The Capture of a Notorious Criminal
Describe the events leading up to and following the capture of a notorious criminal. Include perspectives from law enforcement, the criminal, and the victims, shedding light on the psychological motivations and consequences of the crime.
Suggested length: An essay or article: 800 to 2,500 words
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- End with something the reader can do or think about today.
- State your main point in one sentence before you start.
- Include a counterargument and answer it fairly.
Writing true crime books
A real crime, investigated on the page.
True crime reconstructs real crimes and the investigations that followed. The best of it is serious journalism that asks what a crime reveals about a place, a time or a justice system.
What readers expect
- Deep reporting and research
- Suspense, even when the ending is known
- Victims treated as people
- Questions about justice
A tip before you start
The victims are real people with families who may read your book. Respect earns readers' trust and keeps you on the right side of the law.
More True Crime prompts
- Reopening a Famous Cold CaseChoose a well-known crime from the past century and reimagine the investigation with today’s technology. How would modern forensics, digital…
- Inside a Puzzling CaseCompile a series of interviews with various professionals in the criminal justice system—detectives, forensic scientists, judges, and defense…
- An Unsolved Local CrimeWrite a detailed account of an infamous unsolved crime from your local area, exploring the lingering impact on the community and the various theories…
- The Tip Inside GovernmentWrite from the perspective of a journalist who receives an anonymous tip about corruption in a high-ranking government office. Explore the challenges…
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