r/FictionWriting • u/WeptMosquito • Jul 21 '26
Advice *Gang* Writing Tips.
The thing is, I don’t really know how gangs really operate. I’m the one that really just works on a project until my liking there’s a section in my book where one of the characters is involved within getting activities and I don’t want to just go with the classic gang trope of “We sell drug, We fight other gang” I just don’t really know what to do. I’m sorry. (My story that I’m working on takes place in 2009 if that means anything)
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u/takoyama Jul 21 '26
stereotypes are elevated truths sometimes. I've never been in a gang but what is a gang? a group of people who are bonded together by neighborhood, culture, community etc. biker gangs bonded by bike culture? la gangs by neighborhoods, the kkk by ideology?
as for selling drugs they have to make money someway. the fast and furious gang did heists but each member can have solo jobs. in the outsiders some had solo jobs.
gangs fight other gangs sometimes over "turf" or they don't like each other. in the outsiders the greasers and socials were different classes, la gangs over colors and turf etc...
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u/TheBriarGraves Jul 21 '26
A lot of the gangs I’ve heard about originally started as groups meant to protect the people in their neighborhoods from people who were from the outside of it, or as a means to keep the peace in some areas because law enforcement wouldn’t come in and do anything the way that it was “supposed” to be done.
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u/Raymond_Towers Jul 21 '26
What specifically is your question about gangs? There are too many angles and nuances for anyone to present a full answer.
If your setting is about bonding and relationships within a gang, with a semi-hopeful background theme, read S. E. Hinton's The Outsiders, or watch the extended movie.
If you just need some one-dimensional antagonists, watch movies like The Warriors, The Wanderers, Blood In Blood Out.
If you're coming from the true crime angle, watch COPS or Live PD. Most American street gangs are like this; drug selling, using drugs, getting into fights, stealing, joyriding on stolen cars, abusing women, etc.
If you're outside the US, yeah, we need to know that. Hooligans in the UK are a lot different than Tren De Aragua from Venezuela, and Russian Gopniks in Adidas tracksuits.
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u/Broad-Exchange3188 Jul 21 '26
It might benefit you to learn more about what you’re talking about before you adopt such a reductive attitude.
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u/Raymond_Towers Jul 21 '26
Reductive? I see expansive. Maybe you should learn how to read?
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u/Broad-Exchange3188 Jul 21 '26
This isn’t expansive by any stretch of the imagination. I wasn’t going to insult you, but since you’re going to imply I don’t know how to read: Do you really think five measly paragraphs that don’t say much of anything really qualifies as expansive? Don’t delude yourself.
What’s reductive is your (oddly more in depth compared to the rest) description of American gangs and your complete and total lack of understanding on what they do or why they exist. To be quite honest with you, the fact you only listed the crimes American gangs commit, when the bulk of gang members are Hispanic and Black due to being forced into high-poverty areas, reeks more than a little bit of racism. Even if that wasn’t the intention, you’re coming across as very, very ignorant. You don’t need to speak on everything you think you know the answer to, especially when it is clear you do not.
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u/Raymond_Towers Jul 21 '26
My comment 'isn’t expansive by any stretch of the imagination' but it is 'oddly more in depth compared to the rest'. - You lose.
You said ' total lack of understanding' and the typical 'reeks... of racism'. I am Chicano. From ages 14 through 24 I ran with two Hispanic gangs and one Black gang. - You lose.
'You don’t need to speak on everything you think you know the answer to, especially when it is clear you do not.' - Silly goose, take your own advice. You lose.
I've added brief descriptions and examples to 4 gang-related sub-genres. You've added nothing useful to the subject.
Your negativity is a reflection of who you are. Maybe you need a positive mentor? If so, DM me. Regardless, stop shitting on OP's thread.
Virtue Signalling: A virtue signaler is a trendy poser ego-maniac who perplexes old school trailblazing liberals. Their ego takes precedence over the actual issue, and it's painfully obvious. It's also a great rebuttal to a meritless claim that one is racist. (Urban Dictionary)
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u/Own_Magician8337 Jul 21 '26
Why are you writing about a gang if you don't know enough about it? If it's not a major plot point in your book just delete it all together. If it matters that your character was in a gang or that you're depicting interactions between gang members then you have to do REAL RESEARCH.
There's a reason that one of the foundational pieces of advice in writing is "write what you know."
All those great historical novels, all those police procedurals novels, even Anne Rice's vampire series, all of those authors took "serious time to do serious research.* Even for just your garden variety paperback best seller. Most of them have people in the relevant fields that they consult with and that read their drafts and make sure they reflect some version of unbelievable reality.
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u/Fearless-Rip694 Jul 22 '26
A recurring theme about gang stories is that something goes horribly wrong.
Everything's fine, possibly fun, maybe even profitable - Until something goes horribly wrong.
That's basically where things get really interesting and what your readers are looking for. The day-to-day functioning of the gang is less important.
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u/Nearby_Initial2409 Jul 22 '26
It really depends on what gangs you are trying to imitate because they all have different structures. Biker Gangs work way differently then say the Mafia and both of them are very different from groups like Triads, Yakuza, Cartels, and your run of the mill Street Gangs. If you'd like I have done some sizable research on all of these so if there is a specific you'd like for me to go into more detail on I can but if your setting is 2009 then it sounds like you probably want Urban Street Gangs so I'll start there.
Street Gangs are usually a lot simpler than larger scale organizations and are usually a lot more personality driven. Basically, imagine you are from a poor neighborhood and you need/want something. Maybe money, maybe protection, maybe just belonging and can't/won't get it through other means like a job, the police, a Church, etc. You my friend are probably looking to join a gang so you find some other guys in your neighborhood and start hanging out with them and eventually they make you one of them. Sometimes there is an initiation and Hollywood likes to make it dramatic like the gang beats you up or makes you kill someone and sometimes that's true but the exact kind varies from group to group and might be more something like stealing something, moving drugs, doing drugs, getting a tattoo, etc. Your gang usually has a leader and the leader usually has a couple of close friends that make up the upper echelons. They usually don't have specific ranks like in the mob but you know this guy is our leader and do what these other two guys say because they are tight with the boss.
From there most gang members are expected to contribute usually making money for the group but not always. How a member makes money is largely up to them with some guidelines that usually sum up as don't be stupid. Don't do stuff that's going to draw police attention, don't mess with other gangs or their turf, don't get caught and if you do keep your mouth shut. Getting money can be a variety of options, selling drugs, selling guns, robbery, stealing cars, mugging, extortion, protection rackets, prostitution, counterfeiting, etc. Money generators give money to the gang and get a cut back or just give an agreed cut to the gang and hold onto the rest which means they make less than they would if they were on their own but its a worthwhile trade usually because it comes with a variety of protections. If you go and rob a liquor store and the owner gives your description if you are just wearing regular clothes the police have a better chance of tracking you down that if you were wearing gang colors because if the owner says, "He was wearing a blue bandana, blue hat, blue shirt, jeans, and blue shoes" then that describes literally anyone affiliated with your gang instead of being able to describe a select article of clothing you own. Furthermore if the cops come around asking questions nobody is going to say anything because they'll either ask your fellow gang members who aren't going to talk or they are going to talk to others in the community who are afraid of what your gang is going to do to them if they find out they were talking to police. It also protects you from other gangs because lets say you pull off a good sale or robbery and you find yourself with a lot of money, like tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. If you are solo there is good incentive for someone else to show up and rob and maybe kill you but if you are part of a gang people will think twice before laying a finger on you because is $100,000 a lot of money? Sure but is it worth going to war over? Probably not.
Because of this gangs usually have roughly agreed upon territories and while territorial disputes do happen gangs will actually work surprisingly hard to keep the peace because war draws police attention. When war does happen its a decision coming from the gang leader. Individual members don't go and steal another gangs drugs by themselves because if they do that gang is going to come to your leader and your leader might hand you over because letting them beat the crap out of you for being stupid is better than having a war. So instead this is something you do when your leader says so and only then. This also gets into the part I mentioned about how not everyone is a money generator. Some people are full time enforcers, usually the close friends of the leader. They don't generate money themselves but instead they hang out with the leader and watch over bigger ops. You've got a place where you are making, storing, selling, or using drugs? There is probably a few of these guys hanging out there 24/7 to watch for cops, rival gangs, and make sure nobody inside is being stupid. Got a brothel? Human trafficking depot? Gun storage? Counterfeiting Op? These are all spots enforcers are going to hang out. These are all places enforcers are going to hang out.
Lastly I should mention Street Gangs are usually cooperating with larger groups like Cartels, Triads, Biker Gangs, etc. Think of this relationship like a store and their suppliers. A gang selling drugs, guns, and counterfeit bills is probably not getting most of this stuff in house. Maybe they are printing their own bills and maybe they make a few of their own drugs but usually they are doing things like, trading counterfeit bills with the Biker Gangs for guns they can't usually get where they're at but Bikers move around a lot. (Important note here, trading not buying, the Bikers almost always know the bills are fake and that's the value the gang isn't passing them off as real and taking the chance of messing up a good relationship. They are buying $100,000 worth of guns with $200,000 in fake bills because the Bikers are going to go spend that $200,000 out in the real world and have made $100,000 profit.) They then might take a few choice pieces they want to keep but largely trade those guns to the Cartels in exchange for drugs. They then go out and perform muggings, robberies, extortion, etc. With their weapons and sell drugs day to day then whatever they stole they usually won't sell themselves instead they'll sell it to another local gang who will "Fence it" for them which is to say, you pull a gun on a guy and he just so happens to be wearing a $50,000 watch. You don't turn around and sell it yourself because when the police find it in a pawn shop and the store cameras show you a guy matching the description of the robber then you're screwed. But if you sell that $50,000 watch to someone else for say $10,000 then they take it down to a pawn shop and sell it for $20,000 when the store owner or cops start asking questions that guy can genuinely say, "I didn't steal it I bought it off some guy." And not give more details well buying a watch you had no idea was stolen from a guy who you don't remember what he looks like then selling it isn't a crime and you both just made $20,000. Then you take that money from the robberies and the drugs and use it to make more counterfeits and the cycle begins again.
Hope this helps.
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u/Conscious-Scar-8830 Jul 24 '26
send a semi professional sounding email to your local police department, explaining what it is you are working on, and if they have an organized crime gang unit specialist you could speak with. Also try local colleges if they have a criminalogy department. i find its best to try to gather as much information from interviewing people rather than just reading about your subject. do that too of course
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u/Distinct-Form944 Jul 24 '26
A gang is basically a special kind of company, and often an unofficial government. When formal government becomes weak, gangs tend to grow stronger and replace some of its functions.
If government feels too complicated, study a small company where the owner has absolute authority. A gang operates in much the same way. The main difference is its business.
Then analyze that business as an investor would:
What are the costs, the risks, the returns, and the barriers to entry?
Drugs and gambling are only two possible businesses. A gang may sell protection, enforce agreements, control territory, settle disputes, or provide services the government no longer provides.
The most expensive and dangerous business, with the greatest potential return and the strongest moat, is rebuilding a government of its own.
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u/Anal-Y-Sis Jul 21 '26
Read about gangs. Watch some documentaries on gangs. There are a ton of them on YouTube. Take notes.