Writers don’t work in a vacuum. If they’re to create well-written stories or works of non-fiction, writers often need to do some background research (e.g. Is there really a pizza place at the end of that street? How long does it take for Monarch butterflies to emerge from their cocoons?). And it’s not just research questions, as important as they are. Writers also get inspiration from things and people they see, and sometimes places they go. Ask any writer. That’s why it’s especially interesting when you see that creative process in fictional writers. And there are plenty of them in crime fiction.

In Agatha Christie’s Death in the Clouds for instance, a group of people board a plane from Paris to London. One of those passengers is detective novelist Daniel Clancy. During the flight, he’s making notes for a story he’s writing, and consults a railway timetable he’s brought to create a series of alibis. He’s so wrapped up in what he’s doing that he doesn’t notice that one of his fellow passengers has been murdered. In fact, nobody seems to have noticed that Marie Morisot, a French moneylender, is dead. In fact, her death isn’t discovered until a steward tries to wake her. Mr. Clancy and the other passengers are the only possible suspects, and Chief Inspector Japp starts right away to try to work out who the killer is. Hercule Poirot happened to be on that flight, so he works with Japp. More than once, he has a conversation with Mr. Clancy, and we learn how Clancy does his research, and how he’s inspired. I know, fans of Ariadne Oliver! You’re absolutely right about Hallowe’en Party.

Dorothy L. Sayers’ Harriet Vane is a mystery novelist, too. When we first meet her in Strong Poison, she’s gotten a solid reputation as a crime writer, and is doing reasonably well. She’s been working on her newest novel, which features murder by poison, and she’s been doing research on that topic. That research, and the knowledge she gains from it, turn out to be damning evidence against her when her former lover, Philip Boyes, is murdered – by the very poison she’s been researching. She had broken things off with Boyes, and it’s not a far leap to believe she killed him. When she is arrested and tried for murder, Lord Peter Wimsey attends the proceedings. He becomes infatuated with her and determines to clear her name so that they can marry. He gets his chance after the jury is unable to return a verdict. It’s an interesting case of what happens when a crime writer’s research has an all too real connection.

P.D. Martin’s Fan Mail, FBI profiler Sophie Anderson gets the chance to meet bestselling crime novelist Loretta Black when Black visits the FBI on a research trip. The author doesn’t make a very good impression, but she does get the information she wants for her upcoming book. Not long afterwards, Loretta Black is found murdered in an eerie imitation of the murder in her latest book. The investigation into that murder has just gotten underway when there’s another murder, again of a crime writer. And once again, the victim is killed in the same way as her fictional victim is killed. Now, Anderson suspects someone may be targeting crime writers. If so, why? If not, what else do the victims have in common?

Lynda Wilcox’s Verity Long serves as personal assistant for famous crime writer Kathleen ‘K.D.’ Davenport. Her main task is to research real-life unsolved crimes. That’s the material from which K.D. gets her inspiration for the plots of her books. Verity reads books, archived news articles, and so on to find those stories. When one of them strikes her as something her boss can use, Verity brings it to K.D.’s attention. Then they decide if it’s good fodder for a story. Part of the process of research is talking to people related to the cases to get their perspectives (and, where appropriate, their permission). Not only does Verity find out background on a lot of interesting cases, but she also ends up getting drawn into mysteries that some people don’t want her to solve.

And then there’s Betty Rowlands’ Murder at Hawthorn Cottage. Crime writer Melissa ‘Mel’ Craig has taken a cottage in the Cotswolds. She’s just ended a relationship, and wants a new start, as well as to work on her new book. She’s got deadlines to meet, and she wants to focus on them. She’s got some background material and wants to get the book written. Everything changes when she gets a call from a stranger who thinks she’s someone called Babs. The caller is insistent and persistent, and before long, Mel is drawn into a case of a missing young woman. As the story goes on, we follow as Mel gets inspiration from the location, uses that in her work, and creates the story.

Writing a novel is a lot more than just getting an idea and jotting it down. It does often start with inspiration, but it also requires doing research, getting background details, talking to people, and a lot more. All that behind-the-scenes work can result in a fine novel, but it doesn’t happen magically. And it’s not always safe. Just ask any fictional author!

*NOTE: The title of this post is a line from John Denver’s Calypso.