by Alain Simard

Created on: October 03, 2007   Last Updated: August 16, 2009

Crime fiction is one of the most popular contemporary fiction genres. For any mystery author, there are always two key elements: the plot and the characters. The two concepts usually go hand in hand with each other. The characters should be created to fit the plot and theme of the piece. The plot should also suit the characters.

The creation of characters largely depends on the tone of the story. The centralization on characters depends upon the style of the author. For instance, a novel in the third person may provide more character insight on many characters, while a first person novel would focus more on the persona of the main character's voice. First person reveals more about an individual character as opposed to all of the characters.

One of the most important characters would be the one who acts as the detective. The detective can be a man or woman of different backgrounds from one story to the next. If you were to write a murder piece involving law enforcement, the detective would likely be an officer or a police investigator. The detective could also be a private investigator.

One good tip to find out how other authors have described their detectives would be to read books containing famous detectives like Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Miss Jane Marple, and others.

If in third person, the detective, depending on the situation, should keep a slight bit of aloofness. It would be considered a sign of the character's thought methods. The detective should likewise have some form of a quirk in their personality.

In first person, you reveal much more about the detective if he is the one telling the story. The detective would then reveal more of their inner thoughts and personality. Normally, most detectives display an extremely high sense of intelligence and skill at problem solving.

Another important character: The Murderer. Generally, the murderer is the least likely person to commit the crime. This character is crucial to all forms of crime fiction. There is no set way to create the murderer. Some possible suggestions are:

1.Do not include them in the suspect list.

2.Let them have an openly friendly personality.

3.Make them have a form of a mental disorder.

4.Do not give them a small role. Let the audience know that the person is there without giving away their disguise.

5.Give them some form of a dark past.

6.Let them seem like everyone else in the piece.

The Victim. Most of the time, the victim does not make an appearance-alive-in the

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