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Adapting Crime Writing Skills for African Stories: Merging Western Techniques with Local Realities

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  Where Western Techniques Meet Local Realities Welcome to Part 2 of our crime writing series. In our last post, we explored the best online courses for crime writers. Today, we’re diving into something rarely looked into or discussed: how to adapt those Western-focused techniques for African crime fiction.   The Challenge: Understanding Western Crime Writing Rules   Imagine this; you just finished James Patterson’s MasterClass and are buzzing with ideas. But wait, your detective doesn’t live in New York or lives in London and walks into a high-tech lab- she/he is investigating a case in Namibia, Harare or Lagos. What do you do? Where do you turn to? This is where African writers hit a wall. Crime fiction written globally and written in Africa is a separate genre. Writers should use this genre to showcase the authenticity of the continent. It offers a rich playground in its glory.   The Western world follows a well-established formula that all crime writers follow, a...
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Best Top 10 Online Writing Courses to Master Crime Writing in 2025: A Complete Overview

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Are you an aspiring crime writer? Or a seasoned veteran who wants to upgrade and dust a few dust mites for your new thrilling manuscript? Well, look no further. You have come to the right place. Here at Crafting and Crime, we provide you with carefully selected online courses to help you fulfil your dream and master the craft of crime writing. Note: This article may contain affiliate links in the future. We currently link directly to course providers to help you find the best resources for your writing journey. 1) MasterClass: James Patterson Reveals His Writing Formula Best For: Beginners to intermediate writers Price Range: US$180/year (MasterClass Subscription) Duration: 22 lessons (3.5 hours) Patterson, the best-selling author, shares with his formula for a fast-paced, engaging crime fiction. In a six-week class, Patterson outlines his writing process to make diffused concepts come out as compressed chewable bites. Explore MasterClass with James Patterson here 2) The Crime Wri...
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Crafting Suspense Without Tech Overload

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    Why Less Tech Creates Tension:  A Tool-Kit to Low-Tech Thrillers NB! This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases Indeed technology has come a long way and with the introduction of AI, the bar is set even higher. But what does it mean for writers? Well, now we have writers breaking a sweat over their laptops trying to make hacking scenes or cyber crime technical, while we have readers skimming over those fancy tech passages in search of the essence of the story- that human drama. The art of building suspense through genuine human intuition and detective work is becoming increasingly rare. Just think back to when your phone died and you had to find your way through an unknown city or town using only instinct. That tight knot in your stomach when you hear footsteps in the dark? Exactly. That’s the kind of tension we need to capture in our crime narratives.   The Wake-Up Call   The real reason older crime th...
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Location: Namibia
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