How Crime Writers Can Use CPD To Develop Their Writing
As a crime fiction author, I’ve learned that one of the most powerful tools in a writer’s toolkit isn’t the pen (should that be keyboard?) or a piece of software, but their attitude towards continuing professional development (CPD).
I know that sounds all a bit corporate, but hear me out. In my professional life, I’ve marketed both university degrees and professional training programs, and I deeply believe in the value of education, both formal and informal. For writers like us, CPD isn’t about ticking a box or earning a certificate, but it’s about feeding your creativity, sharpening your craft, and expanding the world you bring to life on the page.
Why does CPD matter for writers?
We can’t grow as storytellers unless we challenge ourselves to learn. That doesn’t mean every course or article needs to be about grammar or structure. In fact, some of the most valuable insights can come from learning about topics outside of the craft of writing.
But for your learning to make a difference, it needs to be purposeful. It’s about the application. Always ask yourself, how can I use this knowledge to tell better stories?
For myself, learning about weapons (I recommend the book The Writer’s Guide to Weapons by Benjamin Sobieck here) and investigative journalism (thank you Al Jazeera’s free eLearning offering) has been key to developing my current projects. Not only does it help add to the realism of both character decisions and weapon use, but it has enhanced my understanding and the (potentially real) possibilities that could happen that I might not know about otherwise. I even wrote a piece of flash fiction in order to explore the wrong caliber round in a weapon. Will I use it in a novel? I’m not sure, however, I have that little extra knowledge to help me when deciding.
Learning through storytelling.
Additionally (and sorry to make this more about me), take my novel The Eighth Hill. To bring depth to the narrative, I dove into the world of art history, of Caravaggio, the iconography and hidden meanings behind 17th-century Roman art. I had no intention of writing a thesis on art history (and no targeted requirement to research something to fit my story) but his learning enriched my knowledge, built depth to my setting and added nuance to my characters. Later, Caravaggio’s The Cardsharps became the inspiration for a short story. That’s CPD in action.
Similarly, I took the BBC Maestro course with Lee Child. I went in knowing it was less about writing mechanics and more about mindset and motivation. And while it didn’t directly transform my prose, it reshaped how I think about pacing, character and perhaps more importantly the reader. It was a spark, one that has since lit fires in unexpected places.
CPD and Research help you write what you know
I’d like to take you on a quick detour at this point. We are all familiar with the old maxim ‘write what you know’, and some people take this literally. More fool them. But there is more than a kernel of truth in the saying, after all, how can you write a police procedural without knowledge of actual police procedure? How can you set a story in a foreign country without knowing about that country and its culture (both formal and informal)? You can’t.
But, you don’t need to be a police officer or uproot your life and live with the natives to write these stories, you just need to research it. And here, CPD can come into play. Learn about the things you want to write about, and then you are better positioned to write about them or not, should your learning and feelings take you that way.
As an example of the latter, I’ve learned a lot about the Italian Years of Lead, and one thing I’ve taken away personally from it is that I might have developed enough knowledge to write about the period with a certain level of accuracy, I would not only lack the authenticity but I might do a disservice to the victims of that period. It is one reason my light crime collection Born to Lose: Tales of Gigi all but avoided the politics of the period and why I canned my planned vigilante cop thriller.
Anyway, let’s get back on track.
CPD isn’t just about courses
You don’t need to pay tens or hundreds (or worse, thousands) of pounds to undertake effective CPD. We, as writers. are uniquely positioned to turn everyday curiosity into our professional development. Plus, if many professional bodies count things such as listening to podcasts, engaging with professional forums, eLearning and (free) webinars, as CPD, so can we. Beyond the obvious directed learning, examples for a crime writer may include.
Listening to podcasts related to relevant topics
Reading genre-relevant articles and books
Watching documentaries
Engaging in focused discussion forums or book clubs
Conducting deep-dive research
Or one that I often see mentioned by professional authors:
Writing out passages or chapters from your favourite authors and breaking down how they do what they do.
This is actually something I’ve done and found it to be immensely helpful (if painful on the wrist, but that is a reminder that I need to get the pen and paper out a bit more) in not only understanding the language and sentence structure employed by the authors but how they generate the feel and atmosphere of their work,
If it’s intentional and informs your writing, then it might just contribute to your CPD. The key is to treat it like learning rather than just passive consumption. So, binge-watching a sensationalist Netflix documentary probably won’t cut it. Sorry.
How to make the most of your CPD?
To turn your learning into growth, try this five-step approach:
Identify areas to develop: Set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound).
Define your objectives: Based on point one, ask yourself what you hope to achieve? Do you want to improve pacing? World building? Dialogue?
Vet your sources: If you’re taking a course, research the instructor. Are they credible and relevant to your genre? If they are not in your genre, what experience do they have with the craft and area they are teaching in? After all, how many writing and film classes are taught by people with a university degree but no real-world experience or success?
Take notes and reflect: Jot down key takeaways, how they can relate and be applied to your work, and what you’ll do next (which is point five).
Apply your learning: Try a writing prompt, rewrite a scene, or start a short story inspired by your new knowledge.
Marek’s final thoughts
CPD doesn’t need to be formal or expensive to be valuable. The real power lies in deliberate, goal-driven learning, and as crime fiction writers, our “education” can come from the strangest, darkest, or most unexpected places.
How do you use CPD in your writing?
Let me know in the comments or share your favourite writing course or research tool!
