Writing crime stories for beginners course - A review

In just under ninety minutes, this Domestika course from Italian author, screenwriter, podcaster and journalist Paolo Roversi (not to be confused with the famous fashion photographer and writer of the same name) seeks to distil everything you need to know in order to start crafting and presenting your crime fiction story.

Note there that I didn’t say write it. While this course will do that, Roversi knows other forms exist and at several points touches upon the different considerations you would need to make in order to present your story in different mediums. However, for this review, I’ll just be focusing on the relevance to aspiring authors.

But first, who is Paolo Roversi?

If you are based in an English language country, then the chances are that you have never heard of this author.

Born in Suzzara in 1975, the now Milan-based Roversi has one English language book to his name (‘The Tasmanian Devil’, which was released back in 2016) to date, but has over 80 distinct works listed on Goodreads, was the winner of a Scerbanenco crime writing award back in 2020, and is the founder and director of the NebbiaGialla Noir Festival in Italy. So, he certainly knows his stuff and can be trusted to give advice.

How is the course structured and delivered?

You might have noticed that I mentioned the course is under ninety minutes long. Barely even a lecture. Delivered on the Domestika platform, the course is a combination of on-demand video (with English language subtitles), addition text resources and links (In Italian) and exercises and forum (both in Italian also). As you would expect it is therefore self-paced, which is positive for those with busy schedules but also means that the forums are pointless as posts may be months old and therefore don’t go into this expecting conversations with fellow learners.

There are four key units, although the first is more introductory and so can be discounted to a certain level. It does, however, provide a valuable introduction to Roversi, displaying his credentials, personality and influences – all of which resonated with me.

The Domestika platform itself is easy to use, and I had no issues with any element of it.

The course content

Starting from Unit 2, the ‘Tools of the trade’ and here the information is split into three key areas.

The vital question of ‘How, When and Why?’, displaying Roversi’s previous journalist experience, and in which Roversi recommends we start with a major and not a minor crime, in order to immediately gain the reader’s attention. From his recommendations we can tell that he plans his work, and even goes to state that he needs to know how it will end – as with all courses, the viewer needs to take this with a pinch of salt and not shoehorn everyone’s processes and preferences into their own work when they don’t fit (although for disclosure I too plan the endings)

He then goes on to better define ‘What is meant by a crime story’, and this is very useful in how he breaks down giallo or poliziesco (to English-language fans, basically mystery and general crime fiction or police procedurals), noir and thrillers. There is nothing particularly new here, but it is still good to refresh the information in order to remain focused on the demands of the style.

Finally, in this unit he talks about ‘The plot’. He likens this aspect to a game of chess with the reader, and I think that is a great comparison. Liking this method of description, he then says that to build a good plot it is a lot like cooking lasagne (the Italians and their food), where you have an ingredients list and you put it together in order to make something delicious.

He is a big fan of creativity within the rules. Overall, I found this unit very clear and Roversi is a very personable guy, helping the digestible information go down easily. Did that food based analogy work?

There are also several activities for the unit, all of which would be very beneficial to someone starting out.

The next unit, unit 3, focuses on ‘The essential elements of a crime story’.

You learn about the value of a good protagonist, especially if they are to see you through a series, the importance of understanding both the time period in which your story takes place and the duration. While nothing here is groundbreaking, Roversi provides solid advice as well as reminding us that “giallo is built on rhythm” (pacing), and that while we must include twists and unexpected moments to keep the reader engaged, that these changes must be measured.

He further discusses the importance of setting, and to sparingly use particularities in order to sell authenticity, as opposed to dull descriptions. Something I find useful, especially when setting a story abroad or in an unfamiliar location.

The course then moves onto style, and he gives us six key points for both finding and honing our style. One thing that stood out for me here was when Roversi stated, “To write you have to read, you have to let yourself be influenced”, and it is that second part that stands out for me.

I am amazed at how many writers, although notably never the top-tier, state that they stop reading while writing so as to not be influenced or swayed. While always a consideration, surely you have to read – the same genre or different, it doesn’t matter but read. After all, I’ll paraphrase Stephen King when he said ‘if you have time to write, you have time to read.’

Finally, Roversi ends the modules by touching on the different mediums, and asks us to consider “what could be the most effective way” to tell our story.

The (almost) final unit covers revising and editing and here Roversi forces home the idea that the actual work starts now. He provides a good template for checking and revising your work and demands that we are disciplined and in a state of almost continuous learning and training. He provides no illusions about the life of a writer, but also states his belief that crime is simply an excuse to tell a great story.

Finally, we end with what I presume is a Domestika enforced unit, relating to the final project, which isn’t really applicable here.

Should you buy the course?

‘Writing crime stories for beginners’ is a brief and broad introduction that, with its insights and activities, is perfect for anyone starting their writing journey. It will provide learners with a terrific overview and everything they need to consider when honing their ideas and initial story.

I took the course in December 2023 and paid around £8.90 for it with one of the sales, and for that price the fact it is only around 90 minutes plus activity time made it a bargain, however if it was the full price (are these courses ever the full price) then it might be harder to justify against other alternatives.

Overall though, this is more than worth your time if you fit the target audience, and for those a little further down the line like myself, I hope Roversi puts out some workshops as he is as personable as he is knowledgeable, and for someone with a bit of interest in eurocrime (especially French and Italian) I felt that his influences and style matched my own interests.

I’ll leave this piece with a quote from Paolo that I think, on the whole, it is good to remember:

“Writing a noir story means having a set of rules within which to experiment.”

It’s important to remember that readers have expectations, and that our creativity needs to come within these confines.

Although, remember now and then, it’s good to break the rules.

If you are interested in the ‘Writing crime stories for beginners’ course you can find it on Domestika. Please note that this is an independent review and I do not benefit in the slightest.