What struck me about the four writers of crime fiction who came together yesterday afternoon under the banner So You Want to be a Crime Writer? was the degree of consensus that emerged as to what it takes to write a crime novel that engages readers and keeps them reading. In the appropriately surreal setting of The Other Space – the live performance area for Ensemble 52’s innovative theatre piece City Sketches – David Mark, Nick Quantrill, Luca Veste and I undertook our own investigation into the writing process. Each of us read an extract from, and discussed aspects of a book (just the one, mind) that has influenced our writing. David Mark , author of Dark Winter and Original Skin . Inspired by Jim Crace’s Being Dead . Nick Quantrill author of Broken Dreams, The Late Greats and The Crooked Beat . Inspired by Ian Rankin’s Standing in Another Man’s Grave . Nick Triplow author of Frank’s Wild Years . Inspired by Graham Swift’s Last Orders . Luca Veste
Nick Triplow on books, films and music