Having dipped our toes into the world of authorship and all things literary, we’re under no illusion how unique and valuable our expertise and knowledge is to the community of crime-writers across the U.K. (and beyond).
Our most recent event, in May 2017, was attended by new writers – whose books were still a mass of notes and swirling ideas; and those further down their writing journey – with finished manuscripts ripe for tweaking. The workshops, for the former, saw plot lines sprout and wend. For the authors who had carved out their tale of murder and mystery, the sessions enabled them to hone their theories, develop their perpetrators and saviours, and bring true authenticity to their work.
TV dramas and crime programmes are not a true reflection of what happens in real-life – in fact, some couldn’t be further away from describing actual police procedure and protocol, a reflection of the judicial process, or people’s reactions to crime scenes (whether they’re the ones committing the crime, discovering it, or those trying to solve it)!
When we say we’re the experts, we mean it. All the authors in attendance got to interrogate our experts who have decades and decades of experience between them. From within our national police service, we have CSIs, Detective Superintendents and Sergeants, Road-traffic specialists, Forensic Scientists and other experts from this discipline; Fire Officers, and other law enforcement professionals.
Authors were shown various re-enacted crime scenes, and real-life cases were discussed and dissected. Then it was their turn: “Does this plotline work?”; “Would this happen in real life?”; “Is it plausible that my murderer used this as a weapon?”; “How long would a body take to decompose in this setting?”….these were just some of the specific questions fired at our staff. That the authors could ask such bespoke questions about their plot…well, let’s just say they thought it was “priceless”. Generic information and answers that only scratch the surface are not helpful when you’re trying to build your credibility as a crime author. Our intervention is proof that the authors have done their research.
But don’t take our word for it. Here’s what one attendee wrote about the experience.
Our next event is on September 10th 2017. There is a morning workshop: 10am – 1pm, then we do it all again in the afternoon: 2pm – 5pm. Each session is priced at £49 per person.
Other comments we received:
“I found out as much as possible about how to commit a crime, how it’s processed, and the effects and limitations the police work with every single day – whilst staying on the right side of the law! The staff at Think Forensic were patient and extremely knowledgeable; the workshop has made a real difference to my writing, as well as sparking off ideas for a few more plots. It didn’t feel like ‘work’; it was so much fun!” Lesley Briggs, Doncaster
I attended one of Think Forensic’s crime writers’ workshops; although I’m not a crime writer myself, I found it fascinating to learn specific intel, and how a criminal case is solved. I felt inspired after attending the workshop and now have an idea for my next project! Excellent staff delivering the workshop, and it was amazing to hear of cases they’d worked on in the past. I hope to attend another one – keep them coming! Gemma Owen-Kendall, East Yorkshire
Really enjoyed the authors’ workshop, and looking forward to putting in the detail the experts gave me – it makes my work so much more credible. Highly recommended for all crime authors! Claire Hopkins, Cardiff
