Guest Blogger Ryder Islington
Write About welcomes Ryder Islington at this stop on her January blog tour!
The entire tour itinerary can be found here:
Ryder is here to share some ideas about writing violence:
Including Violent Crime in Your Writing
Writing about violent crime is very much like writing about sex. There are those who don't want to know the details, and those who thrive on every touch. Many people love to read sex scenes but are abhorred by violence. I think that is because we are all capable of both, and we don't like to see ourselves as capable of true violence.
But the fact remains that violent crimes are higher in the U.S. than ever before and it's not just the gang bangers and the psychopaths. Child and spousal abuse, kidnapping, rape, molestation, car-jacking, home invasions… these are so common place they usually don't make the front page, or even the front page of the local section, of the newspapers.
So how do we write about violent crime? Know what you're writing. If you lived an ideal life, with no violence and you intend to include violence in your writing, you have some research to do.
You may want to watch a few dozen movies with vivid scenes of violence. Not necessarily slasher films, though they may be helpful if your criminal is a coward—slashers in the movies usually use weapons and sneak up on people, or hide in the dark, waiting. That's a smart move for someone who is small, untrained in any kind of self defense, or handicapped in some way. If you're writing police procedurals, watch cop movies. If you're dealing with a serial killer, watch Criminal Minds, The Silence of the Lambs, etc.
Remember the violence has a root cause. Make sure your bad guy is sufficiently motivated. What would make you act the way you expect him to act? Remember that there are a lot of very sick puppies out there. Is your guy one of them? What is his mental problem? Research that.
You have to decide how detailed you want the violence to be. Are you going to show the bad guy sticking a knife into someone? How does the villain feel when he does that? In my debut novel, Ultimate Justice, A Trey Fontaine Mystery, one of the bad guys is a six year old boy. When he plunges the knife into a man's belly, his response to the blood running over his hand is, "Ooo, warm. Velvety." He has a reason for feeling that way, as do his partners in crime, a twelve year old boy, and a fifteen year old girl. They know about physical abuse, emotional abuse, and one of them knows about sexual abuse. So when they see a pedophile pulling a little girl into the woods, well, they handle the problem. They are well motivated.
You also need to know about the actual, physical mechanics of fighting. But before you decide how you'll learn that, you may want to decide who your characters are, and how they will know, what you are about to research. Then go back to movies and TV to see how it is done visually, because what you want to accomplish is to have your readers see, and feel, the action. This is definitely something you have to 'show, not tell.'
Thank you for a very informative article on this subject and thanks for stopping by Write About on your blog tour.
Ryder is a graduate of the University of California and former officer for a large sheriff's department, RYDER ISLINGTON is now retired and doing what she loves: reading, writing, and gardening. She lives in Louisiana with her family, including a very large English Chocolate Lab, a very small Chinese pug, and a houseful of demanding cats. She can be contacted at RyderIslington@yahoo.com or visit her blog at http://ryderislington.wordpress.com
[image error]
Ultimate Justice, A Trey Fontaine Mystery is receiving rave reviews from readers. http://www.ll-publications.com/ultimatejustice.html
The small town of Raven Bayou, Louisiana explodes as old money meets racial tension, and tortured children turn the table on abusive men. FBI Special Agent Trey Fontaine returns home to find the town turned upside down with mutilated bodies. Working with local homicide detectives, Trey is determined to get to the truth. A believer in empirical evidence, Trey ignores his instincts until he stares into the face of the impossible, and has to choose between what he wants to believe and the ugly truth.
