Stephanie Bond | What P.I.’s and Novelists Have in Common

After the attacks of 9-11, the Department of Defense gathered top novelists and screenwriters and asked them to put their heads together to come up with worst-case scenarios, trying to stay one step ahead of what terrorists might be planning. I think that speaks volumes for the value of imagination.

A few years ago I took the coursework to become a private investigator in the state of Georgia, strictly for research. I was the thorn in all the instructors’ sides because they would explain how something was done and I would raise my hand and ask, “How could a person get around that?” or “How could that go wrong?” I was always trying to figure out how a criminal might try to get away with something or how a situation could be made worse by a loophole in the law. When one of my instructors found out I was a novelist, he remarked that, like writers, the best private investigators and detectives have a fertile imagination.

That got me thinking about how many skills overlap the two occupations.

Note-taking: Writers rely on note-taking to catalog story ideas and keep up with various bits of info. P.I.’s rely on note-taking to log their time and what they see, else they can’t bill out hours.

Analyzing: Writers take disparate pieces of info and figure out ways to link them together to tell a story. P.I.’s also take what might seem like disjointed pieces of information and try to piece together a story.

People-watching: Writers observe people to get ideas for body types and mannerisms for their characters. P.I.’s observe people because body language sometimes speaks more loudly than words.

Interviewing: Writers conduct interviews to make their stories as authentic as possible. P.I.’s conduct interviews to get the most accurate version of a story.

Sitting: Writers sit…a lot. P.I.’s also sit…a lot. In fact, a private investigator once told me that because 80% of her work is domestic surveillance (catching cheating spouses), she spends about 6 hours a day sitting in her car! I can relate to that.

So if this writing gig doesn’t work out, maybe I’ll hang my P.I. shingle…

__________________________________________

Stephanie Bond writes the humorous sexy mystery series BODY MOVERS for Mira books. Books 1-3 are available now; 4 Bodies and a Funeral, 5 Bodies to Die For, and 6 Killer Bodies will be released back to back in April, May, and June.