When working with a location in your novel, it’s important to keep in mind a number of things:
1. The tone of the book: Where you set your novel can have an obvious impact on the overall atmosphere of the work. A centuries-old inn on a rocky and foggy New England coast may be better for establishing a gothic feel than the glittering streets of Miami. On the other hand, setting a novel in an unexpected locale, like Miami for a vampire story, may be provide novel ways for you to expand a mythology or create an alternate world.
2. Roadways and the native lingo: My husband just finished a book and said to me that it was obvious the writer was not a New Yorker, although apparently the main character in the book was supposed to be a New Yorker. How did hubby know that? The writer made references to roadways in a manner in which natives would not. For example, a reference to 95 when coming off the George Washington Bridge (aka the “GW” to a native). While it may be 95 on the map, most natives would equate that road with heading to the Turnpike (aka the New Jersey Turnpike). Another one to watch out for if you’re writing about New York City (aka Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas is the official name for 6th Avenue, but it’s rare for a New Yorker to call it Avenue of the Americas.
3. Foods: Food can add a great deal of color to your novel. For example, a reference to “tomato pie” would be appropriate for certain settings in New Jersey. What’s “tomato pie” you wonder? It’s a type of pizza and common in many areas (but not in New York City where it’s not common to refer to “pizza” as “tomato pie”). The reference is more common along the Jersey Shore and in Trenton, which is famous for its “tomatoe pie”. In the shore and Trenton areas, “tomato pie” is usually a thin crust pizza where the cheese goes on first and then the sauce.
4. Media attention: It sounds sanguine, but deciding where to set your story may help with getting media attention for your work. A local author setting a novel in a hometown location: Perfect for getting the attention of the local newspaper, community groups, etc. and setting up signings.
5. Local Customs and Superstitions: When choosing a location (or creating your own), are there any local customs or superstitions that you can include? A haunted house or site of buried treasure? A tale about the town’s founding or history? For example, while researching the area of the Jersey Shore where I’ve set SINS OF THE FLESH and STRONGER THAN SIN, I discovered that Captain Kidd anchored off what is now known as Sylvan Lake in Bradley Beach and buried part of his treasure between two trees near what is now known as Brinley Avenue. You can bet that will make it’s way into a book someday!
I hope these things help you with choosing and working with the location in your novel.
Subtitle: Why it’s important to pick a gun you can handle.
I often write stories with kick-ass heroines who need to use pistols in their line of work. When deciding what kinds of pistols they are going to use, I ask myself the following:
1. Are they big women with big hands? Men can use larger weapons, but women will generally need guns that are smaller, lighter and more compact. Smaller guns will usually also have less recoil (and if you’re wondering why that’s important, take a moment to watch the video at the end of this blog!). In addition, a smaller gun will allow your trigger finger to reach the trigger which sometimes is difficult with a bigger weapon.
2. Is the woman physically strong in general? If the woman is athletic with good hand/grip strength, she might be able to handle an automatic weapon which sometimes requires you to move back a slide on the top of a weapon in order to clear a jam. The slide has a very strong spring and a weaker woman may not have have the strength to budge it. If that’s the case, consider using a revolver for your heroine. It’s easier to load and if for some reason one of the bullets does not fire, a pull on the trigger will advance the chamber to the next round.
3. Where will the weapon be kept? If it is being stored in a behind the back or shoulder holster and your gun has a hammer, that might not be such a problem. If the pistol is being kept in a purse and has a hammer, the hammer may snag on items in the purse. If the gun will be kept in an ankle holster, you will probably need smaller model, like a Glock 26, also known as a Baby Glock.
4. Also consider whether the gun is bulky or has a low profile. When undercover, you do not want a large gun that will be obvious and scream “COP!”
5. You also need to consider the situations in which the weapon will be used. The first situation is one where you will require a lot of take down/knock down power. This refers to how much damage the bullet will do – in other words how efficiently it will take down your attacker so they won’t come back at you. .45 caliber weapons are quite effective at this, but remember #1 above about the size of the gun. It might be too hard to handle.
6. In a situation where there is a risk of collateral damage, your heroine may decide to change out her normal rounds with hollow-point bullets. Such bullets do a lot of damage on a human body, but because the bullet expands upon entering a target, it does not penetrate armor or walls very well. That makes it great for avoiding collateral damage.
Hope this information on picking a hand gun for your heroine was helpful. We’ll discuss rifles and shotguns some other day as well as different kinds of guns you may wish to use in your stories. After all, the weapons your hero chooses will make an impression on your reader.
But now, back to that pesky recoil issue. Sit back and get a gander of what happens when recoil gets the best of you!
If you can’t see the videos below, click on this link or cut and paste this link into your browser:
Action scenes. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, but as a genre fiction writer you probably will have to someday write an action scene for your novel, especially if you write Romantic Suspense. Getting the best results often involves having the right recipe and ingredients and I’m today offering up some of my secrets for creating an action scene that makes readers keep turning the pages!
The first ingredient is the characters. It’s important for you to know the kind of fighting experience that your characters have. Are they trained military or law enforcement? Do they have martial arts experience? What kinds of strengths or weakness do they have physically? How tall or short is each of the fighters? Each one of these will make the difference between your action scene being a bar room brawl slugfest or a well-choreographed and precise battle between two opponents.
The next item to add to the mix is location. Where is the scene taking place? Action that is happening on dry land is going to be very different than that occurring in wet sand or water. Will the combatants be at risk in the location, i.e., near the edge of a cliff? Are there any possible weapons that can be used at the location? On the beach, sand becomes a weapon when it is tossed in someone’s eyes. In a closed environment, such as an office, a heavy bookend or letter opener can be used as a weapon or as defense against an opponent.
Physics is the next important ingredient to add to your mix. How do bodies and things react to the application of force? It’s important to know how a punch will move the combatants so that you can plan for the next logical step in the fight. For example, a blow to the face will likely have an opponent’s head moving back and so following up with a knee to the face might not be possible. If you have any hesitation about the action/reaction that will occur, physically go through the steps in yourself in slow motion to make sure the physics of the scene make sense Also keep in mind the characters’ physical traits when doing so. The height, weight and the sex of the characters will make a big difference in the physics behind the action/reaction.
Next up in our recipe – Dialogue. I vaguely recall that one critic said of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that the only thing sharper than her jabs were her one liners. Good advice for any action scene with dialogue.
The words your combatants exchange should be like body blows, short, precise and stinging. Nothing slows down an action scene more than long discussions between the various combatants. In general, it’s probably best to keep dialogue to the beginning and end of the scenes – the first to incite the action and the latter to help transition to the next scene in your book.
Likewise, internalized dialogue as the characters fight should be kept to a minimum. Although the character may be in a life or death struggle, your action scene is not the time for the character to have her life flash in front of her eyes. As with spoken dialogue, keep internal thoughts to a minimum and have them up the ante in the fight. For example, if the heroine knows there is a weapon nearby, have a quick thought flash through her brain about how to reach that weapon or how to use it. Or spice the scene with a thought about the heroine’s reaction to either receiving or connecting with a punch.
Hand in hand with dialogue is the narrative in your scene. Much as with dialogue, keep it short. Short sentences create tension and move the scene along. If you’re doing an action scene correctly, there isn’t room for long winded narratives about what’s happening, except to possibly set up or end the scene (more on that later.). Also think about using elements of deep POV to heighten the tension and keep the action moving, namely, a new paragraph for each thought, action or punch. For example:
A sharp jab to the nose had his opponent reeling backward.
Mick charged ahead.
A left hook glanced across the man’s cheekbone, but landed with enough force to daze him. Mick’s opponent dropped the sharp-edged broken bottle and it shattered against the concrete floor.
Blood dripped from a cut on the man’s temple and nose as he swayed, eyes glassy. Unfocused.
Mick cocked his arm to deliver the coup de grace.
Last but not least, the final ingredients in the recipe are the beginning and ending of your action scene.
When it comes to the beginning of the scene, keep one very important thing in mind: Does the action make sense in light of the characters, location, weapons, and story line? I always think about that scene in Indiana Jones when Jones is challenged by a rather large and muscular man. Bull whip in hand, Jones realizes he is no match for his opponent – until he pulls out his gun and shoots the man.
Like Indiana Jones, a smart hero knows when to back off and avoid a fight unless it’s absolutely necessary. Heroes who charge in without a thought to their own safety or possible collateral damage come across as too stupid to live.
Where do you start the scene? The best place to do so to keep the reader turning pages is to start the scene at the end of the chapter before. Make them turn the page to see if the hero will engage in combat.
Where do you end the scene? That’s a hard question and really requires you to do one thing – write the entire scene from start to finish. Then find a good place smack in the middle to insert a chapter break, usually at a place just a millisecond before a punch will be landed or a knife will be thrust (see the example above with Mick – Did he throw that last punch? Did you want to know what happened next?).
Keep the reader wondering about what happens as it will force them to turn the page. At the start of the next chapter, resume your action scene.
One other important thing to keep in mind when it comes to ending a scene — Remember that a real hero won’t inflict damage above and beyond what is necessary. Doing so diminishes her in the eyes of the reader and that’s the last thing you want to do. Even justified lethal force can be difficult for readers, so keep that in mind so as to not put off people. For example, in the above scene with Mick, Mick may have determined that his opponent was no longer a threat. The next chapter can open with Mick deciding to just walk away from the fight rather than inflicting any more punishment.
By combining the above ingredients, you have a recipe for writing fast-paced action scenes that will keep readers turning the pages.
If you want more great information related to writing about fight scenes, martial arts and other cool self-defense info, take a moment to visit my friends at Attacking the Page!
I hope you’ve been enjoying the Dark Side Demon Mondays I’ve been doing over at the Danger Women Writing website. It should be no surprise to you that I love all things demony and paranormal, but I also love Romantic Suspense. I guess that’s why what I write is really cross-genre and best called Paranormal Suspense.
Because of that, I thought I’d try a little change of pace with the blog and introduce a new segment: Kiss Me, Kill Me Tuesdays! Come visit with me and learn all about those things you need in the world of suspense, like fun weapons, fight scenes, ways to kill people, creating page turners and a whole lot of other stuff. Interesting stuff, I hope.
Today’s Kiss Me, Kill Me is a drug that was employed in a number of murders, but could also be used to paralyze someone for purposes of attacking them. That drug is succinyl choline which is a paralytic drug used to create muscle relaxation and short term paralysis. It acts quickly and has a very short duration of action, making it perfect for surgical procedures such as intubation.
It also made it perfect for murder and an assortment of other crimes. In fact, because of that short duration, it was nearly untraceable for quite a long time.
Why was that the case? Because 90% of the drug is metabolized quickly, leaving only a small trace that was hard to locate.
For some interesting murder cases involving the use of succinyl choline, you can check out these links:
Action scenes. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, but as a genre fiction writer you probably will have to someday write an action scene for your novel, especially if you write Romantic Suspense. Getting the best results often involves having the right recipe and ingredients and I’m today offering up some of my secrets for creating an action scene that makes readers keep turning the pages!
I hope you’ve been enjoying the 
