Abstract
I have taken an autoethnographic approach in my exegesis and split it into three parts. First of all, I contextualise my thesis in terms of genre and influences. My aim is to explain its conceptual framework. I give a brief overview of crime fiction in the last century and show how it continues to evolve and then make an attempt to find my own niche within the genre. In the middle section I explain how my thesis blends or even subverts genres, departing from conventional suspense or mystery writing. My aim has been to re-establish the foundational principles of characterisation and plot in the genre. Setting and emotion are also more important in my thesis than the latest advances in technical wizardy, forensics and police procedural. I set out to explore the impact of loss and imminent danger to the victim, rather than writing a classic whodunit, or even a whydunit. These two sections look at 'text to text', and 'text to world'. (Oliver Keene & Zimmermann, 1997) Thirdly, I interview myself as a way to illuminate my routine, aims and thoughts behind the writing of Gauntlet Road. I chose this method because I felt it was the most effective way to reflect on my personal experience of writing and to describe intention and process ('text to self').
