Both kinds of detectives. ^^
Original Question: Hey, could you please help me on how to play a real life detective.
Original Answer: I don’t really know what it means to be a real life detective? Are you asking about consulting detectives? Or, simply a detective that works with the police? Both?
First, there are a lot of different types of detectives.
Second, police detectives in large cities often focus on a special area. But sometimes, there are people who do everything.
Background investigation for Police applicants
Third, how to become a detective or a private investigator? I would start by researching in specificity of the setting. Detectives in the UK work way differently than those in the US. Make sure that you narrow down your research on the process of how your character became a detective. Usually, you would want a degree in Criminology and/or Criminal justice.
Degreetree: how to become a detective
Qualifications of becoming a detective
Policelink: 5 tips for becoming a detective
How Private Investigation works
Detective Training: become a private investigator
Becoming an FBI special agent
What FBI agents investigate
FBI Academy: Agent training
How to become a CIA agent
Fourth, what is it like being a detective?
I’m a homicide detective in the LAPD. What do you want to know?
What’s it like to be a homicide detective
What it’s really like to be a detective
A day in the life of a detective
A day in the life of an FBI agent
My life as a private investigator
A day in the life of a private investigator
Fifth, how to come up with a detective character?
How to create a brilliant detective
Tips for creating characters for a murder mystery
Top 10 fictional detectives
Film noir and the hard boiled detective
The evolution of the detective
Sixth, how to write a detective story?
How to write a detective story
Twenty rules for writing detective stories
Rules for detective writers
Finally, I think that it’s crucial not to write your detective as someone super smart and can pick up details like no other. Obviously, because they are in this profession, they might be able to pick up trends and judge people on their behaviour. But, no one is like Sherlock. Sometimes, they will fail, and that will have consequences on their psyche. They might be good at one part of criminology, like petty crimes, but are out of their depths with murders. There are a lot of paper work, so they won’t be investigating all the time. What do they do on their down time is just as important as what they are doing on a case. I think that family and friends are important. Do they live alone? Or, do they have a family to take care of? Sometimes, with a job that has unsettled hours, it can affect their social lives. With private investigators, they might be able to choose their own cases. Mostly, people losing things or a cheating spouse. That might be what the character is doing half the time. That’s all I can think of right now.
