Saturday, September 29, 2012

Three Ways to Know Your Query is in the Right Hands by guest blogger Melody Steiner

So you’ve received a form rejection letter. Maybe even a dozen of them. You’re feeling disillusioned, ready to put away the quill, and yet there’s a part of you that wants to know what you did wrong. Why the rejection? And why didn’t anyone take the time to send feedback?

My final post in this series deals with ensuring that you’re sending your query to someone who cares. In my experience, most people don’t. It’s nothing personal. It’s business. Think of it like this: you want to sell a pie to a donut shop. It’s probably not going to happen. Donut shops want donuts, pie shops want pies. And don’t submit a pecan pie to an all-fruit pie shop, either. They don’t want nut pies. No matter how prettily you decorate it, they won’t buy it.

So how do you make sure you’re submitting your pie, er, query, to someone who wants it?

  1. Check the online submission guides for the publishing house or agent you’re submitting to. Follow those guidelines to a tee. I made a mistake a few weeks ago, when I submitted a short story query for a manuscript with a word count of over 5,000 to a magazine that only accepted submissions of up to 4,000 words. I received an immediate rejection because of the word count. Oops. So see? It happens. We learn. We move past it.
  2. Meet the editor/agent in person. You are a thousand times more likely to get feedback, a positive response, or even an acceptance if you attend a writer’s conference, pitch to an agent or editor, and get the green light directly from them to send your query. Like any job, the personal touch really does make a difference.
  3. Use resources such as The Writer’s Market or Publisher’s Weekly to study up on the market. Read articles related to your genre that talk about tropes, clichés, or what not to write about. Submit to a magazine that actually takes your genre, and avoid submitting a query on a topic everybody else is writing on, and you’ll better your chances of success.  

I hope you’ve found this series informative, enlightening, or at the very least, mildly entertaining. Best of luck in your publishing endeavors!

-Melody

Melody Steiner works at an academic library as a circulation technician. In 2006, she graduated from a small private college in Ohio with a Bachelors of Arts in English. After she met and married her husband, they relocated to Seattle, WA. In March, 2011, she graduated from the University of Washington with a Master in Library and Information Science, aspiring to becoming a full-time librarian. Her hobbies include reading the latest YA series (recent favorites include Patrick Ness’ The Knife of Never Letting Go and Paoli Bacigalupi’s Shipbreaker), camping, and enjoying long walks with her best friend. Last November, they had their first little peanut—a rambunctious baby girl. In addition to adult science fiction, she writes fantasy and YA novels. She is represented by Nicole Resciniti of The Seymour Agency. You can find her at http://twitter.com/melody_steiner.

Friday, September 28, 2012

How to Eat a Stinging Nettle

Finding something to eat in the wilderness can be a taxing problem if you don't know what you're doing. Same goes for your hero. Whether you're writing fantasy, a historical, or a modern-day story set in the woods, your hero needs to know what he can eat and what to avoid. Today's plant is the stinging nettle. Like the cattails, the nettle is extremely versatile, so let's dig into it.
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 (photo courtesy of freephotos.net)
Your protagonist should use caution when harvesting this plant or wear gloves. It has stinging hairs on its leaves and stem (hence the name) that act like little hypodermic needles, injecting toxins into whatever brushes up against it. The reaction is a nasty rash. I encountered many of these growing up, and while the rash hurts for a couple of days, it's not dangerous to your health unless you're allergic that that particular toxin. Therein lies a nice subplot, I think... 

Once the plant flowers, don't eat them. The leaves develop gritty particles that can lead to internal plumbing problems. So harvest should take place in early spring. Boiling the leaves for 10 minutes clears the toxins from the leaves and they can be eaten like any other green leafy vegetable. I'm thinking smothered in butter and salt, but that's just me. I'm told they taste like a mix between spinach and cucumber. They are full of vitamins and protein, and could save a character's life after a hard, lean winter. Dried leaves can be used to make tea or as seasoning for stews, rice, or cheese. The leaves will also make a nice cordial or beer for those after-dinner moments of relaxation. The nice thing about this plant is that they are numerous--your hero shouldn't have any trouble finding massive patches of this wonderful plant.

Once the nettles are no longer edible, they have other uses. The stock is fibrous, and soaking the plant will looses those fibers. Pull them apart, weave them together, and your character has rope for fishnets, snares, tent-line, clothes line, etc. 

The nettle also has medicinal uses. (Again, I am not a physician, so don't try these on yourself just on my word. Research it--a lot--if you feel the need to self-medicate). Nettle can help relieve the pain of sore muscles, arthritis, and rheumatism. Shampooing with nettle can help get rid of dandruff. Male protagonists might drink a nettle root extract to help with prostate problems. Allergy sufferers might give nettle a try, as it offers some relief from hay fever. Some say nettles may lower blood sugar and blood pressure, but that one might be a rumor. I read it off the internet.

Stinging nettles might not sound like a treat to those of us accustomed to the Safeway produce department, but any character living off the land will rejoice when this plant pops up each spring. 

-Sonja

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Lily of the Valley

I'm the guest blogger today at Melody Steiner's site. Go check out the dangers of Lily of the Valley and how to use it in your novel.

-Sonja

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Edible Flowers

Whether you're writing fantasy, historical fiction, or a modern-day story set in the woods, it's good to know what's edible in the forests and meadows you plunk your character into. Green leafy things can be hard to identify, and sometimes your character just doesn't want to take a chance and accidentally ingest something that's not life-affirming. Blooming flowers are easy to identify, making mealtime a little safer.

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This beauty is a violet and is known to grow wild pretty much everywhere in the Pacific Northwest. The leaves and flowers can be eaten raw like a salad. Sometimes bakers candy the flowers and use them as cake decorations, but the flowers can also be used to make vinegar, butter, and jelly.  The leaves can be used to thicken stews or brewed as tea. They're tiny, so it'll take longer to harvest enough to satisfy a big hunger, but they're worth the effort.

Historically, the flowers and leaves have been used as home remedies to relieve coughs and lung congestion. I have no medical training, so please don't try this out at home without further research. Feel free to have your protagonist try it out, though. 

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This is fireweed, named so because if often takes over areas that have been burnt. It also grows in my backyard, where nothing has burned, and it's a hardy plant. My kids can stomp this baby into the ground and it keeps coming back. It's also edible, but the kids don't know that. The leaves are great raw in a salad, although they're best when they're new and tender. They get bitter and tough as they age. The stems can be peeled and eaten raw or steamed. The roots are pretty bitter, but if they're harvested before the plant flowers, the roots are palatable. The flowers produce nectar which can be made into sweetener, candy, honey, syrup, jellies, and ice cream. The flowers themselves are edible. I can't vouch for the taste, but the internet says it they have a slightly spicy, buttery taste. 

This versatile plant also has other uses than a stomach-filler. Soak the stem fibers in water then twist into twine or rope. The seed fluff is great for weaving, padding, or pillow stuffing. The cooked leaves can be added to meat scraps and served to the dogs (yes, they'll eat it). It also had medicinal value (again, don't try this on yourself without further research): raw stems placed over puss-filled cuts or boils keeps the wound from healing too quickly. Tea made from fireweed was traditionally used to treat coughs, asthma, and stomach ailments. Or so I've heard.

One other edible flower is the dandelion, which I covered in a previous post. They're easy to identify, and the entire plant is good eating, so your protagonist doesn't have to worry about starving in a field of these. Plus, he can make wine from the flowers and have an after-dinner beverage after a hard day of being a hero.

Stay tuned for my next post on edible plants. It's sure to be useful if not interesting.

-Sonja

Monday, September 24, 2012

Edible Water Plants

Maybe you're writing a fantasy and your protagonist is searching for dinner in the woods. Or you're writing a historical and your antagonist has to forage for a meal. Or you're in desperate need of a walk to clear your cluttered head and you spot a tasty looking plant and wonder if you should put it in your mouth. Sometimes you just need to know what's edible if you didn't find it on a Safeway shelf. Today I want to cover a couple of plants you'll find near water.

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This is the versatile cattail, or typha latifolia. It grows in marshes, along rivers and ponds, even in ditches--anywhere it can get plenty of water. It is also the best friend of any foraging character you can invent. Every green part of this plant is edible. Young shoots should be harvested in the early spring and taste like cucumbers. They can even be pickled. When steamed they taste like cabbage. The lower part of the stem where it attaches to the ribosome can be boiled like a potato or added to stews. Later in the season, when the stalks get woodier, just remove the outer bark and boil, stir-fry, or steam. When the pollen spikes (what will become the brown top of the plant late in the season) first emerge, they can be eaten raw or boiled and eaten like corn on the cob. Pollen collected from the spikes can be mixed with water and to make dough and you've got biscuits, flat bread, or pancakes.

The cattail is great for other uses, too. Weaving the leaves creates mats, sleeping pallets, insulation for a home, capes, hats, and bags. Cattail seed fluff can be used for stuffing pillows and mattresses, diaper filling, or wound dressings. The woody stems can be stripped and woven for making rope. This plant, alone, can mean the difference between life and death for your character.

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This plant is called cow parsnip, of heracleum lanatum. Don't confuse this with water hemlock! Actually, that'd be a great plot point--who could prove if the death-by-poison was intention or unintentional? Cow parsnip is edible, although take care in harvesting this one. Some people, especially those who are photosensitive, will have an adverse reaction to touching this plant (either a dark discoloration of the skin, sensitivity, pain, or a rash. The skin discoloration can take up to a year to fade). The best time to eat cow parsnip is before the plant flowers. Peel off the outer layers or the stalk (wear gloves), then boil or stir-fry. I hear it tastes similar to celery. The upper part of the stalk has the strongest, sweetest flavor, and the closer to the base of the plant, the more bitter it will become. Sometimes boiling the lower parts multiple times (changing the water each time) will leech out the bitterness.

Like the cattail, cow parsnip also has other uses. The dried stems can be used as drinking straws. The roots can be used to make a yellow dye or as  toothache relief (applied directly to gums). Tea made from dried leaves is useful for nausea, acid indigestion, and heartburn. (Note: I am NOT a physician - don't try these as home remedies on yourself without a lot of research and contacting someone who is actually trained. This information is provided solely for use in works of fiction.)

If you found this interesting or even mildly useful, please comment below. I plan on continuing this "edible" theme for a while longer unless I hear that ya'll don't like it. Thanks!

-Sonja

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Query Letter Basics Part Two by guest blogger Melody Steiner

Last weeks I discussed three components of crafting relevant share a bit about what to include in your query letter to an editor or agent.

Like a cover letter for a job, a query sells you as well as your book. Keep it concise and you’ll show you’re professional. Use interesting, descriptive words to catch their attention and engage their senses. Give it a touch of personality. Make them laugh. 

A query letter should consist of the following:

1)    One-two paragraph blurb about your novel. Think about the “back-of-the-book” blurb—it’s designed to capture a reader’s interest and emphasize the high stakes.

2)    One sentence market analysis describing similar books and highlighting your novel’s unique aspects. Make sure the books you choose to compare to yours are current works published within the last couple of years.

3)    One to two sentence author bio focusing on previous publishing credits, your professional writing groups, and any writing awards you’ve won. Here’s the place you can add a bit of humor (gently!) to give the editor or agent a sense of who you are.

Finally, end your query letter on a hopeful, but not arrogant or creepy, note. It’s perfectly fine to say, “I look forward to your response.” It’s not okay to say, “I’ll call next week to check in.” In fact, don’t say anything about checking in—giving time frames is a surefire way to get a form rejection. Thank your reader for their consideration, and don’t include any P.S.’s.

Once you’ve sent off your query letter, give yourself a pat on the back, treat yourself to a cupcake, and then start writing a new novel. The difficult part is still ahead.

-Melody 

Melody Steiner works at an academic library as a circulation technician. In 2006, she graduated from a small private college in Ohio with a Bachelors of Arts in English. After she met and married her husband, they relocated to Seattle, WA. In March, 2011, she graduated from the University of Washington with a Master in Library and Information Science, aspiring to becoming a full-time librarian. Her hobbies include reading the latest YA series (recent favorites include Patrick Ness’ The Knife of Never Letting Go and Paoli Bacigalupi’s Shipbreaker), camping, and enjoying long walks with her best friend. Last November, they had their first little peanut—a rambunctious baby girl. In addition to adult science fiction, she writes fantasy and YA novels. She is represented by Nicole Resciniti of The Seymour Agency. You can find her at http://twitter.com/melody_steiner.

Friday, September 21, 2012

The Incredible Edible Fern

Whether you're writing a fantasy, a historical, or a camping story set in modern times, your protagonist needs to know what part of the flora is edible and what to avoid. In my last post, I discussed some of the green things that become available in early spring. Today's post is all about the wonderful fern.

There are a kajillion species of fern, and not all of them are edible. The bracken fern, for instance, is fine for cows but causes stomach cancer in humans. So don't let your protagonist eat that one. But there are other varieties that are not only acceptable for dinner fare, but downright delicious. Like this one:

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This is licorice fern. It grows on deciduous trees and branches, so you have to do a bit of climbing to get to them. But they're worth it. The stem, when chewed, tasted like licorice. They can also be eaten dried, steamed, or scorched, but raw is really the best. They can also be used for flavoring in a stew (although I've never known anyone who wanted a licorice-flavored stew) or used to sweeten something that's not so sweet (like sweetgale tea). When I took a home-schooling class into the woods to sample the available goodies, this one was a favorite of the kids. As an added bonus, licorice fern is useful as a remedy for colds and sore throats.

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This is deer fern, a plant found in the understory in wet forests, and an important food source for deer and elk during the winter. Your protagonist won't want to make a full meal of this treat, but chewing the leaves acts as a hunger suppressant to tide him over until he finds something more substantial. It's also a great medicine for skin sores. I don't know how this one tastes, as I've never sampled it before, nor could I find the answer on the internet. Maybe it doesn't taste that great. I have one in my backyard, so if I get adventurous, I'll share my results. Don't hold your breath, though.

Those first two ferns won't satisfy the hunger pangs like this last one. 
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This is the ostrich fern fiddleheads, the new growth that sprouts every spring from the base plant. Scrape off the brown scales, steam, then  slather in melted butter. Yum. I've been told they taste like a mash-up of asparagus and green beans, although I haven't tried them. But your character could live off these babies in the early spring until they start to unfurl. Then they become too bitter.

That concludes the edible fern lesson for today. I hope it was helpful. Next time we'll discuss some of the tasty tidbits found near water.

-Sonja

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Plant Poisons: Buttercup and Tansy

I'm the guest blogger today at Melody Steiner's site, where I talk about poisonous plants every week. This week I discuss buttercup and tansy. Go check it out.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

What's Edible and What's Not

Over at Melody Steiner's site, every Thursday I discuss poisonous plants and how to use them to kill off those unwanted characters in your novel. I'm only three posts into that series, but it sparked an idea for a new short series right here. It's all those wonderful, edible plants you find in your backyard (should you happen to live in the Pacific Northwest). Our ancestors lived without Safeway for a long time, and with all the modern conveniences at our disposal (like grocery stores), we've lost some of those skills our ancestors once possessed. Like finding dinner. How does this apply to writing a novel, you ask? It might not. But if you're writing a fantasy or a historical, it might be a good idea to know what your characters can scarf down when they're feeling hungry, and which plants to avoid at all costs.

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(photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)

This is the common dandelion, available almost everywhere. The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked, and the roots can be eaten as a vegetable or dried and ground for use as a coffee substitute. The flowers can be used to make dandelion wine (don't wait for the flower to go to seed, like this photo--use it when it's still yellow), and the entire plant can be brewed to make beer. Talk about a versatile weed. I have never eaten a dandelion, but the internet says they taste similar to endive. I don't think I've ever eaten endive, either. Dandelion leaves should be harvested in the early spring before they become bitter. If you're feeling adventurous, there are a lot of recipes on the internet for dandelion salads, side dishes, and drinks. If you try it, let me know how it comes out.

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This is miner's lettuce, or claytonia perfoliata, and it's nearly as prevalent as the dandelion, although you might have to trek into the woods a bit to find it. It's called miner's lettuce because early miners and settlers used to eat it. It grows during the late months of winter and early months of spring, and therefore was one of the first edible plants to pop up after the long cold spell of winter, saving many a person from starvation or rickets--it's rich in vitamins A and C. This one I have sampled while taking a home-school class through the woods to try all the edible good stuff, and I agree that it's juicy and tasty, once you get the spitbug slime off the leaves.

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 (photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)

This last early spring treat is wild strawberry (fragaria chiloensis). I used to eat these by the bucket-load when I was a kid, but finding large patches of these is difficult because all the woodland critters like them, too. Unlike the cultivated strawberries we purchase in the grocery stores, wild berries are tiny little things. They're also high in vitamin C, helping miners and settlers stave off rickets after a long winter with little or no fresh fruit. The berries have a high moisture content, so drying them doesn't work very well, but they make an excellent pie, or can be eaten right off the vine. The leaves were used medicinally by Native Americans: brewing the leaves as tea creates a delightful drink that can be used to treat diarrhea, and chewing the leaves to create a poultice for burns. This little tidbit might come in handy if your protagonist burned herself getting the soup pot off the flames of her cooking fire. 

I'll cover a few more edible plants in my next post. Stay tuned.

-Sonja

Monday, September 17, 2012

How Criminal Try to Fool the Courts, and Other Amusing Stuff

Sean Mactire, in his book Malicious Intent: A Writer's Guide to How Murderers, Robbers, Rapists, and Other Criminal Think, offers a nice long section of real-life criminals who tried to mess with the courts and see how much they could get away with. Some of them are pretty clever, but not enough to save them from a cell. Some are downright comical, making you wonder what they were thinking and did they manage to graduate from the second grade. All of them are valuable as ideas for your next novel, when your antagonist goes up against the legal system and tries to defy the golden scales of justice. I'm not going to cover everything Mactire includes, but I'll pick out the highlights and offer my unique perspective on them.
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Mactire first brings up the old "crime of passion" excuse that pops up during heated arguments between family or close friends. It might sound good when a defense attorney seriously offers it up to the jury as a valid excuse for bludgeoning a nagging wife with a golf club when she won't relinquish the remote, but what this defense really means is that the murdering husband is a childishly impatient person who loses his temper when he doesn't get things his own way. You'll also want to note that, usually in these cases, the victim and the perpetrator had a long history of conflict, and there are some pretty powerful emotions stirred up. The perp wants the jury to think this passionate murder took everyone, including him, completely by surprise, but talking to other family members will reveal that's a completely unbelievable statement. Everyone saw it coming, no one did anything about it, and now a woman is dead.

Some perps try make themselves out as "nice guys" who just snapped suddenly for no good reason. If they go for the temporary insanity plea, they'll be in for quite a surprise. These guys are usually no stranger to violence, they're just good at pretending. And character witnesses will reveal a history of habitual violence. Once the jury sees the perp for who he truly is, the guilty verdict is near.

"Senseless crimes" appear to be random and without motive. It's not true. At some point, the perp decided he wanted to commit a crime just to see if he could get away with it, solely for the fun. These guys are excited by every aspect of the crime, including the trial, so you'll want to portray this bad guy with all that enthusiasm.

Here are other ways criminals have tried to fool the courts:

  • Claims to hear or speak with Satan or some demon
  • Claims to be possessed by a demon
  • Claims to be God's messenger or to hear the voice of God
  • Feigns delusions of persecution
  • Claims people are trying to kill him or her
  • Claims being confused and disoriented
  • Claims to have amnesia
  • Malingers
  • Acts irrational
  • Attempts suicide
  • Fakes epileptic seizures
  • Mumbles to self
  • Stares into space
  • Pretends to hallucinate
  • Commits self-mutilation
  • Pretends to be out of contact with reality
  • Exaggerates already existing medical conditions and blames illness, such as epilepsy, as cause of crimes

While some of these are down-right funny (they really thought faking a seizure would work?), they have all been used as a means to stay out of jail. The part of me that loves and demands justice wants to stand up and scream, "Take responsibility for your actions and face your punishment like an honorable human being!" But, of course, real and fictionalized criminals will do anything to keep the bad stuff from happening to them, and you can use this list to find inspiration for your story.

This is the last post in this series from Sean Mactire's book. I hope you found something worthwhile and helpful, and I urge you to buy the book - it's an excellent resource. 

-Sonja

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Query Letter Basics by guest blogger Melody Steiner

The first queries I mailed were pitiful. I tried to pack in college essays, and expounded on how I knew my novel would become a best-seller. All are serious no-nos in the publishing industry—but I didn’t know it at the time.

If I could go back now and tell my greener self how to make a positive impression, I’d give myself these few nuggets of advice:

1)    Keep it brief. A query is not the place to write a summary or a synopsis of your book. You want to focus on your book’s highlights in a short paragraph or two.

2)    Keep it blockbuster. Mention the Big Idea behind your book. What makes your story different from countless others out there? Why would anybody want to read it? Also, don’t focus so much on plot that you forget to talk about the emotional stakes for your character. That’s what will keep your audience invested in your book.

3)    Keep it befitting the particular organization. On the agent and editor blogs I follow, I read countless articles about how so many queries get tossed into the slush pile because the writer didn’t bother to read the basic manuscript guidelines on their website. Writers who submit romance novels to publishers who only accept historical novels are only shooting themselves in the foot and wasting valuable time. So read up on the places where you send your query. Follow the agent or editor on Twitter to get a better sense of what he/she likes to see in their queries (but do NOT pitch to anybody on Twitter…that’s also a huge no-no). Check out the guidelines on the website. Read agent interviews or review the recently published material they represent.

In some ways, query letters are every bit as important as your manuscript itself, so give it the time and research needed to stand out. Ask friends to critique your query. Would it make them want to read your book? Even more important, would it make them want to work with you? Because, the way I see it, query letters are the “cover letters” of the writing career industry.

- Melody

Melody Steiner works at an academic library as a circulation technician. In 2006, she graduated from a small private college in Ohio with a Bachelors of Arts in English. After she met and married her husband, they relocated to Seattle, WA. In March, 2011, she graduated from the University of Washington with a Master in Library and Information Science, aspiring to becoming a full-time librarian. Her hobbies include reading the latest YA series (recent favorites include Patrick Ness’ The Knife of Never Letting Go and Paoli Bacigalupi’s Shipbreaker), camping, and enjoying long walks with her best friend. Last November, they had their first little peanut—a rambunctious baby girl. In addition to adult science fiction, she writes fantasy and YA novels. She is represented by Nicole Resciniti of The Seymour Agency. You can find her at http://twitter.com/melody_steiner.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Have that Guy Committed

You've created a deliciously believable character who's two crayons short of a full box. He's committed a couple of heinous crimes, including a murder or two. Now he's been caught and the legal system is having their way with him. Just how do the courts go about committing someone of questionable mental health? Sean Mactire covers this topic in his book Malicious Intent: A Writer's Guide to How Murderers, Robbers, Rapists, and Other Criminal Think

The courts have two forms of power:

1. Power of the state to care for those in need. This is exercised to protect the murderer from harming himself.

2. Police power of state. This is exercised to protect society from people who are dangerous.

These are both governed by state laws, but there was a federal case in 1975 that set the requirements. Mactire says, "...there must be proof of both the existence of mental illness and an indication that the person is dangerous to self or others." Another case in 1979 added a little something else to the requirements, mainly that there had to be "clear and convincing proof." I'll admit, I don't quite understand how adding "clear and convincing" to the original requirements made anything more clear, but there you have it. 

Here are the two types of commitment procedures (copied out of the book word for word): 

1. Formal. This involves a request by a third party to have the court commit an individual. Decision is made by judge based on expert evidence. A jury is optional. Confinement, if decided upon, is until the patient is no longer under the influence of the disorder.

2. Informal. This is an emergency commitment that does not involve the courts. A person acting in a bizarre manner can be taken by police to a state institution or family can request police to do this or in most states, two health professionals can order a temporary informal civil commitment. Confinement is limited to one to three days, with longer periods requiring a formal hearing.

All sorts of abuse erupted soon after these laws went on the books, including people who were confined without just cause, people who were confined in order to commit insurance fraud, and cases of coercion, where the poor victim was stuffed in an institute without consent. Then in 1990, the Supreme Court said it was okay for wrongfully committed people to sue mental health professional, and now the number of abuse cases is much lower. It still happens, and you can use that in your novel.

The part I found intriguing for a novel is the Formal procedure that relies solely on a judge's decision. What if the judge is corrupt? What if the judge is an enemy of the crazy lady but doesn't remove himself from the case? What if the judge had a truly magnificent burrito for breakfast that morning and the indigestion is making him cranky? I can think of millions of things that could go wrong with this scenario, making your murdering crazy guy into something of a sympathetic character.

Just keep in mind that the reader wants to see justice done, so if your bad guy really does need to be committed (as opposed to incarcerated), play fair and make sure the story ends the way it's supposed to. Tick off the reader and he won't buy book two when it comes out.

Any thought? Comments? Corrections?

-Sonja

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Check out my guest blog post

I'm a guest blogger at Melody Steiner's site. Check it out here. It's about Death Camas, so you won't want to miss it.

-Sonja

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Battered Wife Syndrome

You've created a deliciously unpredictable female character. She murderes her abusive husband, then she's caught. She pulls out the "Battered Wife Syndrome" defense, hoping it'll save her from death row. Will it work? Sean Mactire covers this in his book Malicious Intent: A Writer's Guide to How Murderers, Robbers, Rapists, and Other Criminal Think

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 (Photo courtesy of inmagine.com)

The FBI estimates that one out of ten women suffer abuse at the hands of a male they live with, and that a woman is beaten every eighteen seconds in the US.  Mactire says, "Domestic violence accounts for almost 50 percent of all homicides and 20 percent of all police officers killed in the line of duty." Women who suffer this kind of abuse, then turn it back on their abuser, are usually caught and face trial. Often, they are not allowed to use the "Battered Wife Syndrome" (BWS) defense, which is "a valid form of insanity plea that in essence says that [they] killed in 'self-defense' and therefore should be acquitted... conviction is rare--about 10 percent of all cases. The rest are either acquitted or convicted of lesser charges and placed on probation."

This is an emotionally hot topic, one that can easily be offensive and emotionally charged. You can use that to your advantage in your fiction, whether your female antagonist was fighting back against actual abuse or made the whole thing up as a convenient excuse to get rid of hubby. Do your research, though. BWS is only admissible in twelve states, and even they differ in the laws. 

Battered Wife Syndrome has three stages:

1. Tension in relationship builds and small incidents of verbal and physical insults occur
2. Escalation to more intense violence occurs, resulting int eh woman suffering serious injury
3. The cycle of violence is reinforced by loving remorse that the abuser manipulates the victim with

As the stages repeat, the intensity of the violence escalates. "She submits," Mactire says, "hoping to avoid further violence, but is gradually traumatized into passivity. The violence continues until the woman is either dead or dumped by the abuser, the abuser is jailed, the woman runs away, or the woman kills the abuser."

I must admit that this whole subject bothers me on a variety of levels, but I think the hardest part for me to understand is Why Didn't She Run? I'm unable to place myself in her shoes and understand why this woman stays in the relationship. I had an abusive boyfriend once, back in my "invincible" teen years, and when that boy showed his true colors, I took off (and called the police, and told my friends, and generally made that boy's life miserable). So when I read about a woman who's in an abusive relationship, and she sticks around until it gets so bad she's forced to kill him to save her own life, I'm no longer sympathizing with her. I'm thinking she's stupid for sticking around for so long (and I thoroughly apologize if I've just offended someone--this is just the way I see things). 

If you've created a scenario where your female killer did NOT kill as self-defense, but merely used the BWS as a legal defense, you've got a hard road to travel. It's got to be believable, and of course, readers want to see justice prevail. 

-Sonja

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

The Defendant's Mental Health

You're writing a fabulous story, complete with twists, turns, and at least one murder. Then your murderous bad boy is caught by the law. How will he ever defend himself? Let's check in with Sean Mactire, via his book Malicious Intent: A Writer's Guide to How Murderers, Robbers, Rapists, and Other Criminal Think and see what he says.

First off, the insanity defense rarely works in real life (more on that in a bit), so don't try it in your book unless you really know what you're doing. When presenting the evidence, prosecutors must prove that either the defendant is guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt," or that there's "clear and convincing" evidence that the defendant is insane. The mental health issues brings up other subjects:

1. Is the defendant competent to stand trial?

Mactire gives a quote from the Supreme Court regarding this, and I won't copy it all for you here. If you need this information for your book, you won't get enough background from this blog post to pull it off, and it's rather lengthy, so I'll skip to this part: "The defendant has to be able to comprehend the trial and the sentence he faces if found guilty and be able to cooperate with his attorney in the preparation of the case." If he can't, he's considered unfit to stand trial. To make it even harder for you as a writer, each state has different standards, so do your homework.

2. Is the defendant responsible for his or her acts?

This is a hot topic for me, as today's society seems to think that people are clearly NOT responsible for their actions: their momma potty trained them wrong, their daddy beat them and made them into raging lunatics, their doctor gave them the wrong medication, etc. But when it comes down to the law, the standard is "whether the offender displayed criminal intent at the time the crime was committed." If he was insane at the time he committed the murder, then he cannot be punished in the same way a sane person would be punished.

Mactire says, "the insanity defense is rarely used in criminal cases because it requires that the accused admit to being guilty." That throws a monkey wrench into the works, because if the defendant is found to NOT be insane, he's already admitted he did the deed, and off to sentencing he goes. If he's found to BE insane, he's off to the mental institution, which could result in a longer "incarceration" than the prison term he'd face. Therefore, defense attorneys (and defendants who know they aren't legally insane) tend to steer clear of this defense strategy.

There's a lengthy history of laws and trials pertaining to this topic in the book, but I'm going to skip all that and head right to the bits pertaining to psychopathic disorders and antisocial personality disorders. In these cases, "the insanity defense is not valid." In all likelihood, if your psychopathic antagonist is caught and there's enough evidence to bring him to trial, an insanity defense won't work. And let's face it, your typical reader wants to see justice prevail, so it'll be good to watch this bad buy squirm in his chair until the guilty verdict comes down.

-Sonja

Saturday, September 8, 2012

How I Found My Critique Partners by Guest Blogger Melody Steiner

People occasionally ask me how I found my critiquing buddies and how I knew it was the right fit for my novel. As I’ve mentioned in my previous posts, the people closest to you may work better as beta readers or sounding boards for new story ideas. But where did I meet the people who helped me to grow my novel and challenged me to become a stronger writer?

I met Sonja at a writer’s conference. It was my first conference fresh out of college. Prior to that, I’d attended two writer’s workshops, a college-level creative writing class, and I had been the president of our college campus’ writing group. But even with all my swagger and assumed experience, I had not even touched the tip of the iceberg. At this first post-college writing conference, I was certain I would find an agent, secure a publishing contract, and waltz out of the last banquet with head held high. What I uncovered, instead, was a friendship built on mutual career support.

While at first it was frustrating and then humbling to realize that I had plenty of room for improvement, critiquing became an exercise in honing my abilities. Sonja is one tough cookie, and she can dish out as well as she can take. Her blunt honesty is her greatest asset—both for her writing and for mine. From her, I learned how to keep things brief, to maximize tension, to develop inner conflict in each of my characters.

Another critique partner came along shortly after I met Sonja, though I’d known her from before. Amanda Flower, author of the India Hayes Mystery Series, the Appleseed Creek Mystery Series, and the Amish Quilt Shop Mystery Series (as Isabella Alan). When we first met, she was a boss at the campus library where I worked and where our writing group met. The year our first campus advisor left, Amanda Flower kindly stepped in and agreed to be the staff advisor and essentially a mentor for us newbie writers. I knew Amanda had written a book then, and was DYING to read it, but it wasn’t until after I’d met Sonja and felt sufficiently proud of my first manuscript and my critiquing skills that I contacted Amanda (who had sold her first short story at that point) and asked if she’d like to swap chapters. Her feedback was encouraging, honest, and gave me fantastic direction as my writing evolved. In turn, it was so satisfying to have read and offered my thoughts on her novels, and later learn that those books would make it into print publication.

Since then, I’ve had other critique partner experiences, mostly with high school or college age students in need of some encouragement who are looking to grow their own talent. I’m honored to participate in this vibrant exchange of ideas, this collaborative environment where great talent is put through the fires to be refined. For me, the critique partners that have best helped me grow have been the people who are just ahead of me in their skills and experience. They push me forward while also providing much-needed encouragement and empathy throughout the process.

I met my critique partners at writer’s groups, conferences, and on websites such as critters.org. What about others? Any tips on finding writers of your genre in your area?     

-Melody

Melody Steiner works at an academic library as a circulation technician. In 2006, she graduated from a small private college in Ohio with a Bachelors of Arts in English. After she met and married her husband, they relocated to Seattle, WA. In March, 2011, she graduated from the University of Washington with a Master in Library and Information Science, aspiring to becoming a full-time librarian. Her hobbies include reading the latest YA series (recent favorites include Patrick Ness’ The Knife of Never Letting Go and Paoli Bacigalupi’s Shipbreaker), camping, and enjoying long walks with her best friend. Last November, they had their first little peanut—a rambunctious baby girl. In addition to adult science fiction, she writes fantasy and YA novels. She is represented by Nicole Resciniti of The Seymour Agency. You can find her at http://twitter.com/melody_steiner.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Dear Lucky Agent Contest

Click HERE to see the details of the latest Dear Lucky Agent Contest. This time it's for mystery writers! You can submit as many unpublished works as you like, so long as you advertise the contest on social media. To enter, send the first 150-200 words of your book before Sept 15. The top 3 winners get a critique of the first 10 pages of the work and a free one-year subscription to WritersMarket.com. What's to lose? Entering is free. I'm off to send my entry now.

-Sonja

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Female Assassins

Female assassins defy stereotypes and are fascinating to readers and movie viewers alike, so let's delve a little into what makes a female turn assassin. I'm taking this information from Sean Mactire's book Malicious Intent: A Writer's Guide to How Murderers, Robbers, Rapists, and Other Criminal Think

Mactire says, "Contrary to widely held misconceptions, women became terrorists because of the equality of opportunity that is available." I'll admit, when I first read this line, I thought of all the job listings for 'assassin' and wondered what percentage of applicants were female. Setting aside the funnier aspects of that statement, let's look at the reasons Mactire offers as to WHY females choose to kill for hire. (Note: Mactire doesn't differentiate between assassins and terrorists - they're the same in his book. I see a finer line, as an assassin usually kills for cash, whereas a terrorist kills for ideals, but since I'm passing along Mactire's ideas, I'll keep my nose out of it for a bit.) Here are those reason:

1. They are pursuing dreams of a better life for people
2. They desire to help people in need
3. They desire to change social and governmental policies
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 (Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)

These female killers see themselves as soldiers, fighting for the side of injustice to bring about lasting political-economic changes that will better the lives around them. Sounds noble, when you put it that way, but keep in mind they are still taking lives in defense of their own idealistic world views. Mactire goes on to say that "women terrorists are more ruthless and persistent than their male colleagues." I had a commenter several posts ago who brought up the "Mama Bear" idea, that women will do anything to protect their own. This is the same thing--women who come to the conclusion that violence is the only way to bring about the necessary changes and improve the lives of their loved ones. (They're obviously NOT thinking of improving the lives of their victims or their victims families, so it's a safe bet to say that all female terrorists/assassins are sociopaths with no ability to empathize.)

Mactire sites several examples of "famous" female terrorists/assassins. I won't give you those examples here (check out the book if you want them), but he noted that 70% of the leadership of the new-wave alliance in Europe is female. They've taken their nurturing, organizing, and protecting instincts and turned them into acts of terror. He sites women who followed in lovers footsteps to become terrorists, women who use their fake "pregnancy" to deliver bombs, women who partner up with men to appear as lovers before they commit their act of violence, and women who lead religious cults that espouse murder and mass suicide. 

When creating a female assassin/terrorist for your novel, keep these "ideals" in mind and you'll have a thoroughly believable and unpredictable character.

That wraps up the chapter on female killers. Chapter 15 is about psychology in the courtroom and the various defenses bad guys use to try getting away with what they've done after they've been caught. It's bound to be an interesting (and probably amusing) set of posts, so stay tuned.

-Sonja

Monday, September 3, 2012

The Stress Made Me Do It

You've got a female antagonist who's going on a killing spree. You've figured out who her victims are. You've figured out how she'll kill them. You've given her a sufficient motivation for what she does. Now lets dig deeper into what makes up her psyche. I'm taking this information from Sean Mactire's book Malicious Intent: A Writer's Guide to How Murderers, Robbers, Rapists, and Other Criminal Think

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(Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

"Stress and psychological trauma are the only related factors linked to women and crime," Mactire says. Women who experience stress are more likely to "burn out" and suffer major psychiatric problems, especially if she's already suffering from personal traumas like physical abuse or alcohol abuse. In a previous post, I covered some of the characteristics of female killers (intelligent, young, etc). Here's a more complete list of characteristics of a "typical" female killer:

  • insincere
  • amoral
  • extremely impulsive
  • able to dominate other people with manipulative charisma and superficial charm
  • lacks any form of conscience
  • lacks insight
  • unable to learn from mistakes
  • irresponsible
  • unpredictable
  • volatile
  • flagrant disregard for truth
  • above-average intelligence
  • extremely self-destructive
  • prone to take frequent high risks
  • able to mimic "normal" behavior when necessary
  • always blames others for failure
  • no life goals

Keep in mind that these are common traits, and a real person (aka "believable character") won't possess all of them. Pick and choose for your antagonist, and apply liberally, but in spurts. 

-Sonja

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Crafting Plot (With a Partner) by guest blogger Melody Steiner

Last Saturday, I wrote about my dear husband’s failings in the critique department of my writing career. This week I’ll sing his juice box of Chesterton. And he loves science fiction, too. For me, that’s a big uh-oh.

But wait. It isn’t an uh-oh at all. I use my husband’s internal library to my benefit! When I think I have a plot ironed out, I’ll give him the “cliff-notes” version. If his eyes glaze over and he’s fighting back a yawn, I know there’s something wrong. He’s read this before, or it’s boring him to tears, or I picked the plot of least resistance. Back to the drawing board.

Occasionally, he’ll offer a suggestion. “Look,” he’ll say. “I’ve read ten books in the last week with a similar plot, and all of them end X way. What would really pique my interest is seeing how the characters react if the plot goes Y way, instead.”

His ideas are creative and out-of-the-box. He’s always challenging me to push the limits of the usual tropes, to forge new territories, to leave the familiar. Even if you consider yourself well-read, as I do, it’s invaluable to have that different perspective from a person who reads everything from poetry to self-help books to classic literature. Since none of those are my strong suits, his raw opinion can help round the story or better develop my characters.

As someone who dreams up a million ideas a day, obviously some are going to flop while others will fly. It is essential for me to float my ideas past a person whose opinion I respect, whose body language I can read, and whose insights I take seriously. It’s impossible for me to write a novel for every idea I have—there wouldn’t be enough time in ten lives to accomplish that feat. So when an idea develops into a basic plot, and I share it with my husband, there are one of three conclusions we will draw if a story needs intensive work to make it worth pursuing:

1)      It’s an intriguing idea, but there’s not much else there.

2)      It’s an intriguing idea, but the characters are so boring I can’t stand writing it.

3)      It isn’t an intriguing or new idea at all, but I’m fascinated by the characters.

Even if I do end up drawing one of these conclusions with the help of my husband, I might not completely abandon the story. I might turn it into a short story instead, or rewrite it, or “can” my characters and put them on a shelf for later, to be used in another work.

     For me, having a person to bounce ideas off of is essential to the creation process of writing. But what about others? Who do you share your initial plot outlines with? And what are the deciding factors for whether or not you actually pursue a project? 


- Melody

Melody Steiner works at an academic library as a circulation technician. In 2006, she graduated from a small private college in Ohio with a Bachelors of Arts in English. After she met and married her husband, they relocated to Seattle, WA. In March, 2011, she graduated from the University of Washington with a Master in Library and Information Science, aspiring to becoming a full-time librarian. Her hobbies include reading the latest YA series (recent favorites include Patrick Ness’ The Knife of Never Letting Go and Paoli Bacigalupi’s Shipbreaker), camping, and enjoying long walks with her best friend. Last November, they had their first little peanut—a rambunctious baby girl. In addition to adult science fiction, she writes fantasy and YA novels. She is represented by Nicole Resciniti of The Seymour Agency. You can find her at http://twitter.com/melody_steiner.