True Crime: These Cases Are Real

I’m a fan of true crime. I founded a writers' conference (Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference) partly because of my desire to explore it, learn more about forensics and law enforcement, and hang out with writers who spend their lives looking through humanity's gory, true-life details. 

I like the genre because it combines elements of journalism, narrative storytelling, and psychological insight into why people sometimes do what they do. As a mystery and thriller writer, I gain much from reading true crime. I deal with characters. Characters are based on living people. Living people and all their ugliness (the criminal) and their determination (the investigator) can be found in great true crime books. The purpose of the books is not to glorify the crime or the criminals, as I’ve heard some say. Instead, when handled appropriately, no sensationalism is used. Instead, the genre is there to inform, connect, and quantify the complexities of crime and its effect on others who are either victims or observers by looking at human behavior, morality, the pros and cons of the justice system and the legal process, and where do we go from here.

Unlike fiction, though a good true crime reads as a novel, true crime is centered on actual events, and if the author is worth her salt, everything written, including conversations, is exact, accurate, and happened just as it is relayed. This comes from first-source information such as police reports, trial transcripts, eyewitness accounts, witnesses, and even the perpetrator and victims. What is explored is wide. It can be anything from murder, which seems to be the most common, to kidnapping, fraud, and the ever-popular subject of organized crime. True crime is not about the graphic incident. It’s also not simply journalistic as in a newspaper article. Instead, it goes a step further and delves into the motivations of criminals, the mentality and reactions of the victims, and through themes such as justice, morality, and societal response, it is a mirror looking back at us as a society and how we deal with the hurts inflicted on others.

People have different reasons for being attracted to true crime. I have several. My main interest is the psychology behind the villains and the heroes or victims. I like to learn about their character motivations. What makes them tick. What makes them do what they do. What makes them want to persist when a case grows cold. It taps into my natural curiosity regarding human behavior, the study of an animal that constantly perplexes me in its complexity. Most true crime eventually gets around to solving the crime and then prosecuting it. I like the sense of justice that comes. I am perplexed when things turn wrong, such as someone being jailed on a wrongful conviction. I’m frustrated when I get to the end, and there is an unsolved mystery, and I’m left hanging, but that is life. I like stories that offer hope. Ones that provide solutions. One that gives answers to how this could never happen again. Like any story, I also relish closure. Sometimes, in the end, that is all the survivors have. I find it educational, which is why it is such an intrinsic part of the Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference, where we study law enforcement, forensic science, the legal system, how crimes are investigated, and how the guilty are prosecuted. These things are intrinsic to our needed knowledge bank when we write stories. I can’t say that paranoia does not come from reading true crime. It makes your heart race and your head scan back and forth as you cross the parking lot dark at night after midnight on your way to your car. True crime reminds me of the fragility of safety. But then, once secure in my vehicle, it also reminds me of the resilience of those who are targeted by human demons, sometimes for no other reason than they happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I’ve never written true crime, and I doubt I ever will. I don’t have what it takes. True crime writers must carefully handle the stories of victims and avoid exploitation or sensationalism that turns the crime or the criminal into something that can be glorified. Respect for the privacy of those who don’t want to fall into the public eye is paramount. Dignity for the victims, their families, and their associates is absolute. There’s much research and fact-checking that is required. I don’t have that in me. It’s too important, though, to overlook. Misinformation can lead to unwarranted consequences such as the continuation of false legal narratives (e.g., the perpetration of guilt of innocent people in jail for crimes they did not commit) and the tarnishing of reputations. Writers cannot go on their hunches or biases. They must stick to the facts whether they like the facts or not. True crime empowers you to, in your writing and life, seek change, see the world as broken, and see the possibilities for fixing it.

If you’re thinking about writing true crime, get ready to roll up your sleeves. I know many true crime writers for whom I have the most profound respect. It’s a lot of work. Accessing public records, court transcripts, and interviews to make sure their work is accurate. Finding leads they don’t like. Wanting to include hunches but knowing that they cannot because they don’t have corroboration. Becoming emotional. Living with the horrors. Getting lost in all the wrongs on all sides of the law and the legal system. When writing true crime, writers can dig a deep hole for themselves, but when it is done well, it produces a book in a genre that glues you, fascinates you, and makes you think not only about others but about yourself. True crime helps me check my humanity and makes me more compassionate, not just towards those who have been harmed, but even those who have committed the crimes. A true crime writer explains the world, the human mind, and the truth. Novels can have a bias. True crime is a camera focused accurately on the human heart.