Week Two - The Epic Approach

[nos4a2no9.livejournal.com]

or, How To Write Plotty Casefic Without (Entirely) Losing Your Mind

I'll begin with a small caveat: I haven't published any long, plotty case-based fics for this fandom. I'm working on several, but most of you who come here for advice or helpful hints will probably ask yourself, "Okay, who is nos4a2no9 to tell me how to write casefic when she hasn't published any?" And I guess the answer is that old chestnut, "Those who can't...teach." I have written epic casefic in the DCU comicsverse, and I think some of the hard lessons I learned over there will shed some light on the fraught process of crafting a long, detailed and realistic case-based story for the dS fandom.

I've broken this down into sections to make the process a little clearer. These are techniques that I've found work for me, and while everyone will have a different approach I think I've come up with some basics that will help get you started. Please add any tricks and tips you've come up with when you try to tackle the sometimes unwieldy and always challenging form of long fiction. It's not an easy process and you will, at points, want to tear your hair out in frustration, but rest assured that the end result is usually a very solid, intelligent and well-plotted story. It's as satisfying in its own way as the best-written novella or PWP and I think it's my favorite of all the genres this fandom has to offer. So that's my pitch. Let's get started!

Go Big or Go Home

The first question you want to ask yourself when you sit down to plan your casefic is, "What kind of story do I want to tell? How long do I think my story needs to be?" These are essential questions because a) it will help you figure why you're writing casefic to begin with instead of a shorter story about, say, grocery shopping, and b) the length question will help you determine exactly what kind of crime the characters should be investigating. Not all crimes are created equal and deciding early on how much space you'll be able to devote to the case-related elements will help you figure out how everything will come together, and when.

The vast majority of the fanfiction published in the due South fandom clocks in at roughly 1000-6000 words and usually focuses on Fraser and Ray (or Ray and Ray, or any other pairing) in a romantic relationship. Since the story is short there's usually only room for the 'A' romance/sex story but some authors make use of day-to-day details (Fraser and Ray's work at the 2-7, for example) in order to set the scene and create some tension and momentum in order to move the plot along. Minor crimes or funny, oblique references to wacky dS-style crimes (pickpockets! elderly vigilantes! evil Santas!) are probably safe to include in these shorter stories since the focus is on the relationship and not the crimes being investigated or solved. You can get away with a lot if your crime-related 'B' plot in a short story is just being used as background material: I like 'em because they're fun to set up and resolve, they don't take a lot of time or planning, and if done right the minor inclusion of case-related details can have a subtle effect on what you're trying to accomplish with your romance. Plus, a stakeout is always a good setting for a makeout. :-)

Longer stories (6000+ words) make use of a 'B' plot wherein Our Heroes investigate a crime that is integral to the plot and larger thematic elements of the story. Fraser and Ray might be tracking down a dangerous serial murderer, or they might be called upon to investigate an international terrorist. Along the way they'll probably grow closer, make discoveries about one another and their personal dynamic will change (that's the 'A' plot in long-story form). If you've plotted your story correctly there should be some correlation between the investigation and what's going on between the characters.

To wrap this so-obvious-it-hurts introduction to casefic, remember to always start by asking yourself, "What kind of story do I want to write?" If you're more interested writing an 'A'-plot romance that explores the character's sexual or emotional connection over a specific period of time, don't gum up the works with a lot of case-related detail. But if the story you want to tell is big with a capital "B" (Big Drama! Big Emotion! Big Angst! Big Humour! Big Big Big!) you'll probably get a lot of mileage out of the long, plotty casefic form.

So Where Do I Start?

So you've decided you want to write that huge epic where Fraser and Ray have to track down a serial killer who's been stalking the meat-packing districts of Chicago. But where to begin?

Well, when it comes to writing crime stories we all should borrow a page from Fraser's book. Say it with me: proper preparation prevents poor performance. It is absolutely essential when it comes to writing long, plotty case-based stories that you plan ahead and make an outline of the basic breakdown of events. Most authors, especially those more comfortable writing shorter stuff, have an allergic reaction to outlines. But by sitting down and plotting out your story beat-by-beat you'll know exactly where you want your story to go and how it'll get there. Doing some initial prep work will help save a lot of time and heartache later on. If you try the write-as-you-go approach and discover that your story stopped making sense after about 10,000 words, you'll probably lose the will to go back and make all the necessary structural changes you could have identified and built into your writing in the first place. So: outline, outline, outline.

I start with a basic sketch of the plot and the characters that might show up in the story. By identifying the heroes (Fraser and Ray, for example) supporting cast (who's going to make an appearance? Welsh? the Duck Boys? Frannie? Turnbull?) antagonists (the FBI? the RCMP? politicians with a stake in the outcome of the investigation?) and the villain(s) (the murderer/rapist/mob boss/Victoria) you'll help start to narrow the scope of the plot simply by making lists of possible characters to include. You don't need to actually sit down at this point and painstakingly create your casting list; just consider all your options and keep in mind that part of this process is identifying who will fulfill specific functions in the story. Creating original characters may be necessary at certain points: whether it's a grieving mother, a sympathetic victim or a bloodthirsty killer you're probably going to recognize early on that long, plotty epics require a large cast of characters. Keeping track of them is tricky, so start early and decide how much time and space you want to devote to introducing them to your readers.

The second part of this process is deciding the nature of the crime you're going to be writing about. Maybe the whole thing came to you in a burst of creative inspiration - you know you're going to be writing about a serial killer who taunts Ray and Fraser with evidence of his crimes. But that initial kernel of an idea is going to be put through the wringer once you sit down to write. What might seem like a watertight plot can spring leaks if you don't take time to plan the whole thing out from the initial discovery of the body (if there is one) to the final description of the perp being loaded into the back of the paddy wagon. (Period slang! Hurrah!)

If you look at the examples of great casefic stories in this fandom (um, anything by cesperanza, because she gives good casefic, or Resonant's Teeth of the Hydra) you'll probably see a pattern begin to emerge. There's a reason why so many long plotty casefics involve some sort of serial crime. It's tough to coordinate an entire investigation around a single event, particularly if the crime being investigated has bearing on the larger 'A' plot. A serial murderer on the loose, for example, offers an opportunity to show Ray and Fraser working together on the same case over an extended period of time. They'll be exhausted and demoralized at certain points, and high as a kite at others. It's fun to write characters who go through so many different experiences and it also makes for compelling storytelling. But serial crimes require a lot more thought, time and energy (especially in the planning phases) than their more random cousins. If you want to write something a little less dependent on a series of escalating crimes, you might want to go with a hostage situation, a puzzling murder or suicide, a bank robbery, or something else that begins at one linear point (the initial incident/crime) and is traced to a logical conclusion.

With me so far? Now that you've picked your crime and figured out who's going to be involved, start that outlining process I mentioned earlier. Plot out two stories: the developing romance (if you're going the sex/slash/romance route) and the crime. By laying out all the events associated with the 'A' (romance) and 'B' (crime) plots you'll ensure that there is some correlation. You won't have Fraser and Ray tumbling into bed together right when they should be sleep-deprived and desperately hunting down a dangerous fugitive who slipped through their fingers. Unless you want them to get together at that particular moment, of course. You've got to try to strike a balance between what's happening in the "real life" world of the crime investigation and what's going on internally for the starring characters. Sex, intimacy, interpersonal tension, fights and reconciliations will all happen over the course of the investigation; plotting out both storylines together ensures that they'll overlap in the right places and that each plot development will make sense in the grander scheme of things.

The Devil's In the Details: Reference Materials You Can Count On

Okay, we've all seen our fair share of CSI episodes. We all know a lot about the steps of a police investigation. And what we don't know, we can make up (because we're creative types, right?) But where do you go for help when you're looking for specific information about crime and crime-fighting? I've complied a few ideas below to help you find information that will probably come in handy as you finish plotting out your story.

There is a host of reference materials out there on the interweb, but for my money it's worth it to invest in a book like The Crime Writer's Reference Guide or Scene of the Crime: A Writer's Guide to Crime Scenes. I made these purchases a few years ago and they have been of great assistance; Roth's Reference Guide in particular is full of useful information about the ranking systems of organized crime (so you don't confuse your soldiers from your capos), prison slang, weights and measurements used in drug deals, forensic aspects of crime scene data collection and important details about local, municipal and federal law enforcement agencies. There are a whole host of these how-to books available and sometimes it's difficult to separate the wheat from the not-so-wheaty, but if you have the money to spend on a couple of reference books I'd recommend it.

Gun magazines are also useful if you don't know very much about handguns or ballistics; you can pick them up fairly cheaply at the newsstand and such magazines provide an informative, if slightly disturbing, look at guns and gun culture.

I discovered quite by chance that the Illinois Bureau of Tourism will send you a free guidebook to Chicago and an Illinois state map if you email a request; I've used it to plot out the movements of Fraser, Ray and their suspects in and around Chicago.

The RCMP is a fairly accommodating agency and, if you're polite and patient, amazingly generous when it comes to sharing information about Canadian policing and legal procedures. I'd recommend writing a letter vs. sending an email, but make sure you research any questions you have very carefully. If you have questions about details specific to Canadian policing try asking one of the friendly Canucks here on LJ; we all know the Miranda speech off by heart, but what would Fraser say when arresting a suspect in Canada? I assure you, it doesn't start with, "You have the right to remain silent..."

Putting It All Together

So, you've figured out what kind of crime you'll be using as the basis of your story, you know who's going to be involved and why, and you've got some resources at your side to make sure you can present the events as realistically as possible in a story set in the world of dS. Write your first draft, or at least a significant portion of a first draft. Keep your outline handy at all times, and make changes where necessary. But don't forget your original structure. If you did a thorough job of figuring out where the major events of the case (and the romance) occur you should have enough material to get you through to the conclusion. I find I hit my biggest stumbling blocks about halfway through when the exposition starts to get heavy and I lose interest in my own investigation. A good outline has saved me every single time, and you'll be glad you put so much effort into the initial planning stages as you power through that first draft.

After you've written that first pass, take a breather and find a good beta. Beta readers will help make sure that everything is in place plot-wise; they'll be able to spot logical inconsistencies or procedural mistakes that you might have missed. And hopefully your beta will also have something to say about pacing, grammar, spelling, punctuation and characterization, too. Once you get their response, plunge into that second draft. Address any structural problems you or your beta has identified, and don't be afraid to rewrite. If significant changes are required, make a new outline and stick to it.

The best piece of advice I can offer is, don't let yourself get discouraged! Long, plot-heavy casefic is tough to write but it is damn satisfying to read, and the fandom needs more of it. Have fun, don't be afraid to make mistakes, and above all remember the immortal words of brooklinegirl: putting in more sex will make everything better.

Happy writing!

Comments

[sage]

ooh! *hearts your brain*

I will read more thoroughly tomorrow when I feel slightly less like crap and try to make intelligent comments.

THANK YOU again for stepping up to tackle this one!!!

*twirls you*

[nos4a2no9.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! It was fun to do and now I'm hooked on this whole workshop idea :-) I hope you feel better soon!

*hugs*

[sage]

YAYAYAYAY!!!

It's fantastic to have all of this in one essay, in one place, and written so clearly! It's like the missing puzzle piece I was looking for wrt the SGA monster I've been wrestling with and -- actually -- this even helps with the other story I have in revision right now that's fairly kicking my ass. (The monster has an outline; the other one doesn't -- and all the questions I would ask are answered by pointing me back to the outline or lack of one. :P)

Yay, thank you!! :D

[nos4a2no9.livejournal.com]

Thank you! And thanks for the widespread internet pimpage - it makes me so happy to hear that this may, in fact, be useful to others :-)

[sage]

Speaking of pimpage! You should totally post a pointer to this at ds_noticeboard! \o/

I would do it, but lately I've been spamming communities on a near-daily basis and I don't want to strain people's patience with me. /meek

[nos4a2no9.livejournal.com]

I will totally do that. And who could get strained with you? You're so cute!

[the_antichris.livejournal.com]

Wow, thank you for this! All my writing's been relatively short one-shots, but at the moment I have a couple of fics eating my brain that depend on case plots, so this is going to be invaluable.

How do you handle red herrings? I've read enough mysteries to know they're essential (or at least some form of difficulty in solving the case is), so do you work that out when you decide on the crime or at the outlining stage?

[nos4a2no9.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! And you writing casefics is...wow, I can't wait! I love your one-shots to pieces so I can just imagine how good an expanded piece will be. And I hope this will be useful: if it gets you to make an outline before you start my job will be done.

Oh! Red herrings! That's a good question. They can be a bit cliche and, if handled badly, annoy the reader more than intrigue them. But they can be very useful for building tension/suspense and if you feel the story would benefit you might try slotting in a couple of characters who seem evil (but aren't) as a way of distracting your readers from the real culprit. I'd build them into the intial outline structure, since it might help you plan the rest of the case if you decide you're going to include a character (or an event, or even a piece of evidence) that appears to be much more important than it really is. In my earlier epic casefic for the DCU I introduced the eventual guilty party right away but spent most of the ginormous story (100,000+ words, no kiddin') trying to convince my readers the real guilty party was someone else entirely. It seemed to take some people by surprise; others figured it out right away. A good structure will help that second group not care so much that they were able to discover the red herring from the start. But if you depend on the slight-of-hand too much and it's too easy to identify your mystery will be less compelling. So...fine line to tread. I'd give it a try and then if it's not working or it's not much of a surprise it's easier to delete than to add in later. I hope that helps!

[vienna-waits.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed this, thank you! One feature of casefic that I think is fairly specific to Due South is that in some episodes (Dief's Day Off, We Are the Eggmen, and to a lesser extent, Gift of the Wheelman, come to mind), we (and Fraser) know WHO did it all along, and the truly interesting part of the story is, WHY did they do it? This, I think, is what sets DS apart from your typical procedural-type show and makes it stand up well on repeat viewings. We often care enough about the villain/lawbreaker to want to know what drove him/her to do X--not always, but often.

I have great difficulty writing anything that is NOT ridiculously long and plotty, but your advice to outline, outline, outline cannot be repeated enough.

[nos4a2no9.livejournal.com]

You're totally right about why dS is a very different animal than other proceedure shows, and I think its focus on the motivations of the guilty parties is a major reason why the show is so rewatchable. I sometimes find now, upon rewatching, how human all of the characters seem. In CSI or Bones or any of the million other forensic show the guilty parties seem fairly one-dimensional; everything seems abstracted because the entire point is to discover evidence based on scientific findings and not human motivations or traumas or bad decisions. I love dS because it tries to dig a little deeper into the human condition during the case-based episodes. Good fic should, ideally, try to do the same, I think.

Thanks so much for your comments! And can you point me in the direction of some of your long, plotty epics? Because I am seriously addicted :-)

[vienna-waits.livejournal.com]

I have to warn you, my long plotty epics don't have any sex in them. ;-)

Forgive me for not making pretty embedded links, but Freaky Friday, my longest fic and definitely a casefic (written under an earlier pseudonym), is here:
http://www.squidge.org/dsa/archive/13/freakyfriday.html

There are secondary case elements in Deja Vu All Over Again, which clocks in at 16,000 words:
http://redshipsgreenships.com/dejavu.html

And in Chasing Serenity as well (5500 words):
http://redshipsgreenships.com/chasingserenity.html

Thanks for your interest!

[nos4a2no9.livejournal.com]

[Sorry, send this via email but it got bounced back...]

Thanks for providing links to your stories! I read "Deja Vu All Over Again" today and I really, really enjoyed it. I haven't read a lot of Welsh stories (except for the obligatory read-through of the Chicago 1968 riots tale) but having read your story I had to ask myself, "Why not?" Because "Deja Vu" had everything I like in a story. Humor. Angst. Possible time travel and/or ghosts (I'm tough to please). I really admire the way you tackled Welsh's prickly relationship with his father; you presented both sides with a lot of compassion and insight into the way alcoholism affects both parents and children, and it was fantastic to see the scene first from Welsh's perspective and then from his father's.

And since we met through a discussion about plot structure, may I just say that the way you handled the whole structure of the story was brilliant? To see the day first in broad strokes from Welsh's perspective and then to go back through each of the events (Francesa and the hot coffee, Ray and Fraser's disastrous day tracking down the drug dealers, etc) worked extremely well. Sometimes stories like that can seem repetitive, but by focusing on "off-screen" moments we didn't see in the first pass you created a fuller and more detailed portrait of the day rather than simply rehashing events the reader was already familiar with. I also liked the conclusion, and the simple transition from a bad day (or, for Francesca, a tragic day) into a good one. You provided a lovely touch of realism because, rather than turn it into a perfect day, you simply made some ordinary and wonderful things happen in the conclusion. Welsh comes out of the story with a deeper understanding of himself and those around him, and the blink-and-you'll-miss-them romantic elements (Frannie/Welsh and Fraser/Ray) were sweet and subtle. I really admire your gift for plotting and pacing, and I hope someday to give Welsh as well as you do :-) Thanks again for pointing these out to me, and I'm looking forward to reading the other two.

[vienna-waits.livejournal.com]

Oh, here you are! *is embarrassed* I've been checking my gmail (which seems to be working, but everyone on LJ was complaining about it not working around the time you posted this comment) looking for your thoughts, and here they were all the while! Thank you so much for the detailed comments and for your compliments! You made my day.

Welsh is such a fantastic character, but he gets short shrift because he's not very slashable. Please allow me to pimp! If you haven't read laurakaye's An Officer and a Gentleman or shayheyred's Keeping Watch, you must read them. The former is an outstanding Welsh/Frannie (don't ick, it is so well done!), while the latter is unbelievably good Welsh gen, written for me for the 2005 Due South Seekrit Santa fic exchange.

[nos4a2no9.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you tacked that comment down! Gmail is still sometimes teh suck. And thanks for the Welsh recs. I actually sought out "Officer and a Gentleman" because your story set me off on a Welsh-inspired reading binge, and I enjoyed it very much. "Keeping Watch" is really, really bittersweet stuff, and it must have been a lovely present :-) And hey, if you come across any more Welsh stuff (or, say, write some more...) just let me know!

[llassah.livejournal.com]

*am adding to memories while admiring the shininess of your brain* The plot vs romance- is it serving the romance? Is the romnce just a side effect? - question is an interesting one, and while I am reasonably sure I won't be writing casefics yet, it's good advice for epics too.

[nos4a2no9.livejournal.com]

I am honored to now be enshrined in your memories :-) and you're right: it's a good question that applies to epics. Most of what I said above can easily be applied to epic stories, and since I know you've been working like mad on your musician AU I think you've grasped the importance of outlines. Plot's always tricky, so if you need any help or early read-throughs I'm your gal.

[riverlight.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is wonderful. I think I knew these things, sort of—but it's such a good reminder to have them laid out like this! I'm definitely going to save this one for reference. :)

[nos4a2no9.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm glad it was useful.

[bertybertle.livejournal.com]

This is great! This is exactly what I needed about 3 years ago when I started writing ( in Stargate...case-fic/mission-fic - it gets handled pretty much the same). Instead I had to find this stuff out the hard way - and even now, your straightforward advice makes me want to smack myself in the head - it seems so clear when you say it. *resolves never to write without an outline again*

Thanks for this.

[nos4a2no9.livejournal.com]

Hahaha, yeah, I think we all wished we had certain pieces of advice when we first started writing. I wish I could have tailored some information to be of specific use to people who've been writing a while and have got the basics down; maybe next time. Say, when I can actually point to something I've posted instead of "In this fantasy fic..."

And good! Use those outlines! They're lifesavers.

the canadian police warning!

[custardpringle.livejournal.com]

The crime plot is pretty minor in my ds_harlequin fic, but I did need to look up what Fraser would say if he arrested somebody in Canada:

You need not say anything. You have nothing to hope from any promise or favour and nothing to fear from any threat whether or not you say anything. Anything you do say may be used against you as evidence.

I added a line about the right to attorney, because it works a little differently in Canada than in America and I figured he'd want to clarify, but as far as I know that's not officially necessary.

. . . figures their police warning is even cooler than ours.

Re: the canadian police warning!

[nos4a2no9.livejournal.com]

Our rights-notice is WAY cooler! It's so poetic! And Fraser would be so sincere and heartfelt when delivering it. Thanks for making sure we all had the right wording!

Re: the canadian police warning!

[custardpringle.livejournal.com]

The our confused me until I remembered you're Canadian. ::so very pretty::

[china_shop]

This is so great! *admires* *devours* I always get stuck on crime plots -- I want to write them (and half my WIPs have stalled for want of one), but I get everything all tangled even before I get to the outline. :-P

Do you have any more hints on a) how to outline, and b) how to manage A plots and B plots? (I get the feeling these could be entire posts on their own, actually.)

[nos4a2no9.livejournal.com]

Hahaha, now you want specifics? Isn't it enough that I just said, "Outlines are teh awesome!"?

I think I will have to make a couple separate posts on these issues, since outlining is hard to do. It's so counter-intuitive to the creative process on so many levels, and even when you've been writing for a while the whole notion of waiting to write until you have everything lined up just-so is (I find) incredibly discouraging. So...maybe I'll suggest a topic on how not to treat the outline like a buzz-kill. And perhaps make some kind of chart. Everybody loves a chart.

[china_shop]

It's so counter-intuitive to the creative process on so many levels, and even when you've been writing for a while the whole notion of waiting to write until you have everything lined up just-so is (I find) incredibly discouraging.

Yes. ;-P One of the things I like about writing is that it's how my subconscious tells me stories. So to have a story all mapped out beforehand would inevitably detract from some of that magic. And as well as that, I find it much harder to have the characters be properly motivated if I'm trying to force them to take certain actions, rather than following them around as they react.

That said, I have used outlines for a couple of stories and it's worked really well. And rewriting a section or scene often turns out surprisingly well given the restraints (it has to fit into the story; it has to get the characters from point A to point B), so I know it can work. I just don't know how to do it.

And anyway, I'd be much more likely to throw myself whole-heartedly into writing a long story if I was fairly certain that it wasn't going to get snarled up and stuck before the end. So I'm definitely keen to give it a go.

So...maybe I'll suggest a topic on how not to treat the outline like a buzz-kill.

Yay! Yes, please! *cheers you on*

[keerawa.livejournal.com]

You know, I actually have a long, plotty dS casefic I've been writing bits of since November. So this is terribly helpful.

I may pounce on you for beta duties once I've got a rough draft.

Any sections on the Triad in either of those Crime Writer Guides?

[nos4a2no9.livejournal.com]

I'll beta for you in a second, long and plotty or short and...porny? Are we limited to those two? :-) And yep, there is some info on the Triad but not as much as I'd like - you might want to check out some specific books published on Organized Crime. There's tons out there on Italian mobs but a lot of stuff is coming out now about Chinese OC. If I find a good one I'll let you know. Now I'm all excited about getting a peek at your long and plotty story. Yay!