by Patricia Bradley, @PTBradley1
We are told to write what we know, but if we did, it might be very boring, especially if it’s what I know. So I write what I want to learn about and would like to experience. Wait, that’s not exactly accurate. I write romantic suspense that includes murder, and I really don’t want to experience murder.
Often writers deal with topics and situations that some people might not call normal. Things like how to blow up a house, or poison someone, or how a silencer sounds, or even how to write a fight scene. I’ve accumulated a few sites and resources that I’d like to share with you. I’m also pretty sure Homeland Security has a file on me…you, too if you write mystery or suspense.
While writing one of my Memphis Cold Case novel, Justice Delivered, I needed information on human trafficking and discovered the CDC has an excellent site. Most states have organizations dedicated to eradicating human trafficking and if you’re writing about the subject, get in touch with an organization close to you. Here in Mississippi, Advocates for Freedom works tirelessly to get victims out of trafficking, and they provided me with first hand knowledge of the subject.
Lee Lofland has a great blog to help writers get their facts straight—https://www.leelofland.com/the-graveyard-shift-blog/. Before I was published I entered my first chapter in a contest. Here’s a sentence from what I submitted: “The smell of cordite burned her eyes.” No, it wasn’t a historical. Thank goodness one of the judges told me about Lee’s blog. I have learned so much from his writing. He also has a great conference—Writer’s Police Academy. If your story deals in any way with law enforcement, this is a great conference to attend. You can find out more about it on the Facebook page.
Another favorite resource is the Crime Scene Writers Loop.
https://groups.io/g/Crimescenewriter2/https://groups.io/g/Crimescenewriter2/
This loop has the best of the best and everyone on the loop is willing to help writers. Have a question about a body? Submit it to the loop and you’ll get your answer. Same thing with questions about guns, arrests, even whether police officers can keep their personal cell phones with them while on duty. Sample topics have been things like the rate the body absorbs GHB, toxicology reports, and a murder board.
The murder board brings me to another resource. Actually two. I first read about creating a murder board at The Killzone blog. There are some heavy hitters on this blog, and like Lee Lofland’s blog and the Crime Scene loop, the posts each day are geared to help writers. This is where I first heard about a murder board. I was floundering in my WIP and someone on the blog mentioned the board. Wow! Creating a murder board literally solved my plot problems. I was able to “see” my victim and the suspects and move them around as I needed. In my next novel, Fatal Witness, which releases next February, I had a secondary character create a murder board.
The Killzone also has “First Page Critiques.” Your first page is considered prime real estate, and their “First Page Critiques” is an excellent place to learn how to hook your reader
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention YouTube. A writer can learn anything on YouTube! I’ve watched videos showing how loud a silencer is. (Not like it’s depicted on TV, for sure!) I’ve learned about different guns and to never call a magazine a clip!
Another great resource is Carla Hoch who is a self-defense expert. She has a great blog called Fight Right. Since I’m not an expert in fighting, it’s great to know someone who is. She has several great blogs on how to write fight scenes along with tips on terminology and footwork. She’s also written a Writers Digest book, How to Write Believable Fight Scenes.
I hope these resources will help you as a writer whether you write suspense or not. None of them were available when I first started writing. If they had been, it would have made my writing journey easier. And remember—there has never been a better time to write and gain the knowledge you need for your stories. Now go write something wonderful!
No sooner has Alexis Stone been sworn in as the interim sheriff for Russell County, Tennessee, when a serial killer dubbed the Queen’s Gambit Killer strikes again–this time in her hometown. Pearl Springs is just supposed to be a temporary stop along the way to Alex’s real dream: becoming the first female police chief of Chattanooga. But the killer’s calling card–a white pawn and a note with a chess move printed on it–cannot be ignored.
Pearl Springs chief of police Nathan Landry can’t believe that his high school sweetheart Alexis (he refuses to call her Alex) is back in town, and he can’t help wanting to protect the woman he never stopped loving. But as the danger mounts and the killer closes in, can Nathan come through on the promises he makes to himself to bring a killer to justice before it’s too late.
Patricia Bradley is the author of fifteen Inspirational Romantic Suspense books set in the South. She is the winner of a Selah award, and an Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award. She’s been the keynote speaker at several conferences where she also teaches workshops on writing fiction.
She and her two rescue kitties call Corinth, Mississippi home, and when she’s not writing, she likes to throw mud on a wheel to see what comes out.