Notes for a Two-Day Get-Away

My husband had training in a city 120 miles north of our home last week, and he invited me to go with him. I didn't attend the meeting--I sat in the hotel room and wrote. And studied the craft of writing. And read a great book (both for entertainment and to study). The result? Two Fabulous Days. I wish I could do that every week. But I can't. Neither can Grandpa (who watched the kids). I share this with you, not to  make you jealous, but to pass along some of the tidbits I came away with. I'd already read Conflict & Suspense by James Scott Bell, back when I first purchased it, but re-scimming it brought details to my attention that I'd forgotten. I figure, if I've forgotten these things, so might others. So I present them to you now in this wonderfully haphazard fashion and hope that you get the same great benefits I did.

1. Obsession. It's a great word. It's also something that every character has. Love, sex, money, power, validation, revenge… whatever it is, your character needs it. Obsessions breed conflict, and lots of it. It also breeds opposition. Someone will oppose your character's obsession in an obsessive fashion, adding yet more conflict. And we all know that without conflict, there is no story.

2. The Unexpected. Readers love it when they're surprised. So when you're story gets a little boring and you can't figure out how to fix it, ask yourself "What does the reader expect to happen at the end of this scene?" Once you have the answer, write it down on a separate sheet of paper or a separate Word document. Then go back to your story and Do Something Else. You might want to brainstorm for a bit. Come up with 10 different ways your character could respond to the events in the scene. Then pick the best one that fits with the story and/or the theme.

3. Secrets. Everybody has secrets. Your characters should have them, too. Not only do they have them, but those secrets should be gradually revealed throughout the story in some dramatic fashion. (Non-dramatic reveals fall flat, so avoid those). The revelation of secrets will motivate unexpected actions from other characters, furnish surprise for the reader, and make the story stronger. 

4. Theme. This short blog post isn't equipped to deal with the development and implementation of theme, I'm sorry to say. Look at some previous posts about theme if you're curious. What I found interesting in my reading was the idea of having my protagonist make an argument against my theme in the beginning of the book. For example, Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz stated at the beginning of the book/movie that she hoped to find some place where there was no trouble, a place she wanted to live. By the end of the movie, she realizes that place was home, where she started out.

5. Confrontation is the key to a great story, with frustration a close second. Any time your story is sagging, try to add confrontation or frustration and see if that helps.

That's just a taste of what I accomplished last week at my mini-retreat. I hope it helps you with your WIP. I'll return to Anatomy of Motive in my next post.

-Sonja

Media, Fantasy, and the Violent Offender

In an effort to create more believable antagonists, I'm studying the book The Anatomy of Motive by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker. Douglas is an FBI profiler and has written several books on the subject. In my last post, I began a series on violent offenders who use force and are "influenced" by media. Most violent offenders indulge in fantasy long before they turn to real crimes. That's the gist of this post. As a warning, there's an ick factor when delving into the thought processes of bad guys, so if you've got a weak stomach and a gentle constitution, you might want to skip this one. I apologize in advance--I'll try to tone it down as much as possible. But if you want a believable antagonist, sometimes you have to go to nasty places.

Roy Hazelwood, one of the pioneers of modern behavioral science at Quantico, found a certain danger in detective magazines, of all places. He called it "the erotization of violence"--magazines that make a connection between "violence and sexual arousal in the minds of anti-social and violence-prone readers." In a study of detective magazine covers, interiors, illustrations, and story content, they discovered that the magazines "routinely and relentlessly juxtaposed conventionally erotic images (such as beautiful, scantily clad women) and written descriptions of sexual acts with images of violence and the helpless suffering of innocent victims." While the magazines did not create violent offenders out of healthy, normal men, they did provide fantasy material for sexual predators. In other words, they enhanced what was already inside. 

The authors bring up a case where three young men watched the Clint Eastwood movie Magnum Force and decided to use a killing method they saw in the movie: forcing their victims to drink drain cleaner. In the movie, the woman's death was instantaneous and clean--she fell over dead. In real life, the victims choked, gagged, vomited, and made a lot of noise. Frustrated at the amount of time it took the victims to die, the offenders raped, shot, and tortured their victims until they were all dead. Even there they failed, as two of the six victims survived the attacks. The point of this example is not that the Eastwood movie made these guys into rapists and killers, but rather that the movie fed a fantasy they had already indulged in--vicious and sadistic sexual assault. Even if they hadn't seen the movie, they still would have committed violent acts.

(Clint Eastwood in Magnum Force)

You can use this for your antagonists. Profile him. What are his fantasies? What types of media does he enjoy (books, magazines, movies, crime blotters)? What will trigger him to go from mere fantasy to a "real-life" criminal encounter in your story? Also remember that criminals escalate in violence. Their first offense isn't likely to be a rape or murder. It'll begin with peeping, petty theft, car prowls, that sort of thing, then progress in violence as the "satisfaction" becomes harder to achieve with the smaller crimes.

-Sonja

TV made him do that?

The book The Anatomy of Motive by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker has fantastic information about why violent offenders do what they do. The book is broken down into sections by crime type. I already covered arsonists. Today begins the series on violent offenders who blame the media for their actions. I'm using this information to create believable antagonists, and by passing along the information, hopefully you'll find something useful here, too.

I love how the authors introduce this section. They look at the defense side of the equation: how will a defense attorney try to get their client out of hot water? He can't exactly admit to judge and jury that his client killed for the intense thrill of control, power, and sexual excitement that accompanied the crime. Instead, he'll try to put his client in a more sympathetic and understandable light. He'll say that something "strongly influenced" his client, and without this influence, his client would have never done something so heinous.

We've all heard the "bad childhood" excuse: he was abused, his family was dysfunctional, he's a psychologically wounded and unhappy individual, and that's why he did the horrible things he did. Of course, it's all bunk. Plenty of people had abusive, dysfunctional, unhappy childhoods and didn't resort to violence against others. Yet that's the defense presented to the public, as if that should get him off the hook for his actions. He shouldn't take personal responsibility, because that's no longer politically correct in this modern age of relativism and "village" culpability. I share the authors opinion on this: violent offenders should definitely be held accountable for their actions. But I've veered off track already. Let me get back to the book.

(Telly Savalas as "Kojak")

You've probably heard the "TV defense" brought up before: "my client acted violently because he's been inundated with violent shows and now only understands violence." Because of the media, it's true that many people are desensitized to violence. They see it on the news, in movies, and TV shows, and read about it in the newspaper. But are people so desensitized to violence that they no longer know and understand that it's wrong to kill people? There is no proof of this. People kill for a reason, and that's called motive: revenge, thrill, cover a crime, love, hate, jealousy, greed… you've heard them all, so it shouldn't be hard for you to come up with a great motive for your antagonist to do the things he does. Fancy defenses may work in a courtroom (though I'd hope not), but they won't work in your work of fiction. The "Twinkie Defense" (I was so hopped up on sugar that I acted out violently, which is something I would never do if I weren't on a sugar rush) just isn't believable--it didn't work in court, and it won't work in fiction.

Stay tuned for more profiling goodness. 

-Sonja

Organized and Disorganized Arsonists

This is the sixth (and final) post on arsonists, based on information from the book The Anatomy of Motive by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker. I'm using the information to create more believable antagonists in my writing. I've covered the profile and motives of arsonists. Today's topic is organized and disorganized arsonists, and how their motives and methods differ.

"The motive for the organized arsonist is most likely to be profit, or concealment of other crimes, or the fact that he is a professional 'torch'." This guy will probably appear to be "normal" by societies standards, and when caught, his neighbors will say they didn't see it coming. He's able to plan his crimes with the goal of escaping detection, and probably does not feel an uncontrollable urge to light things on fire. He's being practical, and fire gets the job done. He may bring his own supplies with him, or he may use what's at hand if he has prior knowledge that there will be combustibles on-site. Using materials at hand may result in an unreliable profile from arson inspectors, so it can be worth the risk. With these types of fires, there probably isn't a pattern--sights won't be within a comfort zone, different materials may be involved, and there will probably be no connections found between sights. However, if the arsonist has a signature, that's what will lead authorities to him. This arsonist could be a fun antagonist to play with, as he will be harder for the hero detective to catch.

 (Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)

"The disorganized arsonist, generally younger and less sophisticated, will be a loner who feels rejected; he may be abusing alcohol or drugs, will have few friends, and tends to set fires near home, in his own comfort zone." This arsonist has an uncontrollable urge to light things on fire. He probably brings his own lighter or matches, but will use materials at hand. His fires aren't usually planned, but they can be if he gets more sophisticated. He will probably be in rebellion against someone in authority over him, like a father, teacher, or employer. When caught, family and neighbors will believe he was capable and may even be the ones who turn him in. His fires will display a definite pattern, and he may have a signature that's special to him. He's going to be much easier to profile and catch than the organized offender. Because of this, the disorganized arson won't make a great main antagonist, but he could be a side character who draws the hero detective's attention away from the big baddie.

Is this series helpful to any of you? Comments, questions, rants, requests for a different series?

-Sonja

Fire Bugs Part 5 - More Motives

In my last post, I listed seven basic motives for arson. They were fraud, pyromania, crime concealment, vanity, spite or revenge, civil disorder, political or revolutionary activity, and the mischief of juveniles. I gave a brief description of the first two. Today I'll finish off those seven motives. My information comes from the book The Anatomy of Motive by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker, and I'm digging into these mysteries in the hopes that I'll be able to use the information to build a more believable antagonist.

(This burning house comes from freedigitalphotos.net)

3) Arson to Conceal Other Acts: "Arson can be used to distract immediate attention from other criminal activities." Jailbreaks, destruction of bookkeeping records, concealment of burglary, even the cover up of a murder and the evidence of said murder are all reasons why someone would set a fire. 

4) Vanity: profit vanity is a form of indirect fraud, where the perpetrator sets a blaze in hopes of monetary gain (a raise, better hours, etc). An example is a watchman who wants a pay raise, so he sets a fire to prove that his job is dangerous and therefore worthy of higher wages. Hero vanity is related to forms of pyromania. The arsonist wants to appear heroic, so he sets the blaze then steps in to "save" someone or the property from further damage. A babysitter sets fire to the house and saves the children. 

5) Arson for Spite or Revenge: This "is initiated by hatred, jealousy, or other uncontrolled emotions." It may be the deadliest of all the arson motives. It usually takes place during darkness and usually has large property and life losses. "Love and/or sex often appear as motivating factors, to keep a lover from running around or to get even with an ex-lover. The target is often a place of public assembly, such as a bar, tavern, lounge, or disco." The authors point out that large numbers of these arsons are committed by women and gays because "they are less prone to settling scores using a knife or a gun." They let fire do the work for them. "Other motives for spite/revenge arsons include labor disputes, religious or ethnic antagonisms, and racial bigotry."

6) Civil Disorder and Political Arson: This could be an individual offender or a mob reacting to the heat and pressure of the moment. Destruction of property is a huge issue with this as it is used as a weapon of social protest. "Race riots, ghetto riots, war protest marches, and anarchist activities all fall under this heading." Usually these people are already prone to suggestion and in a near-violent state. One instigator can bring the entire crowd to a violent frenzy. Sometimes this type of arson is used to mask a spite/revenge killing, looting, or vandalism. These crimes are difficult to solve because of the number of people involved.

7) Arson by Juveniles or Adolescents: Children are naturally curious about fire. "The younger the fire setter, the more likely the fire results from this curiosity, rather than malevolent or criminal intent." Curiosity fires are usually set in "bedroom closets, under beds, in basement or attic crawl spaces, under porches, in alleys--in other words, not places intended to create a public scene." Sometimes, these fires are a result of boredom. Older fire starters could be much more serious and could include other motives, such as revenge, fraud, or concealment of other crimes. The sophistication of the crime and the behavior pattern of the suspect helps detectives figure out who they're looking for.

There's a lot more information in the book about arson, so come back next time for a look at organized vs. disorganized arsonists.

-Sonja

Fire Bugs Part 4 - Motive

I'm doing a series from the book The Anatomy of Motive by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker. The topic today is the motive of arsonists.

(This photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)

In a previous post, I gave the definition of a nuisance arsonist: one who sets fires in trash cans, garbage heaps, and empty buildings. They aren't looking to hurt anyone, they just want to see emergency workers jump to his commands. The author has more to say about this type of arsonist: "The inadequate, nuisance-type arsonist would correlate to what we classify as the power-reassurance rapist, a sexually and socially inadequate offender who rapes to convince himself of his own power and self-worth and often feel guilty about the assault immediately afterward. he may even apologize to his victim before leaving the scene." If you have this type of arsonist in your novel, he's going to be motivated by his extreme selfishness. He feels he's not a worthy person as he is, so he seeks to magnify his worth in his own eyes by manipulating others. Sometimes nuisance arsonists escalate to killers due to added emotional stress, but it's also believable if he finds all his satisfaction in non-life-threatening fires.

If, however, your arsonist is motivated by revenge or seeking power, he'll act completely different from the nuisance arsonist. "The arsonist who sets fire to a populated apartment house and takes pleasure and satisfaction in watching people jumping out of windows and fleeing for their lives would correspond to the power-assertive rapist, who, as the term suggests, assaults because he enjoys the power and control over other people. He would be a very violent rapist who would enjoy watching his victim cry and suffer."

The details of the arson always lead to motive, and that will lead to a profile. The authors take a quick break here to identify the terms "motive" and "intent." "Intent refers simply to the deliberateness of the act--consciously choosing to commit the crime. Motive is the offender's reason for setting the fire, and there are seven basic arson motives…fraud; pyromania; crime concealment; vanity; spite or revenge; civil disorder; political or revolutionary activity; and the simple mischief of juveniles and adolescents playing with fire."

1) Fraud: This is committed by someone who makes a living by creating fires that are supposed to appear accidental. He's a professional. Most of the time, these fires are to collect insurance, and the motive is money. Other motives include elimination of competition and running intimidation/protection rackets. Sometimes this arsonist will try to make the fire look like a juvenile nuisance arson to draw attention away from the real culprits and motives. Detectives, when faced with this type of fire, need to quickly identify who benefits monetarily from the fire in order to catch the arsonist.

2) Pyromania: This is the uncontrollable impulse to start fires. Unlike most other arsonists, this one could be male or female. Males will go away from his comfort zone, and his crimes will show a pattern. Females will set smaller fires in or near her home, and she'll set them during daylight hours. Neither the male nor female pyromaniac will show signs of aggression. When caught, they may feel a need to confess.

This is getting long, so I'll finish the seven basic arson motives in my next post.

-Sonja

Fire Bugs Part 3 - More Profile

A couple posts back, I began a series from the book The Anatomy of Motive by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker to help authors create better antagonists. The bad guy I've been working on is the arsonist. So far I've outlined that an arsonist is a coward, preferring to exact his revenge for slights from a distance. He's not confrontational, he's got an active fantasy life, and he's a loner. He gets his charge from victimizing others from a distance. His victims are usually smaller, weaker, and more vulnerable than he is. 

(This profile courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)

The authors say most fire-starting begins with a triggering trauma. "The two most common events are loss of job or loss of love." People close to the arsonist, when they get an inkling their loved one is the guilty party, will immediately be able to point to that triggering trauma. They may also notice he has a preoccupation with the newspaper articles regarding local fires. As arsonists love to manipulate and control authority and emergency responders, they get a jolt from reading records of the event. The media attention validates his needs, but will also cause him stress. He may even leave town for a time, which should also be a sign to those who know him. Arsonists usually chose professions that allow them to travel (salesmen, truckers, etc) so they can hit multiple towns along their routes, further frustrating the detectives searching for him. 

"One of the most important uses of a profile is to aid local police in limiting and refining their suspect list so they can direct their resources where they might do the most good." Keep this in mind when writing your story. "Another key use of a profile in certain circumstances is to go proactive, to let the public become your partner in crime solving." Arsonists usually display some sort of behavior to their family and friends that will implicate themselves--remember, he gets validation from his crimes, and it's hard to not brag about his achievements to someone close to him. By making the profile public, someone might recognize the description of behaviors and help end the crime sprees.

Once police have a suspect and arrest him, they can "play" to the arsonist's ego: make him feel important by bringing him in with sirens blazing, lights flashing, maybe even have the press on hand for the perp-walk (taking the cuffed suspect into the building). The brass could wear full dress uniforms. The interrogation room should be staged to appeal to the arsonists ego: white boards with lots of evidence posted, the arsonist's photo, and a big sign that says IDENTIFIED. Also, the police would want to bring in an authority figure from the arsonist's life, like his father. It's hard for the arsonist to lie when someone "stronger" than him, someone in authority over him, is present to hear the evidence. The interviewing detectives should praise the arsonist for his brilliance, but now he's finished. Doing these things, validating the arsonist's sense of achievement but at the same time letting him know he's definitely caught, will many times result in confessions. 

At this point, the arsonist will admit to his crimes but try to lay the responsibility elsewhere: alcohol, the presence of flammable materials, an uncontrollable urge that's Not His Fault. He's not proud of what he's done. He was a victim of an incurable disease, and therefore should not be sent to prison. He will, however, plead guilty when it comes time. If you include an arsonist in your story, you don't have to include all these details. Keep with the basics: coward, loner, fantasy life, traveling profession, and preying on weaker targets.

There's more to come on arsonists, believe it or not. Stay tuned.

-Sonja

Sagging Middles and Ridiculous Endings

I didn't intend to take a spring break from my blog, but sometimes you just have to give in to life once in a while. My son's baseball games got rained out today, so I have a few moments of free time to reflect on a nasty lesson I learned over the past two weeks that hopefully will help other writers. My problem? I got close to the climax of my book and it wasn't working. In fact, it was fighting me. Nothing worked. I'd send my protagonist in one direction, and it wasn't exciting (it's supposed to be a suspense novel--what good is a boring suspense novel?). I'd send him in another direction and it was unbelievable. I let it frustrate me for nearly three weeks, pushing, and writing, and deleting, and kicking and screaming and whining to my computer screen...

 (This obstacle is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)

Then I got smart. I remembered reading somewhere that difficult endings or saggy middles is actually a problem with something much closer to the beginning. I thought my beginning was super solid, so that couldn't be the problem. I couldn't identify where it all fell apart. So I did what any sensible writer would do: shipped it off to a buddy (you rock, Dragonfallacy!). My friend read the first 23 chapters (75,000 words!), which was about as far as I'd shoved forward. Then she told me the story started going stale at chapter 10. WWWAAAAYYYY back in the good parts. Then she went above and beyond what any normal friend would do. She brainstormed alternate pathways for my protagonist to take. She identified other hurdles that could cross his path and make life harder. She pointed out information that could be doled out at a much slower pace, therefore increasing the tension for unknowing characters. She found new motivations and increased the stakes and inserted tricky time limits. She put the suspense back in.

If I'd calmed down and thought the problem through, I might have come up with this solution on my own. But I'm so thankful I have a wonderful friend who's willing to help out when things get dire. I hope I get the chance to repay her someday when she's got a rough patch she can't get passed. 

Bottom line, I learned two valuable lessons from this problem: 1) ask for help from other writers when the story is kicking my butt; 2) back up from the problem spot and try a different approach. As I'm sure others have hit this problem before, share with me and my handful of readers what you did to overcome.

-Sonja

Signature vs. Modus Operandi

I'm using the book The Anatomy of Motive by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker to create believable antagonists. I'm in the middle of a discussion about arsonists, but the authors take a quick break from that to discuss the difference between signature and modus operandi. Then I'll get back to arsonists.

(This signature courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)

A signature is a trait an investigator would know or recognize as belonging to a single perpetrator. It does not change as the criminal gets better at his crimes. Modus operandi (or M.O.) is the means by which the crime is carried out. M.O. can evolve as the offender becomes more experienced, proficient, and successful at avoiding capture. Both are important to investigators, but there are differences that you, as a writer, need to know and understand.

"If you rob a bank at gunpoint, the gun is part of your M.O. True signature, on the other hand, is the aspect of the crime that emotionally fulfills the offender, and so it remains relatively the same. Torture, for example, is almost always a signature. No matter what crime an offender is committing, he doesn't need to torture a victim to pull it off. He does so because of a sadistic emotional need. So, if an offender uses a gun to capture a victim so that he can torture her, you've got both an M.O. and a signature."

Signature is the more important of the two in an investigation as it leads to the offender's personality and motive. Policelink.monster.com lists two aspects of signature: aspect and behavior. "Aspect defines the theme or motive of an offense, and can include motivational categories such as profit, anger, retaliation, assertiveness, and sadism." Behaviors are "committed to satisfy the emotional and psychological needs of the offender and usually define the theme of a crime."

When you're creating your antagonist, keep both these in mind. The M.O. is how your antagonist plans his crime in order to get away with it. Maybe it involves leaving a car running near the scene of the violence so he'll have a quick getaway. Maybe it involves wearing a mask to hide his identity. Maybe it involves a bodysuit made of latex so he won't leave forensic evidence behind (note: it's REALLY hard to not leave forensic evidence behind, so if you go this route, research carefully or you'll make mistakes).

The signature of your antagonist will be that thing or things he does to find emotional satisfaction from the crime. Maybe it involves choosing victims who look like his abusive mother. Maybe it involves urinating on his victim or the crime scene (disgusting, I know, but real-life offenders are known to do far worse. I'll leave that one up to your imagination). Maybe he takes something from the scene of the crime as a souvenir. Whatever this signature is, once your investigator recognizes it as the signature, it will lead to an accurate profile and help catch the bad guy. 

Questions? Comments? 

-Sonja

Fire Bugs Part 2 - The Profile

I'm using the book The Anatomy of Motive by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker to create believable antagonists. My last post began a discussion on fire-starters and why it's important to understand how these violent offenders think and act, even if your bad guy isn't an arsonist. Check the previous post if you're lost.

 (Photo courtesy of freedigitalphoto.net)

I'd like to begin with this interesting quote: "Arson, like bombing and various other forms of terrorism, is the crime of a coward. It is perpetrated by a person (typically a man) who wants to strike out but does not have the courage--or even the interpersonal skills, for that matter--to face his intended victim nose-to-nose. And in the case of arson, especially, that victim is usually a faceless, sexless cipher in his mind rather than a living, breathing human being."

When creating your fire-starting bad guy, he can't be confrontational. He'll shy away from arguments, he'll back away from heated discussions, and he probably won't stand up for himself or his decisions to those in authority over him (boss, parent, maybe even spouse). He will, however, fantasize about getting revenge. There won't be a discussion with clever words and crafty arguments. There'll just be flames. These guys are internalizers--loners, asocial misfits who puts distance between themselves and everyone else. His victims are always smaller, weaker, and more vulnerable than he is, someone who won't challenge him or seem to be on equal ground. Another way these men attack is the "blitz", where they immobilize their victim and render her unconscious quickly so he doesn't have to deal with her as a human being.

The arsonist likes to taunt authorities from afar, flaunting his superiority. They like to stick around the blaze and watch as firefighters scurry to put out the flames. Sometimes, the arsonist will stick around only long enough to see the first responders show up, then take off to set the next fire near the now-empty fire station. He gets caught up in the media attention that's focused on him. He becomes a media whore, needing to see his handiwork on the TV, in the papers, on the radio news broadcasts. When the coverage isn't enough, he escalates to killing people with his fires. He doesn't hate the people he kills--he's just getting off on the power he has over life and death. The fires have to get bigger, better, deadlier, for him to continue getting satisfaction from them.

When arsonists start out, they begin in their "comfort zone" - the area of town they feel most familiar with, close to where they work or live. They have to feel comfortable: know the escape routes, able to blend in on the streets, be close to the refuge of home or some other safe place. In this comfort zone they can talk their way out if confronted in the area. With each fire they set and get away from cleanly, their confidence builds and they slowly expand their comfort zone.

Use this in your book. Your hero will want to focus attention on the first known acts of the arsonist he's tracking, because those first ones are close to home/work, which can be helpful in narrowing down a suspect pool. 

I'm not finished with arsonists, but the authors take a quick break to discuss the difference between signature and modus operandi. I want to spend the next post talking about that, then I'll (hopefully) finish the profile on arsonists. 

-Sonja

Fire Bugs

The book The Anatomy of Motive by John Douglas and Mark Olshake contains excellent information for writers who need to create believable antagonists. Chapter Two is all about bad guys who play with fire and what makes them tick. Even if your story doesn't contain a fire-starter, almost all violent offenders played with matches when they were boys. Therefore, at least some of the information in this post could provide background for your character.

Warning: because of the nature of the violent mind, nasty stuff gets mentioned in the book. I try to tone it all down, but there's no getting around the ick factor. So if you have a tender heart or a weak stomach, read with caution. Even with fire-starters, the ick factor is still going strong.

 (Photo courtesy of freedigitalphoto.net)

The author begins by reminding the reader of the homicidal triad: bed-wetting, cruelty to animals and/or small children, and playing with fire. Children with violent, anti-social tendencies who dabble in two or more of the triad often end up as violent offenders. But what is it about flames that attract these boys? Please note: there's a difference between a six-year-old who pulls a fire alarm to see what will happen and a sixteen-year-old who sets trash can fires, then watches the response. A lot of the time, the attraction is sexual. David Berkowitz admitted to setting thousands of fires, then hanging around to masturbate while he watched firefighters battle the blazes. Because of the relationship between setting fires and self-arousal, police and firefighters often photograph the crowds who gather to watch firefighters battle the blaze. The guy in the crowd who looks like he's aroused is often the arsonist.

Because so many criminals begin their career with arson, it's an important crime to study. Like rape and murder, "Arson is often an attempt to gain control and power and attain a feeling of success in their lives. Look at all the people an arsonist gets to manipulate and control: the victims of the fire, firefighters, police and other figures of authority, the media, and even the community in general." Arsonists usually have a rich fantasy life, as well, conjuring up fantasies of burning those who have wronged them in some fashion. When the fantasy is no longer enough to satisfy, they use real flames to achieve the same satisfaction.

Like serial rapists or killers, arsonists have their favorite methods and generally stick close to them. Some set fires using materials at hand. Others bring their accelerants and matches with them. Some set fires at the ground level. Other set them at waist or chest height. Some set nuisance fires only (trash cans, empty buildings, garbage heaps) while others target places where people could be injured or killed (he's escalated to predator). If he's targeting people, is it a specific type of person (Asian, female, homeless) or will any live body do for a victim? Some only set fires when the weather is agreeable, while others only set fires during freezes. Knowing why your antagonist starts fires will help fill in some of these methods.

This is getting long, so I'm going to stop here and continue in the next post. Stay tune.

-Sonja