Seven tips for Crime Writing (Shamini Flint at Perth Writers Festival)

Singapore based ex-lawyer Shamini Flint is an acclaimed crime and children’s book author having sold over 500,000 books in six years. In terms of crime she’s written five books in the Inspector Singh series, the latest is A Curious Indian Cadaver. Shamini was at the 2013 Perth Writers Festival where she discussed seven insights into writing crime and how she created Inspector Singh.



Shamini Flint at Perth Writers Festival 2103 © The Ponder Room



Inspector Singh was constructed ‘as a puzzle’, a man who goes from ‘country to country stumbling over corpses.’

The look
First there was the look. In terms of his physical appearance the character ‘needed something iconic’ to remember him by. For some reason I had flashbacks to Columbo’s raincoat. For Inspector Singh it was a turban.

The outsider
Like many authors Shamini grew up feeling like an outsider ‘an Indian living in Malaysia and married an English man.’ Inspector Singh benefits from this.

‘He’s an outsider … an outsider at home too, his wife makes sure of that’.

Social Issue
Having a character who is an outsider is handy. Being an outsider he can be used as a vehicle to examine the politics of the country. The author can pick an issue they want to highlight and use the issue as a motive. They can take the reader on a journey to a place, and the issues happening in the place.

‘I could deal with issues that offended me as a lawyer, but fictionalise them.’ Shamini explained adding that ‘being gay in Sinagpore could be a motive for murder.’

She pointed out that Australia has a refuge problem, then her delightfully quick sense of humour had her adding that she ‘came in on a plane and intend to leave, if that’s any comfort.’

Other characters
When asked about finding other characters such as the victims who get killed off, her quick response was ‘I draw on my husband’s family’. Then added that having a sidekick enabled her to insert new insights and gossip to help move the story along.

The location
When asked whether crime novels have to be set in ‘exotic’ situation, she quickly corrected that ‘it’s not exotic to me, it’s a part of me’.

‘I get offended that I can only be enjoyed as someone who writes weird things to entertain. I think I’m writing a contemporary story.’

Writing a series
When asked whether she started out to write a series, Shamini said no. She began as an author writing children’s books.

‘I became a children’s book writer to avoid my own kids, and ended up at school visits.’

Moving the story along
The bottom line was that the story has to be entertaining with interesting characters and maybe a local issue. Asked how she moves a story along, when she gets stuck, she suggested that her character ‘can always stumble on another body’.

‘I admire people who can tell a story without a body.’

Apart from learning six tips about crime writing, the hour spent with Shamini left me pondering that, given her delightfully dry quick wit, her children’s books would be worth a look too.

She will be at the Sydney Writers Festival in May 2013 www.swf.org.au

Books in the series include:
Inspector Singh Investigates – A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder
Inspector Singh Investigates: A Bali Conspiracy Most Foul
Inspector Singh Investigates: The Singapore School of Villainy
Inspector Singh Investigates: A Deadly Cambodian Crime Spree
Inspector Singh novel, A Curious Indian Cadaver

Information about the books can be found at  www.shaminiflint.com