Writing Humor in Mysteries

Every joke abuses or puts down someone. Don’t worry about being too sensitive to others. Let your beta readers and editors give you feedback on whether or not you have crossed the line with your humor.

Humor and laughter relieve anxiety. Humor is common in high tension situations.

Be careful with humor because of your audience. Often humor with a specific group is not funny to others. Avoid jargon and acronyms.

Humor comes out of situations and how the characters deal with or respond to a situation.

Humor can criticize points of a society.

Humor can be physical as in settings, such as taking a date for a romantic dinner at McDonalds. It can also be in physical appearance, such as a woman getting her dress caught in her pantyhose. Sometimes, interactions are humorous—like when a man tries to seem strong, but the woman proves she’s stronger.

Some taboos about humor are weight jokes, animal and child abuse or cruelty, or graphic violence. Feedback from beta readers and editors is a good way to ensure the humor is acceptable.

Another humorous technique is the use of running gags such as Stephanie Plum in Janet Evanovich’s series. She always manages to wreck a car. Another example is the characters in the TV series, The Big Bang Theory. Each character has his or her own running gag.

The best ways for learning to use humor in novels are: ask other authors—network with them, read a lot of books with humor, make it situational, read reviews of books and then read the book to see how the authors do it.

Comedy goes with misconception. The author leads the reader in one direction, then changes it to something unexpected. For example, a guy asks a woman if she would like to go out on a date this weekend. She answers, “Sure, I would love to go with some kind and good-looking gentlemen. Do you know any?”

Don’t have the author tell the jokes. Have the characters tell the jokes.

It really helps if you, the author, have a sense of humor.

Learning From True Crime

First one needs to do good research and know the material. Go beyond the news media. Talk to the investigating agency. Be careful when talking to those involved; they may not wish to talk to you about what happened.

Don’t use jargon or acronyms. These create a barrier between the author and the reader.

A good way to learn about police procedures is through citizens’ academies—programs law enforcement agencies run that allow non-police officer to learn about the agencies.

The author needs to know when and where the story takes place. It changes from place to place and time to time.

Money plays a big part in what agencies can do. It controls the resources and what can be done during autopsies and at crime scenes.

When writing about true crime, others involved (witnesses, victims, family members, etc.) are involved. When possible, get them to sign off authorizing the author to use the information. Be sensitive to victims’ families. Keep in mind their feelings and the effects of the story will have on them. Try to understand how people react when notified on a person’s death.

In fiction, characters have flaws. No one is completely good, and no one is completely bad.

An Overview of the Military

NOTE: I was on the panel, so I have very few notes.

One of the pet peeves about the military in novels and movies is the relationships between the officers and enlisted members are poorly portrayed. Officers and enlisted personnel are not buddies. There are a few exceptions, but normally there aren’t informal friendships.

Another example is if there is a woman and a man, they must have a sexual relationship. There are many women in military units and they often don’t have any relationships with other members in the unit.

Relationships do change when military members retire. They usually don’t carry their rank and their authority when they retire. It’s common for people in the same unit to become friendly and informal after they retire.

There are lots inaccuracies when displaying uniforms and military rank on TV and in the movies. Also, the rank structure, language, and training are different for the different branches of the military.

When writing about the military, be careful of the jargon and acronyms used. They are different between the services and when people serve. Be sure to identify them for those who don’t serve. Remember, only a small percent of the population served in the military.

Police Procedures for Killer Nashville

Note: This is a presentation I gave at Killer Nashville

Scenario: There is a report of shots fired at a home at 21:14. The first unit arrives at the scene at 21:17. The second and third units arrive at 21:19. The patrol supervisor arrives at 21:20. When responding, patrol units will not use sirens unless it is to clear traffic on the streets. They will use lights.

The units are single person units. Nowadays, most units are mobile offices with computers in the front, an empty back seat for prisoners, and back trunk or space for other gear.

The first unit on the scene contacts the person who made the call and confirms the report of shots fired. By the time the second and third units arrive, the report has been confirmed. When the supervisor gets there, he sends one officer to the rear of the home, one officer remains outside the front, and the supervisor with another officer will enter the building. Officers will not enter a building alone, they will wait for backup. At least two officers will enter the building, but no more than four officers will enter. If you get too many officers going in, you may end up shooting each other. Officers need to know who is there and where others are at all times.

Upon entering, the officers find a person on the floor, bleeding from a gunshot wound. One officer will remain alert and protect the scene while a second officer will check for life signs. The victim is alive. The second officer will ensure there are no weapons (making sure the victim won’t harm the cops) and call for an ambulance. The officers will continue their search of the house to ensure the perpetrator is not present and that they are not in danger. A protective sweep.

The officers will return to the victim and render first aid until the ambulance arrives. They will inform dispatch of the situation and request investigators be notified.

The officer in the rear of the house will search the area for evidence and any sign of the perpetrator leaving through the back yard.

The officer in the front will start stringing up yellow tape to secure the crime scene.

The paramedics take the victim away. They will take their equipment and leave the trash—it’s collected as evidence.

Investigators arrive. The senior patrol officer briefs the investigators, who will then assume control of the crime scene. The investigators will have patrol officers by the yellow tape to keep people out and have a patrol officer stand at the entrance to the crime scene to act as a scribe, recording everyone who enters and leaves the crime scene.

Officers on the perimeter will use their interpersonal skills to calm those who approach them and if possible, to get their identification and information.

If requested, patrol officers will conduct two kinds of canvassing. The first is talking to people to see if anyone saw anything. They will note who, when, and where they talk to people. They will also note where no one answered the door when they rang the doorbell or knocked on the door. The second is looking for physical evidence outside of the initial crime scene. For example, they will check trash cans and dumpsters for weapons or abandoned items.

Second scenario: a traffic stop

If possible, before pulling a person over, the officer will run the license plate number to see if it matches the vehicle and get a tentative identity of the driver.

Once the car is stopped, the officer approaches the car after notifying dispatch. Walking up to the car, the officer will push on the trunk or back of the car. One to ensure the back is closed and that no one will jump out. Second is to leave his or her fingerprints on the car. If something happens and the driver takes off, there is evidence the officer stopped this vehicle.

When the officer approaches the driver, he or she will ask for driver’s license, vehicle registration, and proof of insurance. The officer stands slightly to the rear of the driver, forcing the driver to look over his or her shoulder. This makes it difficult for the driver to pull a weapon and surprise the officer. If the driver is cooperative, often the officer gives the driver a verbal warning. If the driver is argumentative or hostile, the officer is less likely to give the driver a break.

If the police are stopping an armed suspect, they will position their vehicles at an angle to the driver’s rear bumper and to the driver’s front bumper. This way if they must shoot their weapons, the officers are not in the line of fire of the other officers.

Writing the Cozy

Cozy mysteries are who done its, a puzzle where the reader wants to find the clues and figure it out.

Most cozies are relatively short, 60,000 to 65,000 words. They don’t have graphic sex scenes of graphic violence. They aren’t dark or very emotional and rarely have any political message. They are often light-hearted and humous. They often use weird or unusual people.

Cozies revolve around a group of people. Readers grow to enjoy and welcome reading about these people and their lives. Cozies also deal with common everyday events, such as parties, weddings, vacations, etc.

Those who write cozies write what they know, using their personal experiences and interests in novels. Note how many cozies have recipes in them. Often personal experiences inspire events. Real people can be characters in the novels.

One should look for irony in the story, unusual twists, things readers wouldn’t expect.

In today’s world with cameras everywhere, there is the question of how one can get away with a crime. Therefore, think of places where one can be unobserved or how they can blind the cameras, as in bright lights or covering the lens.

Fixing Wandering Middles

The use of outlines helps fill in blanks for characters whose actions can fill in the plot.

Many writers use storyboards or post-it notes for each point of the story, the chapter, events, etc.

If a writer has problems, he or she should look to see if there has been enough character development.

Another trick is to shake things up. The reader thinks this character is the murderer, but new evidence shows the character is innocent and now the protagonist needs to rethink the case.

Look at what a character would do and what the character would not do. But be careful and do not let the character get sidetracked into minor activities. Develop the characters a little bit at a time, not all at once.

Look to see how the reader processes the information. Is the information necessary for the reader to know for the story.

Look for a mid-story crisis. For example, in the Wizard of Oz, the first crisis was to get to the Emerald City and see the wizard. But the wizard sent them on a second crisis, to kill the witch.

Try to have two stories: the main story and a second story such as a mid-life crisis.

Not recommended to introduce new characters in the middle of the story. Still, there are cases where this can work.

Look at each scene and what it accomplishes. Does it add to the plot, external conflict, internal conflict, etc.

One way to improve your story is to read it aloud. See what you want to change. See what sounds strange to you. Microsoft Word has a read aloud feature that can read the document for you. Look under the “Review” tab and click on “Read Aloud.” You may need to highlight the parts you want read.

The Top Things to Know About Writing Legal Matter and the Law

It’s not realistic to have characters write their own contracts. Lawyers write them. Also, be careful of using legal terms. Make sure you use them correctly.

Hearsay evidence is very broad and difficult to bring into court as evidence.

Most trials are boring. Also, courtroom settings are different from county vs federal vs city settings. Where the court is and what jurisdiction that it covers are major factors in courtroom settings. Most court cases take days or sometimes weeks to conclude.

Need to work on lawyers’ actions, how they dress, how they act, and the language they use.

Lawyers do not focus on a single case unless they are in court. They usually work on several cases at one time, and they have several others helping them.

Lawyers do not question witnesses unless the witnesses are in court. The lawyer’s investigator questions witnesses and conducts the investigation before the case goes to court. This is in case the witness tells the investigator one thing but says something different in court. If the investigator questioned the witness, the lawyer can have the investigator take the stand and testify to what the witness told him.  If the lawyer questioned the witness and that person lies, then he, or she, needs to take the stand to discredit the witness. This will not happen in court.

When writing legal thrillers, the author needs to know and understand fruit of the poisonous tree and inevitable discovery when introducing evidence.

Make sure to include the probable cause for searches and arrests.

Perry Mason moments where a person confesses on the stand don’t really happen.

When trying to be realistic, have the witness answer instead of having the lawyer state the evidence or the conclusion to the case.

One trick is to write a scene and have a lawyer review it to see how realistic it is.

Warren Whitmire and my display at the book shop at Killer Nashville.

Warren and me at our table.

A closer look at my display at the bookstore.

The bookstore at Killer Nashville.

A Claymore Winner

Sara Peretshy, Katherine Hutchinson-Hayes and friend socializing at the bar.

Here I am getting ready for a panel at Killer Nashville.

Jennifer Thompson giving her master class on building an author platform.