Serial killer tells his own story..yes? no? maybe?

[Tressa]

My bad. Abusing a corpse.

[Christina]

Would "Cannibal: The True Story Behind the Maneater of Rotenburg" count here? Miewes was interviewed by the author (I believe) and was pretty open to the media, as explaining his case was vital.

[David]

Actually that sounds like it would be fairly interesting, if not really disturbing, but albeit interesting.

[Jevron]

Always interesting!

Like reading Alan Partridge's book.

It's disturbing if you find yourself agreeing with 65% of it.

I think it's a great idea!

[Nicole]

Necrophilia, I think is the correct term for sexual attraction to corpses. I think Bundy was also a fan?

[Dan's]

Nicole wrote: "Necrophilia, ..sexual attraction to corpses. I think Bundy was also a fan?"

Yeah both Bundy & Jeffrey Dummer. I think there is some sort of docymentary out on his life. Also specialists tend to think that there is a corellation with his life habits and the ones depicted on -Hannibal Lecter- on the way that actor is playing his role on Red Dragon.

[[deleted user]]

My latest novella, Bleodsian, is about a serial killer, and he tells his own story. There is a lot of power from an approach like that. It makes the story all the more creepy.

[Anna (Bananas)]

Tressa wrote: "Ted Bundy had a fake cast on his arm and needed help—from the ladies—to put something in/on his car. Ladies, when a man in a cast asks you to come to his car to help him lift something heavy, the o..."

Makes you not want to help out strangers, doesn't it.

[Anna (Bananas)]

George wrote: "One of the Alex Cross novels was 3rd person serial killer's point of view that was very effective."

I'll have to look this up. I saw the Alex Cross trailer and I'm already rooting for the serial killer. He looked intense and much more interesting than the good guy.

[Suzanne]

sorta...love Dexter.

I also love a good mystery so I think if a killer keeps his "normal identity" hidden till the end, then I am okay with it.

[Tressa]

Anna (Bananas!) wrote: "Makes you not want to help out strangers, doesn't it. ..."

I'm just dying to help out. I will help out in daylight with hundreds of people milling about.

[Bob]

So for a serial killer has it been proven one way or another that it's nature or nurture or a combination of both. Here's an interesting article with an interview about it. Of course it's just one persons opinion.

https://sites.google.com/site/psychol...

[Graeme]

Robert wrote: "My latest novella, Bleodsian, is about a serial killer, and he tells his own story. There is a lot of power from an approach like that. It makes the story all the more creepy."

I agree I am also about 6 chapters into my own first person serial killer novel and basing it around myself with the day to day mundane activities mixed with an urge to kill is creepy indeed it sort of blurs the lines and makes one wonder what turns them over the edge. I read an amazing ebook on my kindle about serial killers from history up to today and it was them most amazing read I will have to dig out the info and post.

[Teresa]

What do we consider hit men who enjoy there job .. Mafia, gangs or do we just consider them all psychopaths

[Teresa]

Robb wrote: "Teresa wrote: "What do we consider hit men who enjoy there job .. Mafia, gangs or do we just consider them all psychopaths"

Well ,the term is a bit unscientific and loose. But it depends a bit on..."

I'm constantly watching the gang and mafia bio stories .. gang as in the drug running of south america and mexico .. Many times they brag about there kills and even laugh about it.. so a soldier or a killer .. I was watching one show..about the mafia in nyc .. I actually met the guy years ago...he killed over 60 people and would chop them up in his bath tub..had tons of medical books in his house..his gf died and he blammed her friend so he chopped her up and kept her head in the freezer.. people say mafia and hit mens only do it for money but makes me wonder if they have just found someplace for there needs

[Kristin]

It looks like everyone is done bringing up Ted Bundy, but I found Ted Bundy: Conversations with a Killerand the subsequent novelized version of the interviews The Only Living Witness: The True Story of Serial Sex Killer Ted Bundyinteresting. I read them back to back so it ended up being kind of repetitive, but they showed how Bundy really just wanted the attention after he knew he wasn't going to escape Florida alive. He kept promising interviews and would approach a topic open minded when the attention was on "some other guy" but when Michaud and Aynesworth tried to apply what Bundy said to all of the homicides and rapes he was suspected to have committed, he froze up. It's been a few years since I read it, but it's the same method Robert D. Keppelapproaches the interviews with Bundy about the Green River Killer in [book:The Riverman: Ted Bundy and I Hunt for the Green River Killer|105752, even with the bonus "last chapter" that claims to have "Bundy's never-before-published confessions" he never reveals anything at all.

[Justin]

Don't most killers these days try to write books explaining why they kill and about their life? Nothing quite like becoming "Prison Famous" and if your cellmate find out you've become a bit of a celeb for it? ... ;)

[Carly]

Most serial killers, turn out the way they do due to external and internal factors. I watch a lot of programs about people hunting real serial killers, and they always look into the killers pasts, they study their backgrounds, their life when they were a child. They look at the relationship they had with their parents if they were abused, physically or sexually, or committed any crimes such as theft, or harmed animals. From this they determine their state of mind, and how they see the world, from their point of view, which doesn't always make sense because they have a warped view of people, and their role or place in the world. A lot of serial killers are very disturbed individuals.

[Squire]

I think what makes the short storyStrawberry Spring by Stephen King so effective is that the serial killer narrating the story doesn't know here's a serial killer.

Does that count?

[Nathaniel]

The serial killers who are *not* disturbed individuals are always more interesting to me. The ones from the quote/unquote "normal" upbringing. Ted Bundy is the shining example (having a father leave at a young age is certainly normal practice compared to the upbringings of folks like Gein and Fish) he was a well spoken individual and very well-liked. And the scariest thing to me will always be that he worked at a women's crisis center and suicide hotline while he was an active serial killer, and by all accounts did it because he wanted to help people and save lives. Human beings are contradictions. It's what makes them interesting.

Anyway, I came in here to post about Strawberry Spring, but I'm glad to see someone already did that.

[Justin]

There's a book on Jack the Ripper by James Carnac which was written in the 20's. It's written as the autobiography of Jack the Ripper to which Carnac claims to have been the infamous killer.

While I have not read it, It certainly seems good enough to read to get some insight.

[The Angry Lawn Gnome]

Evan wrote: "Can a serial killer character narrate his own story effectively? What if plenty of dialogue is included to keep it well paced?"


I don't think it would work in a First-Person-Singular sense, presuming a generic type serial killer who just randomly grabs people and chops them up for chuckles. (And note that the Dexter books -- which I quite liked -- were nothing like this at all.) I could be wrong, but I'm just not seeing it.

I DO remember reading an old, old, old novel by Lawrence Block, of all people, called Not Comin' Home to You that was basically just Natural Born Killers stripped of all attempts at humor 20 years before Natural Born Killers was made...but that one wisely kept things to Third Person. I thought it worked quite well, with serial killers as the protagonists, but not as narrators.

[Jenn]

I think the first-person idea is interesting, but I've never seen it done. I write as a hobby and lately I've been writing drabbles/scenes/short stories focusing on an ex-serial killer. I had originally wanted to write the story of his crimes but I just have no idea how to do it. But go for it, it could totally work.