to find your first 10,000 readers by implementing these three core strategies.
Interview with Fiona Cummins (2 PM ET / 7 PM UK)
Interviewed by: Lisa Lepki, CMO at ProWritingAid
Fiona Cummins is the award-winning author of Rattle, The Collector and The Neighbour. Her work has received widespread critical acclaim from authors including Ian Rankin, Val McDermid and Lee Child. We’ll be chatting to her about breaking into the world of crime writing, and what it’s like to see her fourth book, When I Was Ten, being adapted for television.
Friday, April 23
Get access to the final day of Crime Writer’s Week with your ProWritingAid Premium license. We’ll be hosting an interview with bestselling author Peter James, an editing deep dive, and a Q+A with a police adviser. Don’t miss out!
The Three Stages of Editing Your Crime Manuscript (9 AM ET/ 2 PM UK)
Presented by: Hayley Milliman, ProWritingAid’s Head of Education
As nice as it would be, writing your crime novel isn’t over when you type “The End.” In fact, the actual work is just beginning. During the editing process, your novel will go from rough first draft to thrilling final manuscript. In this workshop, Hayley will walk you through the most important edits you should make to your manuscript to ensure it’s publish-ready.
Interview with Peter James (11 AM ET / 4 PM UK)
Interviewed by: Lisa Lepki, CMO at ProWritingAid
Peter James has become synonymous with plot-twisting page-turners, and has won over 40 awards for his work and achieved 17 Sunday Times Bestsellers to date. Learn from the master what it takes to write gripping crime novels that keep readers hooked.
Police Advisor Q&A (1 PM ET / 6PM UK)
Presented by: Graham Bartlett, Police Advisor
This is your chance to bring YOUR questions about police work and crime scene investigations to Graham Bartlett, retired detective, best selling author and advisor to over eighty crime novelists (including Peter James).
Connect with Fellow Crime Writers
Writing can be lonely — especially in current times. We want to help you find your partners in crime writing.
Join our dedicated Crime Writer’s Week Facebook group meet other writers who love writing thrillers as much as you do.
Many of our presenters will also be accessible in the group to answer your questions.
See you there!
Join Daily Networking Sessions During Crime Writer’s Week
We will also be hosting daily networking sessions with fun activities all based around your love of crime fiction.
Details to follow.
Click here to sign up (for FREE) now
Originally published at https://prowritingaid.com.
