SOURCE: "Writing True-Life Crime," in The Writer, Vol. 103, September, 1990, pp. 17-19.

[In the essay below, Beaver discusses how to write a successful true crime article.]

The true-life crime genre originated in the late 19th century and has grown in popularity ever since. After nearly forty true-life detective magazines were born and died, modern magazine and book publishers discovered that a solid audience exists for the true-life crime story. Books like The Preppie Murder or The Stranger Beside Me consistently find their way to the bestseller lists.

Writing about true-life crime is not for hack writers. Finding a fresh detective story inside a crime that has already been widely covered by the media requires the skills of a sleuth and the style of a novelist. Here are seven secrets for writing successful true-life crime articles.

1. Find the perfect crime. Recognizing the perfect crime for a true-life article eventually becomes...