Police Procedural: 2 of 3: Plot & Pace Editor: Carol St.Ann 20 Yrs at WDC! 
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| Hello. My name is Carol St.Ann. I joined WDC in September of 2006, and I write for this newsletter once a month. This year, 2026, I plan to focus on ideas, development, and craft with a lean toward publication, be it magazine, anthology, local paper, contest-win, or self. |
Greetings everyone. I hope life is treating you good and the weather is merciful in your neck of the woods.
Last month, I wrote about developing your detective or sleuth and his or her counterpart, as well as researching and checking facts and esoteric language and terms.
This month, we delve briefly into plot and pace.
Let's get to it.
Plot the Investigation.
In a Procedural, the plot cannot rely on a lucky break. Now, that is not to say a lucky break cannot have a place in your story; after all, they do happen in real life. We all know that. But the procedural cannot be built upon that as the solution. Your readers will never forgive what will likely be perceived as a quick fix for the writer's having painted his or herself into a corner.
The mystery should be solved through methodical police work such as establishing a clear timeline of the crime, properly securing pertinent locations and evidence, conducting formal suspect and witness interviews and interrogations, obtaining search warrants, and making proper usage of scientific forensics in analyzing physical evidence.
While this type of story can be character driven, it's far more likely to be plot centric. Today's readership audiences are far less likely to fully suspend belief if development is lacking.
Master the pacing to create a sturdy structure.
Since Police Procedurals are by nature heavily plot-driven, it can take some sticky balancing to give the characters their developmental due.
Author Jane Bettany (In Cold Blood) suggests: "One of the appeals of crime fiction is that there is a puzzle to be solved. However, another enjoyable element of the genre is the pleasure readers get from learning about each character’s quirks, motivations and problems. Use this to your advantage. Give your readers a novel with a main protagonist and a small cast of other characters that they can get to know and relate to. Focus your fictional investigation around this core team. Bring in help from other officers only when necessary. Achieve authenticity by understanding the basics of police procedures. Be accurate with your facts, rather trying to recreate an unwieldy (often mundane) investigation in real time."
Make sure your antagonist, be s/he a misunderstood loner, disgruntled employee or spouse, serial killer, or a corrupt official, is as well-developed and intriguing as the protagonist.
And since we're working on balancing, we writers need to balance the major story (solving the crime, catching the killer) with minor events (deciphering clues, navigating red tape, or securing a crime scene).
Remember, pacing speaks to a certain rhythm; it dictates gradual informational reveals. Strive to end each chapter with a reason to turn the page. It could be introduction of a new character, discovery of new clue, a surprise twist.
I hope you have found this helpful and interesting. Next month I will conclude part three by briefly examining 3 master procedural writers. Until then, Happy Writing!
See you next month.
Carol St.Ann
Remember to nominate great Mysteries
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Mystery: August 05, 2026 Issue [#13880]
