ABSTRACT
Idris Elba (2016) and Riz Ahmed (2017) addressed the UK Parliament regarding increased representation and inclusion in the film and TV industries, emphasising the need to embrace “expansive narratives” representative of wider society in terms of age, race, disability and more. This is equally relevant to the publishing industry. 

Within publishing, in 2018 Penguin Random House adopted an inclusions policy to redress the existing imbalance in representation within the industry, stating; “books shape the culture of society … too often, culture is shaped by those from a narrow section of society.”

2017 book sales demonstrate that crime fiction (CF) outsells all other genres, making it the most influential contemporary literary form. As a CF author, I employ expansive narratives and argue that, in order to continue shaping and redirecting society’s understanding of cultures beyond the confines of socially-constructed boundaries, CF should embrace wider narratives. My Creative Writing post-graduate research considers these issues and reflects on my creative choices. 

This article considers inclusion and representation within the CF genre, explores the lack of “expansive narratives” therein, and suggests that, by being more inclusive, the genre has the potential to help shape and redirect perceptions. It also considers the ethics and responsibility of writing the “other.” 

KEY WORDS
crime fiction; creative writing; expansive narratives; inclusion; diversity; appropriation; authorial responsibility; marginalised groups; representation