While I'm working at the SWAT Roundup, I'm rerunning older posts. This post originally ran July 21, 2008. It's notes from David Malinowski's talk on Criminal Thinking given to Civilian Police Academy alumni. To clarify a comment made last week, it's not that people who have these thought/behavior patterns are criminals. It's the other way around. If you look at a criminal, you'll find (according to Malinowski) that these patterns predominate. If you haven't read parts 1 and 2 yet, I suggest you read them first so you understand some of the terminology, especially the definition of "criminal." Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here.
Today, I'll look at what Malinowski refers to as "Time Bomb" Tactics in Criminal Thinking. First, there's the shifting of blame or focus. 1. Attempts to confuse 2. Points out other's faults 3. Builds self up by putting others down 4. Makes a big scene over minor issues 5. Accuses others of "misunderstanding" 6. Uses anger as a weapon to control others 7. Argues over "words" to avoid the real issue 8. Introduces irrelevant issues 9. Puts others on defense through embarrassment
Second, lies and deceit 1. Deliberately vague 2. Avoids obligations, usually by saying, "I forgot." 3. Tells what others want to hear, not the whole truth 4. Omits facts; reveals only what pleases self 5. Says "yes" or agrees without meaning it. Example: A convicted felon swore up and down there was no porn on his computer. He kept it on a jump drive.
Third, ignoring obligations 1. Does not pay attention 2. Chooses only what is self-gratifying 3. Refuses to communicate or participate – remains silent 4. Minimizes behavior –"I just got into a little trouble. 5. Says, "I'm changed" after doing one right thing. For criminal behavior to change, criminal thinking has to change.
Stay on TRACK was presented as a way to help change criminal thinking.
T: THINK of the consequences before you act. If anything can go wrong, it will. Remember, doing "this" = trouble, prison, death.
R: REMEMBER who gets hurt. Remember how similar actions have hurt others and yourself Use the bad feelings as tools of change
A: ACTIVATE plans to make a responsible choice Think ahead: What gets me in trouble? Where do I get in trouble? With whom do I get in trouble?
C: CHECK your thinking Think about whether an action is right or wrong Examine your situation and conscience immediately when you think about irresponsible conduct
K: KEEP thinking responsible thoughts Dismiss irresponsible thoughts fast Practice responsible thinking in advance Replace old thinking with responsible thinking.
I'm sure we can see this is no easy task, especially if these patterns have been established over a long period of time.
One more thought, brought up in group discussion. Can you think of non-criminals who exhibit these same patterns of thinking?
Anyone out there raised children?
A lot of the "criminal thinking" parallels the behavior of very young children. Somewhere along the line, we teach our children to develop a conscience, to understand some things are right and some things are wrong. That there are consequences to their actions. That "No" has meaning. The criminal never made all these transitions.
Be sure to check in Monday when I hope to have more SWAT pictures. Today they're moving the concession stand to the front, right near the obstacle course. I'm looking forward to watching the guys in action.
We'll be taking more pictures, so tune in again next week. Tomorrow will have the next installment of my notes from the Criminal Thinking presentation.
Thanks to Kimber Chin for sharing her writing techniques.
A while back, I mentioned Wordle as a nifty "toy" for making word clouds. Thanks to a couple of Twitter posts, I decided to plug in my synopsis instead of just giving the tool my blog URL. The more often a word is used in the text you feed, the larger it will appear in the cloud.
The largest words are character names, which is good. A synopsis will focus on the characters. I also noticed that many of the dominant words were critical plot points. Also good.
(if you click on the image, you should be able to see an enlarged view)
On a whim, I decided to paste in Chapter One of my manuscript. I got a couple of surprises—
Two words that jumped out were "around" and "still." Checking the entire manuscript, there were 139 "arounds" and 91 "stills". I hadn't noticed them on my editing rounds.
So it was back to pulling weeds. I not only found that many of the "stills" weren't necessary, but that they were often part of entire sentences that weren't necessary. "Around" is also an oft-repeated word. Not sure how many of those I can delete. I looked for them in the book I was reading last night and found a lot there too. But since I didn't notice them until I started looking, I'm not too worried about that one.
The oversize "Looked" didn't surprise me. It's a word I use a lot, and I'll check that one again as well. However, we're visual creatures, and sometimes avoiding a common word is more awkward and intrusive than using it.
Common words might slide by a reader. The writer has to be more aware of overuse of the uncommon words, because they will hop off the page. As writers, we also fall into comfortable descriptive phrases.
In recent reads, I've noticed an author liked to use a character's forehead in description. It's fine for one character to have a high forehead, but if you use that description for another, it's likely to make the reader stop and notice the writing more than the character. Another author used the word "skate" for the way characters' hands moved along the other's body. After a couple of repeats, it was another hiccup on the read. In another book, characters were blowing their dialogue out on a sigh.
Do these things affect the story? No, of course not. And maybe these are things only other writers will notice. I know I'm aware of new and different ways to describe something, simply because I get tired of trying to find a new way to show it.
Hubby and I are volunteering at the International SWAT Roundup competition. It's my second year; his first. We work the concession stand but get to sneak out from time to time to watch what's going on. Hubby, I'm sure, will be checking out all the nifty toys in the vendor booth on his breaks. I'll be checking out all the hot SWAT cops. And, if things go well, I'll have reports and pictures. But for the next few days, I won't be around to respond to comments as rapidly as I like to.
Today my guest is romance author Kimber Chin. She, like so many other writers have discovered, knows there is only one rule for writing, and that's "There are no rules." Welcome, Kimber.
When Terry mentioned guest blogging here, I was terrified. I mean, have you SEEN her storyboards?
The woman has her act together.
I'm, on the other hand, a disorganized mess. Before I start writing, I have a one sentence idea of what each chapter is like. For Invisible, chapter one's sentence was 'Loved one dies, hero and heroine meet.' That was it.
These are the notes I had for a recent short. I didn't even follow these 'guidelines.' I started writing and the characters took over.
(However, I do usually know my main characters as well as I know my best buddies. I know their greatest fears. I know they'll have to face them. I know what loved ones will conflict with yet 'fit' them. I know how they'll respond when faced with decisions.)
I recently attended a writer's retreat (my first ever). Other writers shared their plots, gathering input from everyone else. I didn't. Why? Because I can't write a story for someone else. I write for myself. If I think of readers when I write, I chicken out with the emotion. To get truly gritty and raw, I have to fool myself into thinking it will NEVER get published.
Writing in public is an issue for me also. Many of my buddies hang out at Starbucks, hammering out gripping stories on their laptops. Me, I cry while writing the black moments (if I don't cry, I haven't tortured my characters enough). I don't mind crying in public but it tends to disturb other kind hearted folks.
Nora Roberts, supposedly, only writes three drafts. I write twelve (at least) quickly. It takes me two months of full time writing to finish a 70,000 word novel. I use what I call the onion method. I build a base of emotion and then layer over top of that. If I have the emotion right, I know the rest of the story will work (if I don't, as with a current WIP, lord help me).
Many writers write scenes out of order. They then fit the scenes together. I write linearly. Every decision builds on the decision before it. That scene in chapter one will change chapter two and chapter three and…
Why am I sharing all this?
Because even though I do everything differently (or in some writer's eyes 'incorrectly'), I still get the stories written, the books published. There are no rules with writing, no right way. You try on methods and styles until you find one you're comfortable with.
I recommend shorts (stories of 10,000 words and less) to experiment with. This is one of those do as I say, not as I do reco's. I didn't start with shorts. I experimented with 70,000 plus word novels. Nothing is more heart breaking than getting 50,000 words in and realizing that the method you're using isn't working for you. I have coffins… I mean… boxes filled with dead stories.
I figured out what worked for me early on in my career. That was fortunate because once we're published, writing output naturally speeds up. Readers and publishers are in a hurry to read the next story so we don't have a lot of time to try other methods out. Think of this playing around as an investment in your career. It'll pay off later.
Kimber Chin writes contemporary romances. She reads ALL romance. Every month on http://businessromance.com/ , she gives away a copy of a favorite recent romance read.
What I'm reading: Make Her Pay, by Roxanne St. Claire
I finished the first draft of a two-page synopsis for my mystery. I used my storyboard tracking, and it was much easier than any other method I've tried. For longer synopses, some will summarize each chapter as they write, then combine them for a rough draft of a synopsis. However, to condense 32 chapters into 2 pages, I found it easy enough to look at my sticky notes, decide which points were significant enough to include, and summarized the book that way. Had I gone with a scene by scene, or chapter by chapter summary, it would have been much longer, and probably confusing to a reader.
Since the primary focus of the synopsis was the mystery, I spent most of the time on the cop's investigation. It wasn't necessary to include every step in the investigation, so the first 10 chapters of the book are covered in 5 paragraphs, and most of the middle chapters are condensed even further. Unlike a blurb, which is a 'teaser', a synopsis is supposed to cover the entire book, the solution of the crime and capture of the bad guy has to appear, and I spent about 4 paragraphs covering those points.
The short synopsis is the answer to "What is your book about?" more than "Tell me the story." Think being able to cover it over coffee, not a six-course meal.
The short synopsis hits the high points, what motivates the characters, and what they have to gain and/or lose. There's no room for secondary characters. Some suggest you don't even name them other than the protagonist(s)—since I'm used to romance, I've always shown both hero and heroine in the synopsis, but this is a mystery. Since I have two other POV characters, I couldn't figure a way to exclude what they're doing and what happens. I have two characters at the center of the mystery: Rose and Sam, an elderly couple. Justin is Rose and Sam's grandson; Megan is their ward. I decided that I had to name them in the synopsis, because there was no easy way to refer without convoluted descriptions. It's one thing to speak of the character's sister, uncle, secretary, or what have you, but none of these characters are related to Gordon.
I don't bother naming the other cops who are involved in the investigation, or even the name of the bad guy. And in doing such a short summary, the entire thread where Gordon finally hooks up with Angie doesn't appear at all.
I'll let it sit for a day, then look at it and see if it makes sense.
And then it's time to move forward. Since I no longer have an agent, and this manuscript is an entirely different genre, I will have to start from the beginning with query letters and the inevitable rejections. But that's part of the business.
I hope everyone had an excellent weekend. Our Thanksgiving with my daughter's in laws was "untraditional" in that they were staying at a timeshare condo and didn't have much of a kitchen to work with. Plus, being on vacation, they didn't want to spend a lot of time cooking. I ended up buying a turkey the next day and cooking it so we have those critical leftovers. And I made pie. Pumpkin-apple. Recipe on request.
Tomorrow, my guest is Kimber Chin, who's going to talk about her approach to writing. We have at least one thing in common: we both know there are no rules!
I'm continuing the repeats of my Nov. 2008 series on Criminal Thinking, taken from my workshop notes. See last week's entry here.
A brief recap: Malinowski defines "criminal" as someone who lives a lifestyle of crime. To a criminal, the usual boundaries of authority don't apply.
In his presentation, Malinowski also stressed the difference between cause and influence. For example, poverty does not cause crime, but it definitely influences it. For Malinowski, the personal motivation that gives meaning to his job stems from his belief that a criminal has three basic choices.
1. Continue the life of crime. This will result in the criminal returning to prison, dying on the streets, or dying in prison.
2. Suicide. Not a recommendation but nonetheless, still a 'choice'. Fear keeps most criminals from suicide.
3. Change. Must be deep change. Without deep change, there is only slow death, so change becomes a "life vs. death" choice.
Malinowski's goal is to help offenders see the need for change, and to give them the tools they need to effect it.
A quick statistic: 97% of incarcerated people get out of prison. (Often many times,) Only 3% die in prison, either by the death penalty, of natural causes, or at the hand of other prisoners. In the Florida system, there are 100,000 inmates, and 129,000 who are out "under supervision."
Malinowski suggested that the next time you go to eat at a restaurant like Denny's, or Applebees, or TGI Friday's, you take a look around the back. Are there bicycles parked there? Odds are good that these belong to people who are recently out of prison, perhaps on a work release program. Since they can't hold a driver's license, they'll bike to work.
Criminal Thinking Errors– Malinowski lists 9 areas of criminal thinking that have to be corrected before deep change can take place.
Closed Channel thinking is a state of mind, of feeling "put down". It's also known as Zero State, a state of nothingness, transparency and permanency. I am nothing, everybody can see I am nothing, and I will always be nothing. The ONLY way to break out of Zero State for a criminal is to break rules. This is based on fear—the fear of being known.
A. Failure to disclose self to others. Since knowledge is power, letting people know the truth gives them power. Lies by omission. Also, they rarely give straight answers to even simple, direct questions: Example: "How old are you?" "I'll be thirty eight my next birthday."
B. Lack of receptivity. Unable or unwilling to accept the need to change.
C. Lack of Self-Criticism. No honesty with self as well as others.
2. Victim Role Full of self-pity; blames others: family childhood, the past, genetics, social conditions, etc. (remember cause vs. influence from above); almost always sees self as a victim.
3. Superior Self-ImageFocuses on personal good deeds, refuses to acknowledge harm to others, denies destructive actions. One example Malinowski gave was of a child molester who was convicted of molesting pre-schoolers in a day care center. He said, "I only raped three of them. I could have done a dozen." In his mind, what he had done wasn't that bad, because it could have been worse.
4. Reckless Attitude I can't = I won't. Example: "I can't read, so I can't do the assignment." "You got a bulletin telling you to come to this room today at this time. If you couldn't read it, how did you know to show up?" Feels no obligation to others; refuses 'disagreeable' tasks; complies only for benefits; considers responsibility dull or boring.
5. Instant GratificationExpects an instant response. "I want what I want and I want it now!"; makes decisions based on feelings; does not learn from the past.
6. Fear of Losing FaceExperiences a Zero State; feels worthless, has profound fear of personal insults; refuses to admit fears; projects a super optimistic attitude
7. Power ControlCompulsive desire to control every situation; manipulates and deceives to gain power and control; refuses to cooperate (unless taking advantage of others)
8. Possessive AttitudeThinks other's opinions are worthless; no respect for rights and property of others; views people, places and things as possessions (pawns/"suckers").
9. Uniqueness Demands more of others than self; ignores a higher power; views self as unique and better than others; quits at first sign of failure. Until each of these can be reversed, deep change can't happen. Malinowski stresses that prisoners can't be generalized as "stupid". They're experts at conning themselves and others. He spoke of one with a very well calculated business plan. But because it would mean hard work and less-than-immediate gratification, he'd never follow through.
He told us of receiving a phone call (by law, they're required to answer all telephone calls from prisoners so they can't claim they tried to get in touch with them but couldn't reach them) from a recently released inmate. He went on and on about how he'd gotten with the program, had a place to live (girlfriend), checked in with a parole officer, and had a job lined up (graphic artist) that would pay him $1700. Malinowski didn't recall the name, so he looked it up in the prison computer system. The guy had been arrested 22 times, and had been in prison 5 times. He was calling because he needed $80 to rent the airbrush equipment so he could do the job and get paid, and to him, the easiest and fastest way to the money was to call the instructor of the Life Skills class.
One side note – why the picture of the binder clips? The stacks of class handouts were fastened with these clips. After unclipping them to pass them out, David's colleague automatically hooked the clips together and put them in his pocket, whereas we would probably just leave them on the table. Why? Because if you remove the prongs from the clip, they'll unlock a pair of handcuffs.
Along those lines, Nike once manufactured some elite shoes with chrome tips on the laces (anyone know the correct term for those tips? I did, which was my moment of fame in the class) which also were perfect for unlocking cuffs.
Thanks to Jessica for sharing her experiences and reminding us that although things might be different, there's an underlying sameness to the basics of our lives.
A while back, fellow author Patricia Stoltey mentioned seeing some cow street art in Colorado. I was reminded of a LizArt project here in Orlando some years ago, in which artists created sculptures using basic lizard "templates."
As I Googled my way to digging up what I could find on the LizArt project (not knowing its name slowed me down a bit), I couldn't help but think about how this relates to writing. After all, for a writer, everything relates to writing.
There are writers who refuse to divulge anything about a project until it's published. I've read and heard comments from writers who won't enter contests because they're convinced the judges will steal their ideas.
I remember the first "brilliant" scene I created for my first manuscript. This was years ago, and cell phones weren't commonplace. How clever, I thought, as I wrote the following:
“It’s all right. Let me be there for you. Please.”
“I want to.” She wondered if he could hear her—she could barely get the words through the lump in her throat.
“Let me in, Sarah. I’m here for you.”
She sniffed. “I do want to, honest.”
“Open your door.”
Sarah walked to the door and peered through the peephole. Across the hall, cross-legged, leaning against the wall, sat Randy, talking into his cell phone. That lock of his hair still hung into his eyes. She longed to brush it back. She went to release the deadbolt, but her hand shook. Weak-kneed, she sank to the floor. “Not yet,” she whispered.
Of course, I felt totally betrayed when I saw this kind of a scene on television for the first time. I still get defensive whenever I see one. Hey! I thought of it all by myself. First.
There's nothing all that new out there. Just as no two of the lizards were alike, if you give ten writers the same setup, you'll get ten different books. How many "Cinderella" variations have you read?
A very common workshop will instruct participants to write a paragraph or two, either using a prompt or a picture as inspiration. When they read them to the group, no two are alike. The same prompt might end up with a comic take, a dark edge, or a paranormal bent.
As a writer, you have to trust that you will be putting your own creativity, your own spin, your own voice into every story you tell.
Most of my readers will be celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow. I wish everyone a special day, and ask that no matter what your cultural background might be, that you take a few moments to give thanks. We all have things we're thankful for, whether we set aside a day to celebrate or not.
Tonight, my "other" daughter (the triathlete you met earlier) will be flying in from Colorado to spend the holiday weekend with her husband's family, who are spending a week at a nearby time share. Although we'll be joining them for their Thanksgiving meal, my daughter has insisted that I contribute "our" family stuffing to the dinner, in a blend of traditions.
Speaking of traditions: On Twitter yesterday, someone asked about family traditions. I mentioned that one of ours was "Alice's Restaurant." She wanted to know if that was where we went out to eat. I forget how old I'm getting! Anyone my age knows it's not the name of the restaurant…
So – anyone who can tell me how many 8x10 color glossy pictures there were (with the circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one) can have a copy of our family stuffing recipe. Just email me the answer to terry (at) terryodell (dot) com (link on blog sidebar and website) with your email address, and I'll send it to you.
Thanksgiving is a time to be with family. Although my daughter can't be here in the flesh, she is my guest today. Please give a warm welcome to Jessica Odell; ju-jistu black belt, first reader, brainstorming partner, fight scene choreographer, and supplier of excellent Irish libations.
I found myself moving to Northern Ireland in the summer of 2006, thanks to hubby’s job in the UK military. How we met is another long story, so I’ll just skip over that part. Aside from Mom: The short version? In a bar in Albuquerque, of course.
I live about 10 miles south of Belfast, and before anyone starts to panic, it’s not as bad as it used to be. I was all prepared for severe security warnings, but most of it is common sense nowadays. I live in a regular semi-detached house, in essentially a regular UK-style neighborhood. There’s shopping accessible in the town, a movie theater, a small mall, restaurants, and decent-sized supermarkets within 3 miles. So, what’s the big difference?
Everything and nothing, that’s what. The biggest hurdle (after learning how to drive on the wrong side of the road) was getting used to the language! Now, people here speak English but it’s not like any English I’ve ever heard. The slang terms have completely inundated the language. You might get greeted by, “how’s the craic (crack)?” or “what about yas”? And everything good is “dead on”. Not only do I have to wrap my head around the standard British vocabulary (where the sidewalk is the pavement, and you ask for the toilet instead of the bathroom), I had to interpret all of the local dialects as well! I still can’t understand some of my friends.
I have to import grape jelly and real marshmallows. Root beer fans are out of luck. But we have soda bread, wheaten bread, and potato farls (think mashed potatoes as a pancake and fried). For breakfast, an Ulster Fry will keep you going all day, and for those adventurous eaters…find out what a pastie bap is! French wine is cheap, and need I mention the Irish whiskey? A 90-minute drive can get me to the Bushmills Distillery, and Guinness is pretty much obligatory.
We have hedgehogs and starlings, and European goldfinches!
And castles to explore! Northern Ireland isn’t large and you can explore a lot of different things in a weekend. There’s a Farmers Market in Belfast every weekend, and one in my own town once a month.
Dublin is about 2 hours away, accessible by train, bus, or your own car. Granted, there is also a lot of rain, so sometimes excursions may be limited. Or just grab your wellies and a mac. The Giant’s Causeway on a good day is great for a photography hike, and the distillery is nearby.
Following the road down the coast will take you to Carrickfergus Castle. If cities are more your thing, Belfast is up-and-coming.
I haven’t talked too much about a cultural divide because after 3 and-a-half years, I don’t see one anymore. Sure, there are a few differences, but nothing more shocking than finding adobe buildings, sopapillas, and green chile on everything in New Mexico, or red hotdogs and moose on the interstates in Maine. It’s still a “western” culture, made cosmopolitan by international trade. Look hard enough, and you can find anything. And what you can’t, you can order online. Northern Ireland is really just a bit “small town”, and a lot like New England without the heavy snowfall. There are differences anywhere you go, and I get to pick and choose the ones I like. You can play tourist here, or just stay in with a wee dram and read a good book on a rainy day. I have a few I could recommend, from an author I know well!
For more about Jessica, you can find her at Rare Ould Times every now and again.
I'm a warehouse shopper. A bargain hunter. Warehouse club over boutique store. Large economy size. I read the shelf tags that break cost down to amount per ounce. So when I'm shopping for a book, I'll tend to steer away from the shorter ones. I'm not looking for a 'read in one sitting' book for my money. My typical leisure reading rate is about 100 pages a day. I normally look for a book at least 300 pages long. I feel 'cheated' with shorter ones, like I'm paying too much per page, or too much per hour of pleasure reading. (Although I confess, I get most of my books from the library these days.)
Having been dealing with "appropriate" word count, I've been thinking about book length in general. I saw a post on another blog about someone having to wrap up her book within 75,000 words, and after I dealt with the terror that tidbit invoked, I started thinking about it. Short stories aside, I've never been able to bring a first draft in under 100,000 words. At the 75K mark, I'm just starting to roll.
Given the reality, what does the author have to consider? Publishers have word count guidelines. While they're not etched in stone, if you're submitting a 100,000 word manuscript to a publisher looking for a maximum 75,000 word limit, you're wasting everyone's time. If it's your agent submitting, some intervention might be possible. If you've already sold books to that publisher, you might get a pass, because you have a track record. But knowing your target market is a critical part of being a professional, and if that means conforming to guidelines you're not crazy about, so be it. The choice is yours.
Why is word count so important? Bottom line: money. And I'm talking print books now. And well-written, well edited books. I'm not talking about books that feel padded or sparse, just to meet a specific word count. Paper costs money. If you're unknown, how much money is the publisher willing to risk?
Then there's the simple size factor. Mass market paperbacks that sell in grocery stores and other 'non-bookstore' outlets have to fit on specific shelves, frequently in compartments. Those tower displays in the bookstores also hold a specific number of books per slot. It becomes a matter of physical thickness. If the compartment holds 5 inches of books, better to have 5 one-inch books than waste space.
I picked up a mass market paperback recently. It was 388 pages, which isn't out of line. But the font was reduced well beyond that of any other book I've read recently, requiring I dig out my readers. Also, the margins were smaller, and that meant the print was perilously close to the inside gutter, requiring a definite physical effort to hold the book open enough to read. Then there's the hard cover I'm reading now, which Is 820 pages and weighs in at nearly 3 pounds. When I'm not reading it, I can use it for an upper body workout. But the font is manageable and I don't have to use my readers if I don't want to.
Although both books are historicals, which normally has a longer accepted wordcount, both the above authors have proven to their publishers that they are worthy of more words, although the publisher for book #1 had to push the envelope in order to conform to finished size. Book #2 didn't have the same constraints, although I'll be curious to see how the product looks when it comes out in paperback. And I will admit that given the rigorous editing mode I'm in at the moment, I find a lot of scenes in this book that, although interesting enough, seem to be more of the "I researched all this cool stuff and I'm going to work it into the book" rather than "this is a critical scene to advance the plot." However, since I'm barely halfway through, it's too early to know whether these tidbits will show up again. And the author's audience has proven that it enjoys these digressions.
In reality, I'd have preferred both the above books in digital versions, where size really doesn't matter. My eBookwise is always the same size, and weighs the same no matter how many books I load into it.
I'm taking reservations for guest slots at Terry's Place. I host guests every Tuesday. For details and guidelines,email me
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I'm an author straddling the genres of mystery and romance. I love sharing my life as a writer, plus any other bits and pieces that may or may not relate to the craft.
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