Mystery Writing Resources

Mystery Writing Resources for Beginner and Established Writers

I've listed resources for all phases of your writing and research needs, including information on crime scenes, forensics, the law; and much more...

________________________
"Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please."
~ Mark Twain ________________________

Get out your pencil, or get ready to copy and paste, because you'll want to take notes...

General Resources

Blood at the Source: Research Tips for Mystery Writers
Wonderful resource site.

Manuscript Editing.com
Directory of online resources.

Twists, Slugs and Roscoes
A Glossary of Hardboiled Slang.

Mystery Writing Resources
Resources from Mystery Writers of America

Mystery Writer Forum
Share trials, tribulations, research problems and triumphs on a supportive, threaded bulletin board system

Writing Dialogue that Speaks
A Guide to Writing Realistic Dialogue in Fiction

Writing Gym
Strengthen your writing, meet friends' writing, and have fun!.

Plotting Your Novel
6 Steps To A Perfect Plot.

Getting Away With Murder
A Short Course on Mystery Writing

Forensics

These are sites you'll want to pay close attention to in order to make your crimes and investigations real.

Crime Scene Investigator
A lot of resources to make your crime scene real.

Zeno"s Forensic Site
Extensive information on forensic science, forensic psychiatry and other aspects of forensic evidence.

DNA & Forensic Science Criminal Investigations
Good information and plenty of links on this site.

Latent Print Examination
Get the scoop on the examination of fingerprints, footprints and palmprints.

Forensic Science
Explores the different aspects of forensics and emphasises the key role forensic science plays in determining the innocence/guilt of a suspect.

The Law

Laws, procedures and resources to keep your story in line with reality. Depending on your crime, it's location and your sleuths, you should also look into specific state and federal laws.

Legal Explanations.com
A to Z directory of legal terms. Great resource for mystery writing.

'Lectric Law Library
A wonderfully wacky place with a lot of information.

FBI
Basic information on their organization.

Crime Scene & Investigation

Great resources to assist your gumshoe, PI, detective, the little old lady next door who solves crimes to keep from being bored, or whomever is going to be your crime solver.

Crime and Clues
The Art and Science of Criminal Investigation. Great site.

Cops 'n Writers
Cops 'n Writers is a consulting service for writers who wish to incorporate law enforcement elements into their writings.

Criminal Psycology
An enormous amount of information provided by true crime stories. Also find out what makes serial killers tick.

Crime Scene Investigations
Investigating the crime scene from start to finish.

How Private Investigators Work
A lot of good information on the work of the PI.

Police Writer Association
Knowledge, resources and networking for Police writers.

Types of Wiretaps, Bugs and Methods
Get the scoop on bugging and wiretapping.

Weapons

Choose your weapon! Here are a few sites that can provide some information on common murder weapons for your story.

Firearms Tutorial
Designed to provide a working knowledge of the types of firearms, the types of ammunition used, the nature of injuries that can be produced in the body, and the investigative techniques employed by the forensic pathologist in assessing firearms injuries.

Arson
Extensive resources of information about arson, and it's effects

Herbs
All about herbs and their effects.

A History of Poison
Poisons, their antidotes and how poison has been used throughout history to the present day.

Building Fictional Characters

In this section, you'll find links to websites, articles and workshops to help you build true-to-life characters

Creating Fictional Characters
Information from Fiction Factor on building characters..

Holly Lisle
Resource for building characters and plots.

Character Chart 2
Fiction writer's character chart.

Character Building Workshop
An independent study of your characters using an online questionnaires.

Research Links

I have found some great sites to help you do your research without leaving your computer chairs! You will find links to subjects including forensics, medicine, history, time periods, and more

Murder By Proxy
Ezy-Link eBook of resources provides a collection of resources every mystery writer should have right at their fingertips! Contains information AND close to a thousand links to the best resources for your mystery writing.

When Rigor Mortis Sets In
Great source for Rigor Mortis information.

The Herbal Encyclopedia
An alphabetical listing of healing herbs and other healing information.

________________________

"It's not the murder. It's the waiting for the murder."
~Kit Sloan, mystery writer

________________________