The New Blogger- Suspense Writing Continued

From The Creative Fingertips of Shaunna Rodriguez  To Your Curious Mind

WRITING A SUSPENSFUL,

CRIME/MYSTERY NOVEL

    For the first time in a month, she finally slept soundly.  Despite her reluctance in doing so, she had finally taken the Ambien her doctor had prescribed.  Sleeping medicines always scared her, set her nerves on edge and sent her anxiety into overdrive but, after the murder she had witnessed on that cold September morning down an alleyway just outside of her office building a month ago, her nights had been filled with sleeplessness, nightmares and blood curdling screams followed by gunshots and then darkness.  She’d wake feeling like something warm and sticky was on her hands, occasionally finding herself on her hands and knees on her bathroom floor bent over her toilet, which would be timely for the limitless, violent vomiting that would follow. 

The dosage was so strong that it knocked her unconscious within a matter of minutes, into a sound, peaceful sleep.  The rise and fall of her chest was rhythmic and consistent with a deep sleep.  She didn’t hear the creak of the old wooden staircase or the footsteps coming down the wood floor to her closed bedroom door.  She didn’t hear the squeak of the hinges or the groan of the floorboards that led from the door to her full-size bed with her new pink and blue quilt on it that she was snuggled so warmly beneath.  She never saw the reflection of the moons light off the raised blade that was positioned above the intruders head.  She moaned softly and stirred, suddenly restless in her once peaceful sleep.  The darkly dressed figure stood still, resting their legs against the side of her bed, staring down at her.  Raising the knife once again, they prepared to plunge it into her chest.  A harsh, grainy voice growled “and now you die.”

    Here, I’d be asking, were they killed?  Was she in protective custody? Were there no officers outside of her house?  Who is the killer?  Are they an assassin hired by the person who is perhaps on trial or are they the killer that she saw and they are trying to rid the only witness to their crime?  The suspense part ranges from them approaching the bedroom door from the creaking staircase to the groan of the floorboards and the fact that an unsuspecting, sleeping person has someone in their house that they are unaware of and worse yet, that person means to kill them.  I’d be asking does she wake up?  Was the sudden stirring of the once peacefully sleeping girl her body telling her that there is something wrong? Wake up? Will someone save her? 

The truth about all of that is actually, I had that part written out as to whether or not she’d be saved or killed….. I deleted it leaving the questions to be intentionally pondered in your mind.

Writing about crime scenes is not as tricky as some make it out to be.  It’s just in depth, even for a fictional crime scene.  However, an important thing to remember about writing is that you are an artist with a blank canvas and are painting a picture for your readers to see.  Research is everything.  Research old and new crime scenes, look at both solved and unsolved to cold cases.  Try examining old cold cases that have recently been solved, recently as in the last ten years as data and technology peaked to their highest.  The problem with murders and crimes that took place from the Pre-1900 and Pre-20– is the lack of technology.  DNA is everything now.  Fingerprints, fingerprint dusting, DNA obtained from bodies, even that of a strand of hair, can be the deciding factor in finding a predator, serial killer or serial rapist and closing the book on that crime and giving the victim as well as their families closure.  So, if you take a photo of a crime scene that was developed in 1989 and compare it to the cold case having been re-opened, the evidence resubmitted to labs for DNA testing and analysis. (WARNING: FYI: DNA 10 years or older is harder to test on and is typically found to be unusable and inconclusive due to the deterioration of such evidence.) So, depending on what year and/or era you want your crime to take place, it is necessary for you to factor these important tidbits into mind when writing.

Also, an important thing to remember when writing about crime scenes is that there is a form to follow.  Jumping and saying “OMG! Erin was murdered! There’s blood everywhere and they are saying Jimmy did it!”  Does not make for a crime scene and your reader is going to be slightly disturbed and possibly annoyed about who Erin is, why she was murdered and who Jimmy is and how he ties into Erin and what the crime scene looked like because all we depicted from that statement was Erin was murdered, there’s blood everywhere and they think Jimmy did it.  So, you have to give more and follow a sort of protocol so that your crime scene as well as story tie together.

For instance, investigators use a layout similar to this one:

5 CATEGORIES USED IN CRIME SCENE REPORTS:

1.  SUMMARY

2.  SCENE

3.  PROCESSING

4.  EVIDENCE COLLECTING

5.  PENDING

The summary would basically give the details of how the police department or detectives initiated the investigation.

Example:

At the request of Robbery Detective Parker Terrell, this officer was request to respond to assist in processing the scene of an armed robbery involving at least 4 unknown masked, unidentified subjects.

Detective Parker Terrell’s preliminary investigation revealed that the subjects startled the victim as she returned home from her afternoon shopping.  For further details of the investigation, refer to Detective. P. Terrell’s report.  The officers summaries are typically brief and does not include a lot of he said, she said information.

Scene:

  In the scene section of the narrative, officers or detectives write a detailed description of the scene as it is seen upon their approach.  The scene description usually includes anything that is unusual and out of place.  Any weather or environment conditions are also included.  Again, this is a description of what they see not what they think.  The evidence observed, its location, condition, or anything remarkable about the term will be included in their scene description section.  This would also correspond to any identification description markers used to number or label the items of evidence.  The remarks would all be consistent with any numbers, letters, or labels indicated in the photographs, or drawn into a sketch of the scene.

PROCESSING:

The processing section is for the police units to describe what they did, if assistance was needed during the processing stages, who they had assisting, and what functions they did.

EVIDENCE:

The evidence collection section is to organize what evidence they and other assisting were able to recover from the crime scene, where the items were recovered from, and what part of the lab the items were directed to for analysis. 

PENDING:

  The pending section would be for any known tasks that would need to be completed at a later date in the investigation.

The next level used for crime scene writing is:

1.  OBSERVE THE SCENE

2.  COLLECT EVIDENCE

3.  PROCESS THE FINDINGS

First of all, you are going to want to have your character observe the scene.  It should read similarly to:

1.  PROVIDE A THOROUGH DESCRIPTION OF WHAT YOU SEE AT THE CRIME SCENE AS YOU WALK THROUGH IT. (so, your character would be giving a description for your readers to follow as they go through the location of “Erin’s Murder.”

2.  INCLUDE ANY RELEVANT FACTORS LIKE LOCATION (HEAVY TRAFFIC), WEATHER, ITEMS THAT APPEAR TO BE MISSING OR SEEM STRANGE. (Your character detective would need to provide things that seem suspicious like “her purse and wallet were recovered from the scene.  It was full of money and credit cards, none of which seems to have been disturbed and the victim was wearing a huge diamond ring, which was still on the victim when she was found.”  Also, it is important, especially with outdoor crime scenes that you indicate the weather.  Too hot a temperature destroys evidence as quickly as falling rain, which washes away the evidence.  Include things like bystanders in the crowd that seem out of place or are acting unusual.  (this is helpful for a character to recall later having seen someone of importance at the crime scene in question.)

3.  MOST REPORTERS AND/OR INVESTIGATORS ARE ASKED TO LOG A DESCRIPTION OF THE SCENE BEFORE THEY WALK THROUGH IT AND ANOTHER DURING THE WALK THROUGH ITSELF.

(If the victim, Erin, was killed in her home then on their arrival, your character detective would give an immediate description of the house upon their arrival.  Such as, “upon arrival, I was not the first detective on the scene.  There were several other cruisers already filling the street which was blocked off with yellow caution/crime scene tape.  Officers were standing guard at the front door and the Crime Scene Unit had already been dispatched to this location and the Units Specialists are wearing blue jumpsuits and white booties covering their feet to keep from contaminating the evidence or crime scene.  When I approached the front door, I could see that on first approach, the bushes beneath the window closest to the front porch had been smashed by something heavy and the front door appears to have been kicked open as the hinge and siding of the door are broken and hanging down loosely from said door.  Upon entering the house, I can see the crime scene specialists have already put markers down throughout the house marking the different crime spots such as blood drops, foot prints, residual dirt trail left throughout the house…..)” anything that will give better detail and description for your readers, you would include.  A book is a mental movie for readers.  I love books that I can fall into and become a part of.  When my heart races and I anticipate the next move, the next gun shot, what may or may not be behind the door…. In the Scream series, the first movie in the series, the anticipation was built with the ringing of the phone, the popcorn on the stove and the question of “What’s your favorite scary movie?”  That is a memorable line from that movie.  You want your book to, if it is meant to be suspenseful, to be just like that.  You want your readers to wonder and anticipate what comes next?

Also, another bit of advice for suspense writing is to wait as long as possible to reveal or give any indication of who your killer or perpetrator is.  This will give your readers time to form their own analysis in their minds of who it may or may not be and to still be surprised in the end if their suspicions are correct and completely shocked when they aren’t.

The most important thing to remember when you are writing that you need no ones advice and the fact that what you write is yours and yours alone.  You were creative and insightful enough to come up with it and write it, it’s yours and no matter if it was jotting down an idea that you plan on making into a book or writing a short story that turned into a novel, you’ve done something that most people only wish they could do.

One of the best things about writing suspense, crime, mystery and murder novels is that for writers, this is not premeditated when they use their life’s experiences to write about.  Sometimes the best movies and books have been made over recounts of actual events.  Do I use every single personal event to write about?  Absolutely not.  An important thing to remember is that a lot of readers look for a certain appearance of characters.  Most of mine are blonde or auburn haired with blue or green eyes standing approximately 5’5 and weighing about 115-150 pounds.  Why?  Sex sells.  Nobody wants to pick up a book and read about a character who weighs 400 lbs, is frumpily dressed, has bland eyes and grey straggly hair and are suppose to be the most attractive person in your book.  Most readers, even females, want legs, curves and nice appearances to envelope them into the story.  Unfortunately, we live in a world where somehow it has been implanted into our brains that appearances are everything.  Unfortunately, this is sad and should not be so.  This is spoken directly from a former, professional model, me.  I gained a lot of weight during my first disaster of a marriage and have had to work hard to lose it and am proud that I am now, nearly back to where I should be and thankfully because I have an absolutely gorgeous husband.  So, as a reader and a writer, I know what sells, I know what works, I know what most readers want to read and I know how most writers, write.  Don’t get me wrong, we’ve all written about a frumpy, unkempt character.  However, in mine, she always ends up the beauty queen J Because beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  This pertains to writing.  Good writing is in the eye and mind of the reader.  As long as you are satisfied with what you have written, never lose hope that someone else will share your same opinion and hopefully that person is in a position to help you put your book right where it deserves to be…. On a shelf next to many other greats.

Another thing to keep in mind is that it is great to use something that is happening to you or has happened to you as influence for a book.  You never know where your story may go.  My favorite is when vanity strikes and people who know they’ve somehow wronged you think that everything you are writing is about them and what they have failed to realize is that you have in fact, not even begun to write about them because you are still busily building an incredible “story” about them with all the fantastic materials they keep knowingly/unknowingly dropping into your lap.  Those are the best stories, especially when they know it’s coming and everyone around you is anticipating reading all about it.  Those are always a best seller in the making.  Literally.  In truth, I have a waiting list on an upcoming book of such “collective” relevance.

WRITING IN CONCLUSION

Not long ago during an interview, the journalist, after having written up the interview had made a comment that I forever hold dear to my heart and made me cry the first several times that I read it.  It was written that I had finally accomplished a feat worthy of rave and praise, so much in fact that I had finally made my mark and set my place in the world of books and reading and now, my books had found a deserving spot on the bookstore shelves next to Mary Higgins-Clark and Danielle Steele, as well as many other greats.  Those are two of my favorite authors and I could have not been more flattered that a journalist as well as several others thought that much of my writing to place it there.

New Book: Marked For Murder Continued (2)

Marked For Murder

 Marked For  Murder

 

M is for  Murder.  When Detective Mark Malone’s ex-wife and daughter are brutally  murdered, he must step outside of emotional attachments and into the mind of a  killer.

With suspicions hanging in the balance and the constant questions that continually arise as to how much involvement Mark had in the murder of his ex-wife, he quickly finds himself on a twisting, turning road that leads him from one “bloody” disaster to the next.  With his own life quickly becoming the target of an apparent psycho, anyone associated with him has become an easy target for a cold, soulless murder who will stop at nothing to see Mark dead or ruined, whichever may come first. 

 

The Murder of Meagan

Mark sat quietly in the dark with the only friend he could he trust.  He tipped the bottle up, no longer bothering with the heavy, short, round glass, now tipped over on its side spilling out what little gold colored liquid contents was left, onto the dark blue carpet.  He stared at the two seperate crime scene photos, now splayed over his couch and coffee table.  He fingered one glossy print of interest.  He leaned back against the cushion and half drooped his six foot two frame off of it as he stared into the now lifeless eyes of the most beautiful girl he had ever known.  A product of his own making, with blonde hair and blue eyes, much like her mothers, she stared lifelessly at him from the photograph with bleak, dark, dilated eyes.  He recalled hearing several times that the eyes were the windows to the soul.  As he stared into her eyes, the contents of her soul was of no contest at this point.  The fact that those saphire blue eyes use to be filled with so much life and so much joy, now lifeless, bleak and cold, were the last ones to see her killer. 

 

New Book: Marked For Murder

From The Creative Fingertips of Shaunna Rodriguez  To Your Curious Mind

 

Marked For Murder

 

M is for Murder.  When Detective Mark Malone’s ex-wife and daughter are brutally murdered, he must step outside of emotional attachments and into the mind of a killer.

 

EDITORIAL OVERVIEW

He could still picture her with her long, curly blonde hair matted and blood stained, splayed out against the tile.  Her black, lace nightie was pushed up over her hips as if there had been a struggle.  Her legs were placed in a half cocked manner, bent at the knees withe her thighs placed one over the other.  She had been positioned to lay halfway on her side.  Her right arm was placed over her chest and her pale fingers floated off of her left shoulder.  Blood dripped meticulously down them from the stab wounds on her arms, neck, shoulders and chest.  The bastard had even sliced open her inner thighs.  The blood from her thighs had run down to her feet, dripping to the floor beneath them.  Her once perfectly French manicured toenails that she had proudly displayed was now covered in a sticky maroon substance that had pooled on the floor.

 

 

 

The New Book Blog- Authors Book How To Run In High Heels

From The Creative Fingertips of Shaunna Rodriguez  To Your Curious Mind

 

This is an overview of my Romance/Drama/Mystery Novel, How To Run In High Heels.

How To Run In High Heels @ Amazon.com

 

After its publication and release to public on November 03, 2008, it has found its way into the hearts, homes and hands of an unfathomable amount of readers.  It’s had rave reviews and has been recognized by several Press organizations, one of which, that being the New York Times.  It is currently awaiting film consideration.

The New Book Blog- Suspense Writing Part 1

From The Creative Fingertips of Shaunna Rodriguez  To Your Curious Mind

 

Recently I was surfing the net reviewing my books, their placement and their sites when I ran across a heading of “‘Suspense Writing.”  Curious, as I write suspense from time to time, I clicked the link.  It was a fairly interesting page with similarly written things that I’ve stumbled across over the past several years.  However, the thing that got my attention was the matter of fact like stating that when you are preparing to or contemplating on writing a suspense novel, do not try and write something that has never been written before to standout, be noticed or to try and obtain a movie deal.  I found that part a little comical because every writer has their own peculiar spin on writing and though we all try and do something new because no one wants to read the same old thing from one book to the next, the statement is understandably true.

 

However, their “advice” or “recommendation” rather that I found most intriguing about this suspense site was the fact that it said that when writing a suspense novel/book, write from the end to the beginning.  It took me a while, pondering over this statement, wondering what in the world and why they would make such a curious suggestion.  The truth is, until my newest book “Marked For Murder,” I have never, ever written a book with a killer in mind.  When I write, I find it fascinating to be surprised by my own twists and turns and to be taken completely by surprise at the end of the book when the killer is revealed.  Sometimes I wonder how I got to that person as the killer but the way that the story unfolds as I write it is just the way that it goes.  I usually title a book and write off of the title of the book in order to create my story. (That’s my own little personal secret, that I usually dance around in my book interviews.)

 

So, for this book, I took and developed a new spin on an old synopsis.  I have in fact, had this story idea in mind for quite some time.  I can find inspiration in just about anything to write about.  However, my writing took a dive due to the seriousness of drama that crept into my life over the last several months.  After my husband asked me to start writing again because it was a unique part of me, and something that I have done since I was a child, I was going through a catalog of book ideas and ran across this one and thought, hey! Why not?

 

The truth is, my books rarely involve the killing of any child.  I can only think of one other that I have written where any child was killed and to be honest, it wasn’t a child, it was a teenager. I’d tell you what happened but you’ll just have to find a copy of the book and read it, I’d hate to spoil it for you.

 

When I write, there is always a spin.  There are several spinners, twists, turns, ups, and downs and surprises that one wouldn’t expect in this book.  There are several writers who write about children being violently killed, brutally raped, severed from limb to limb…. this book is not like that and I am not that kind of writer.

 

In several interviews, I have been asked on more than one occasion, without fail, if I have any advice for avid readers or writers or people who are wishing to pursue writing as well as to my fans.  I usually have something witty, clever and catchy to say.  However, today, I have something forthright and justifiable, from recent experiences.  My advice is simply, if you do not like something someone is writing, stop reading it.  IF you are not a writer yourself nor are you a critic, it is best that you do not open your mouth and insert your foot into it by adding insult to injury on subjects you know little to nothing about.  There is such a thing as corrective criticism, lets not confuse that with sheer rude debauchery with maliced intent to mame and destroy ones character and abilities.

 

For example, I am not a roofer.  Therefore, with that being said, I am not going to drive around town until I find someone roofing and get out of my car, go over and start instructing them on how to tar, shingle and staple or do any roofing work for that matter.

 

Next, I’d advise those with children, not to let them read adult materials or put ideas into their heads that somehow, fictional stories apply to them..  This is why there are Nancy Drew, Box Car Children, Babysitter Club, Hardy Boys and Harry Potter Books.  Adult books are meant just for that, adult entertainment. It is common sense that if you are not going to let your child go to the movies to watch a bloody, gore filled, murder enraged, sex induced movie, that you would refrain from letting them read it, especially if you have any connection to the author whatsoever, no matter how small, minuscule and non-existent that connection may be.

 

Another case in point is that it is all great, good, well and wonderful to be a fan and to be fanatical or interested in another persons life.  As a matter of fact, it’s complimentary, but this can be taken to extremes and becomes stalking (which is a criminal offense) when you are in the middle of their lives, and it becomes harassment when you begin cyber stalking them by overly surfing their sites, sending them unwanted messages and taking things entirely out of context and making all of their writing about yourself.  That is simply vanity at work.

 

If it were not for the readers then no, writers would not excel in the industry as we have thus far.

 

However, sometimes, others immaturity can be too much.  Use writers book sites, blogs and social sites responsibly and respectfully.  Most writers trend the same way.  If you have not found something by them that you like by now, at this point, I’d advise moving on to a different genre and author.

The Book Blogger-

From The Creative Fingertips of Shaunna Rodriguez  To Your Curious Mind

First of all, I will tell you that anyone has the capability to write.  It’s finding a way to channel creativity, inspiration and the ability into a story.  Writing is a passion.  I can personally have a full blown conversation with a person sitting in front of me, while talking on the phone, texting a message, answering an email, reading the fine print of a contract before signing and understanding every word that I have read, that has been said to me or that I have spoken.  Now, add chewing a stick of gum into this, and my whole game plan is flawed.  I’m kidding.

My biggest advice to anyone, whether you are a writer or not, if you have a story idea, write it down.  Do not let the opportunity to have a best seller slip through your fingertips. It took a few failed attempts at remembering a story that I had thought up and it would have been fantastic! I had characters, the plot, the preface! Everything!  I thought surely with that much information I will be able to remember.  I was so wrong!  So, after several of those “I’ll remember this” moments, I finally took my own advice and I write everything down.  My husband asks me frequently “Baby, don’t you already have five books started?”  I giggle, shrug and nod my head and answer with a “Yes! But opportunity knocks!  It’s great material! It flows! It can be something!”  The point is, it doesn’t matter how much of anything that you have written down, a little more cant hurt and I have found ways to tie story ideas together and form great books!

  Never take NO for an answer.  Just because what you have written does not work for one publishing company or agent does not meant that the next one you encounter will tell you NO.  All it takes is one YES!  Remember there are rude people everywhere.  It is one such persons opinion that I know of that has been expressed recently that “ANYONE can pay SOMEONE to publish their books.”  As true as this is, just because you pay someone to publish your books does not guarantee you a best seller,  That is your own writing capabilities.

Secondly, there is always self-publishing.  I am torn on that particular subject.  I’ll save that for a separate blog,

The best thing to remember is that it is your masterpiece and whether someone else likes it or not, should not effect you unless of course, they announce their distaste or dislike publicly by taking out an ad or posting it online or to our personal social sites.  That is immaturity on their part and though “Sticks and stones” comes to mind, I, from experience, can say that, that is an awful thing to have happen.  Especially when it is done out of malice, spite and jealousy, not for the sheer distaste of ones writing or their abilities.

  Always write for you.  Always write for passion.