Inspiration Is Everywhere
Duff by Ruth Murray is reproduced by kind permission of the artist Follow Ruth on Instagram @ruthmurrayartist
There's a common misconception that crime writers only get their inspiration from true crime or news headlines. As a lover of music and art, I often find that I am inspired by the mood of a great song, or its lyrical content. Great art is often a catalyst too, because it teaches a writer how to structure tension and manipulate what the reader knows. The best crime fiction, I would argue, relies on a paradox: hyper-focusing on minute details whilst keeping the over-arching truth shrouded in mystery. Ruth Murray is a Manchester based figurative painter and Royal College of Art graduate who creates highly detailed, psychologically charged oil paintings exploring identity in domestic and natural settings. Her 2018 work titled 'Duff' is one of my favourite recent artworks and acts as the perfect visual metaphor for this exact writing technique.
In botany and forestry, "duff" refers to the thick, suffocating layer of decaying organic matter that blankets a forest floor. Staged during an art residency in Bergen, Norway, Ruth's painting presents a massive, tightly cropped, almost claustrophobic view of this cluttered woodland ground. For a crime writer, this teaches the power of sensory texture. The intricate lattice of branches and shadows in 'Duff' competes for space with the human subject. The concept can be used in writing to build atmosphere and hide clues in plain sight. It's a reminder to a crime writer of the importance of the scene. I try to write in such a way that encourages the reader to look at the "duff" - the specific texture of the carpet, the pattern of rust on a dagger, or the chaotic clutter of a room - using the environment itself as a deceptive layer camouflaging a truth.
The most haunting aspect of 'Duff' is its composition. A solitary, stationary woman lies deeply enmeshed in the branches, but her gaze is fixed entirely out of frame. What is she looking at? What is she thinking? This is the ultimate lesson in narrative tension. The painting provides hyper-realistic detail of the girl and the forest, but maintains an absolute mystery above the narrative context. A great crime writer will write characters who are well drawn but can see something, or know something, that the reader cannot yet determine. By keeping the most critical element 'out of frame' a writer can create a psychological itch that compels the reader to keep turning the page.
Because "duff" is literally the layer of earth where decomposition happens, it is visually beautiful on the canvas but structurally dark underneath. This duality can be the engine of a great mystery. A quiet town, a happy family life, or a serene forest may look pristine on the surface, but underneath, the process of decay is at work. A good crime writer can use the physical duff of a setting as a mirror for the emotional or moral decay of their characters.
The best crime fiction, like the best figurative art, doesn't over-explain. By focusing heavily on the sharp, tangible realities of a scene while deliberately withholding the full picture, a writer invites the reader to become the detective, scrutinizing the canvas of the book pages for the truth.