Crafting the Criminally Insane

Am I mad? Probably, but a writer needs to be able to distance themselves from characters to ensure they are well-rounded, motivated and believable. A writer must know what a character wants without wanting it themselves. In creating the nine criminally insane inmates of Dortmund Asylum (the facility in my novel Dortmund Hibernate) I had to ask myself:

1. What would get you locked up in a facility such as this?

2. Why would a person commit these horrific acts?

3. How would you present to a psychologist after years in solitary confinement?

Murder was the obvious answer to question one, but prison holds murderers. These acts needed to be unique and have a basis in psychological imbalance. It’s not so much that they did it, but how and why they did it, and their current response to the act when raised professionally (questions two and three). You’ve got to be creative and just let the mind go dark.

The first inmate readers will be introduced to is Claude Simmonds, dubbed ‘Slippery Simmonds’ by the guards due to the pet anaconda he kept in his house while free. Claude’s world revolved around animals. A zookeeper as a career path and in study, he cared not for humans. This meant he remained either in his workplace or in his home at all times, for within both of these sanctuaries were breeds of deadly animals. This allowed him to be himself. Claude had not hurt anyone until one night when a group of teenagers attempted to steal his car. This action would set him on a path that saw teenagers and cops tortured by the pets kept within his home. The gruesome details are explained in the novel.

In presenting to the psychologist, he retells the story as though he has done no wrong. His lack of empathy with humans detaches his care for their deaths. He laughs while recounting the tale of his downfall. Claude holds it with pride and shows no remorse. He even clutches to the hope of seeing his anaconda again, to which he has developed sexual feelings for. Hope in a place such as Dortmund Asylum should be impossible, but Claude’s mind uses it as a coping mechanism for incarceration. Is he a danger? Yes. Is his condition incurable? Well, you’ll have to read to find out.

But Claude Simmonds was but one soul in a nest of nine. Unique creations were essential to make each person a living, breathing character separate from the last. Different age brackets, professions, passions, body types, backgrounds, cultures, beliefs and targets. Research plays a large role in this. To enter the mind of someone classified as criminally insane you’ve got to read about past cases and understand the subject area. I can sleep at night knowing these people aren’t real, but if I can construct these traits and behavioural patterns, perhaps people not dissimilar to Claude are out there. And he’s not even close to the worst patient in the book…

So, am I mad? Probably. But that makes it all the more interesting, wouldn’t you agree?

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