How to Write Noir Fiction

Noir fiction is about crime. But the elements that support noir fiction express not just the story about a crime, but an introspective look at the sin of its hero and supporting characters. The settings are always gloomy and the dialogue must be snappy. Moreover, noir fiction revolves around the moral choices of its main character. In this article, let’s discuss how you can write noir fiction and incorporate those elements more easily.

The Protagonist in Noir Fiction

Unlike hero’s in other stories, noir fiction highlights the moral, immoral, and amoral characteristics of the protagonist. The hero doesn’t have to be a villain or an anti-hero. However, he or she should be easily persuaded to breaking the law. Through interior monologue or flashbacks, you can display how the hero is already at the breaking point. When the situation eventually calls for him or her to choose immoral choices, the reader will understand. That is very important because simply having the hero choose immorality is never good. During the first act, you should reveal why he or she is prone to immorality.

This immorality in noir fiction is a trait that is commonly seen throughout the story by nearly all characters. If another character isn’t a villain or evil, then they are certainly amoral or generally pessimistic about life. This nihilistic attitude is important for developing the theme in noir fiction.

Also, the main hero is usually just a regular person. They are not a celebrity or an athlete or a politician. They are usually normal working-class people. Noir fiction uses normal people because it is a specific message to the audience—who tends to be working-class—that potentially bad things await them if they don’t shape up and notice the dark forces around them.

The hero must be susceptible to greed or lust or pride. Perhaps they had a rough past that left them poor and now they found hope to change their future by committing this crime that would solve their problems. Or maybe they are in a relationship that seems inescapable, leading them to choose options that will alter the course of their lives in a good way by doing bad things. Once this choice is made, it is a downward spiral for them. The choice causes more problems than benefits until it finally destroys them or alters their future in a non-beneficial way.

Noir Fiction Settings

The setting is never a sunny day at the beach. You will likely never see noir fiction set in a small, rural town. This is because the city is a major element in noir fiction that helps create the atmosphere bring the hero down. The dreary setting doesn’t have to do anything special other than simply exist. The characters will use the setting as a backdrop for where they will make their immoral choices. The settings will naturally have a dark and depressing vibe.

Dark alleys where drug addicts dwell, dive bars where drunkards stumble, and personal spaces like the hero’s home or office building are typically seen in noir fiction. The latter two are used because they represent a familiar setting, masking the crime for the hero to help him or her makes a choice. Dangerous places are great because they provide the writer with gritty, grimy elements that will showcase the nasty characteristics of the setting.

The settings in noir fiction represent more than just danger, however. Because of their gloomy vibes, the settings must symbolize the fall from grace of the hero. The deeper they fall as the story goes on, the worse the settings get. For example, if a hero begins the story in his office, the climax of the story will be in his office but on fire or in a shootout. Once the story and plot begin to move forward, the setting must become more dangerous and obvious that evil lurks within it.

Noir Fiction Plot

Without a crime plot, noir fiction doesn’t exist. The entire essence of this genre must have a crime involved for it to play out. It usually revolves around money of some sort, but not necessarily. That is up to you. The point is there must be an illegal motive that the hero acknowledges to get him involved in the plot. Remember, regardless of if the plot acts upon him in negative ways throughout the story, it was because he or she made the first choice to do something.

The plot in noir fiction should be fleshed out by the writer beforehand. Otherwise, the writer will have difficulty completing it. Noir fiction usually has a maze-like plot, full of twists and turns. Characters who were friends at the beginning of the story, turn into enemies or will be discovered as enemies all along. Deaths, including the hero’s death, are common. When the hero dies or loses everything it signifies to the audience that they were watching a tragedy.

The noir fiction plot is not a mystery in the sense of a common who-dun-it. But noir fiction certainly has a mysterious vibe to it because of the crime involved. The crime must get solved or the hero must evade being caught. Therefore, it is a mystery to see if they can get away with the crime. You will likely see red herrings (false clues) used in noir fiction to throw off a character from solving the crime.