Overview
An in-depth approach to the craft of writing crime fiction, via the study and practice of the genre’s key techniques, elements and conventions.
Crime fiction is a genre of enduring popularity and global reach. Since ‘all narrative is at some level detective fiction’ (John Yorke), to understand crime fiction is to understand how narrative works. This paper will equip students with the key techniques and skills involved in writing crime fiction. Each weekly three-hour session of ENGL 475 will involve a mixture of close reading assignments, critical analysis, creative writing exercises, and peer critique/workshopping.
You will explore topics such as character, setting, dialogue, story structure and research as you work towards producing a 6,000-word piece of crime fiction plus a 2,000-word exegesis. The paper also provides insight into the business side of crime fiction, exploring the processes of pitching, publication and promotion.
Taught principally by award-winning crime writer Professor Liam McIlvanney, the paper will feature guest appearances (both virtual and in person) from a range of other crime writers and industry professionals. ENGL 475 is a paper for anyone wishing to compose propulsive, strongly plotted and suspenseful narratives.
About this paper
| Paper title | Reading and Writing Crime Fiction |
|---|---|
| Subject | English |
| EFTS | 0.2500 |
| Points | 30 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 1 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $1,972.25 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- 72 points from 300-level ENGL papers
- Eligibility
Students who do not meet the prerequisites but have prior experience with writing fiction should contact the department to discuss their eligibility.
- Contact
- More information link
- Teaching staff
- Paper Structure
Topics to be covered will include: setting; structure; dialogue; protagonists and antagonists; research; action writing; suspense and foreshadowing; clues and red herrings; editing and revising; pitching, publication and promotion.
- Teaching Arrangements
This paper is taught on campus via a weekly three-hour seminar.
- Textbooks
Students will study one crime novel in close detail (the novel may vary from year to year), as well as extracts from other novels, alongside critical essays and extracts from writing guides. The essays and extracts will be available on Blackboard.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
Global perspective, communication, and critical thinking.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.- Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the paper will:
- Demonstrate a detailed theoretical knowledge and practical command of the key techniques, elements and conventions of the literary genre of crime fiction.
- Understand the historical development of crime fiction as a genre, and comprehend something of the range and variety of modes and sub-genres encompassed within the genre.
- Demonstrate an ability to conceive, research, plan, structure, execute and revise a short work of crime fiction, observing – and, where appropriate, modifying – the principal literary conventions of the genre.
- Demonstrate an advanced capacity to analyse and evaluate the literary and linguistic features of narrative prose, articulating their findings cogently both orally and in writing.
- Assessment details
- Fiction Chapter 1 (1,000 words) 10%
- Fiction Chapter 2 (1,500 words) 15%
- Exegesis (2,000 words) 25%
- Final Creative Submission (6,000 words) 50%
Note that the first two assessments (Fiction Chapter 1 and Fiction Chapter 2) may be revised and incorporated in the Final Creative Submission.