Award-winning crime writer and popular workshop leader Martin Edwards has partnered with editorial consultancy Fiction Feedback to offer a different kind of crime-writing course. Crafting Crime is aimed at serious writers who wish to study independently yet also receive a critique of their work.
Crafting Crime is accessed online and comprises 12 written modules mainly drawn from Martin’s extensive experience of conducting writing workshops. The student can download and study these, together with 12 podcasts in which Diamond Dagger winner Martin discusses the details of writing craft with Dea Parkin, Editor-in-chief at Fiction Feedback and Secretary of the Crime Writers’ Association.
The exclusive course is tailored for writers who prefer to write and study at times to suit themselves, rather than be restricted by a classroom timetable and environment. Students are invited to send the opening and synopsis of their crime novel for a free, professional critique from Fiction Feedback. There are also exercises with every module for students to work through at their leisure.
Martin has conducted in-person workshops throughout the country for aspiring crime writers and in 2018 won the Dagger in the Library. Martin is series consultant for the British Library’s popular Crime Classics and his expertise in the genre is acknowledged within the crime-writing world. He has written three series of crime novels and several non-fiction books on the subject of crime writing and crime writers. These include multi-award-winning The Golden Age of Murder and Howdunit, which he conceived as a collection of essays on the ‘art and graft’ of crime writing by top authors such as Ann Cleeves, Ian Rankin, Mark Billingham and Val McDermid.
The Crafting Crime written modules alone run to over 60,000 words and include countless tips and quotes from leading crime writers from around the globe including Elly Griffiths, Michael Robotham, Steve Cavanagh, Hank Phillippi Ryan and Soji Shimada, as well as insider know-how from literary agents and publishers. In addition, there is a wealth of supplementary material, such as a sample pitch to publishers, plus editorial guidance on practical ways of making sure your work stands out from the crowd.
Martin said: ‘Writers flourish in a flexible and encouraging environment. Crafting Crime not only gives technical information about writing but also practical advice and hints about managing the writing life; about how to combine writing with working and how to deal with rejection, as well as the different ways of forging a career as a published writer.’
Dea Parkin, who heads Fiction Feedback, said: ‘Martin has strongly supported our work with crime writers since we started out in 2008. He was the longest-serving Chair of the Crime Writers’ Association in modern times and his experience of encouraging fellow writers through the challenges of the writing life shine through in Crafting Crime. His expertise and can-do approach to writing make him our perfect partner.’
The course costs £499 (about $660) and is available from www.craftingcrime.com. Writers can learn more about the course from the short video below. The email address for enquiries is cc@fictionfeedback.co.uk.
