CrimeCONN: Great Openings and Solving Crimes in Real Life

Back in August I wrote about why I attend writing conferences after attending Deadly Ink 2015 in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending CrimeCONN 2015 at the Westport Library in Westport, Connecticut. The conference was co-sponsored by Mystery Writers of America, New York Chapter.

CrimeCONN was an AMAZING CONFERENCE!!!

Seriously.

I had the honor of being on the first panel of the day, Who loves you, baby?: How to make your readers fall in love at first sight. Great openings followed by ways to keep the love alive. When I first saw the line up for the panel, I was more than a bit intimidated. Roberta Islieb (aka Lucy Burdette) has published 14 mysteries and has been short-listed for a host of mystery writing awards. Tom Straw has written numerous New York Times bestsellers under a pseudonym. But if I was the tiniest bit nervous (and I was) moderator John Valeri quickly put my fears to rest. He had fantastic questions, and he really made the panel a very enjoyable experience. You can see in the picture below just how much fun I am having!

From L to R: Roberta Isleib (aka Lucy Burdette), Tom Staw, Nina Mansfield and moderator John Valeri. Photo: Chelsey Valeri.

One of the major points that the panel touched upon was whether or not a body needs to drop in the first chapter. The consensus seemed to be no…and yes.  In other words, a metaphorical body should probably be dropping. Something needs to hook the reader. But it doesn’t have to actually be a dead body. There are many other ways to draw a reader in.

I had an equally good time attending all of the other panels on CrimeCONN. I was excited that there were two presentations devoted to the solving of actual (rather than literary) crimes. I have been lucky to attend a number of panels and trainings over the years with those who solve crimes in real life, and each time, I find I learn something new. The presentations at CrimeCONN were no different. The first was called, These are there stories: An Insider’s look at working cases from crime scene to court house, with: Michelle Clark, a Medicolegal Death Investigator; John Davenport, a Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney; and Art Weisberger, the Commander for the Crime Scene Unit of the Norwalk Police. The second presentation, ‘Cause dead flies tell no lies: A forensics expert talks about how to read a crime scene like a novel, featured Peter Valentin, a retired detective in the Major Crime Squad.  Some of the takeaways from the experts this time:

• Some crimes are too awful for fiction.
• It can take longer to pick a jury than to try a case.
• It is important for those who work in law enforcement to have down time.
• It’s not all about DNA.
• Cases go cold because people make mistakes.

Interestingly, one comment by Art Weisgerber made me think that there are a number of parallels between writing and solving actual crimes. He mentioned how he will often have a breakthrough idea that will help him solve a case while doing something like mowing the lawn. I find that is true of writing as well. The solutions to my stories often come when I am doing some repetitive chore.

I could seriously go on and on about how wonderful this conference was. I am Not Even Joking! I met fabulous people and discovered new authors. I have added a number of new titles to my “To Read” list.  I feel a renewed sense of inspiration to keep writing.

And I am already looking forward to next year’s CrimeCONN!