tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post8647374349229609278..comments2024-03-28T01:44:27.279-06:00Comments on Blood-Red Pencil: Clea Simon and Why We KillDanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-65325014552035305812010-03-19T11:34:58.326-06:002010-03-19T11:34:58.326-06:00I love cat sleuth books! This looks wonderful, Cle...I love cat sleuth books! This looks wonderful, Clea. And thank you for sharing your thoughts on why we read or write murder mysteries.<br />HeidiHeidiwriterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02593338979995203659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-56426033479907313172010-03-18T21:11:26.188-06:002010-03-18T21:11:26.188-06:00Very good insight into what makes the characters a...Very good insight into what makes the characters act. They can't just do things because we, the authors, want them to.Maryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-31223491264229475222010-03-18T19:33:45.370-06:002010-03-18T19:33:45.370-06:00Sometimes I have one person in mind to be the guil...Sometimes I have one person in mind to be the guilty one, but after writing a while, I decide on a different one. I let my characters speak for themselves.<br />Nice book cover, by the way.<br /><br />Morgan Mandel<br />http://morganmandel.blogspot.comMorgan Mandelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10118929301591850918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-14937511353742196632010-03-18T18:46:17.905-06:002010-03-18T18:46:17.905-06:00And then there are average people on drugs - that ...And then there are average people on drugs - that can certainly create interesting reactions to normal situations. I'm really boring... it's my neighbor's barking dogs that make me homicidal especially about 2AM. :)<br /><br />Thanks for visiting, Clea!<br /><br />DaniDanihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-23039913695100764222010-03-18T16:11:55.125-06:002010-03-18T16:11:55.125-06:00Thanks, folks, for your comments!
Stephen - I can...Thanks, folks, for your comments!<br /><br />Stephen - I can't write that kind of character, perhaps because I've lived with delusional people going in and out of psychotic episodes, and I know that even though they can be violent, it's often not intended as violence. (For example, someone with schizophrenia might try to stab you not because he wanted to hurt you, but because he was convinced that the print on your shirt was eating you alive and he had to stop it.) For me, what is interesting is what makes otherwise normal people go over the edge - what makes the rubber band snap, as Patricia put it. But it takes all kinds!<br /><br />CleaClea Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10810838253598050028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-28559510650642613322010-03-18T16:07:44.861-06:002010-03-18T16:07:44.861-06:00That's so true about the need for a trigger in...That's so true about the need for a trigger in addition to the gradual steps towards psychosis. I also only discovered what was missing in one novel after a few rewrites.<br /><br />Elsa Neal<br /><a href="http://hearwritenow.com/" rel="nofollow">HearWriteNow</a><br /><a href="http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Blood-Red Pencil</a>Elle Carter Nealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02266309723919011181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-85779604879815533602010-03-18T10:16:11.510-06:002010-03-18T10:16:11.510-06:00My antagonist kills because he's crazy, parano...My antagonist kills because he's crazy, paranoid, and dillusional. He doesn't like the direction globalism is leading the U.S. in and decides its time to take preemptive measures.<br /><br />His followers kill because he's able to find an area of their lives where they are weak and he manipulates and exploits those areas. Mixes in a bit of mind control too.<br /><br />Stephen TrempAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-5222142220459704502010-03-18T10:14:48.142-06:002010-03-18T10:14:48.142-06:00Hi Clea -- This question is in my mind every time ...Hi Clea -- This question is in my mind every time I sit down to write because murder tends to slip into my stories, even those that are not mysteries. When writing about ordinary people (as opposed to a terrorist or hit man), I always think of of a snap instead of a trigger -- like a rubber bank that gets stretched until it breaks. Some folks can take a lot of stress and anger before they snap, others not so much. The trigger, then, can be something very insignificant. Great post, you got me thinking.Patricia Stolteyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17192369425956406122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-46161100057097630052010-03-18T08:45:20.887-06:002010-03-18T08:45:20.887-06:00Very interesting post. I agree that when a charact...Very interesting post. I agree that when a character or person "explodes," it's not usually the event we see that set it off. It's a series of things leading up to the final push over the edge.<br /><br />Helen<br /><a href="http://straightfromhel.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Straight From Hel</a>Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-79211666427949832242010-03-18T06:28:14.962-06:002010-03-18T06:28:14.962-06:00Thank you for the insights! I think I just figured...Thank you for the insights! I think I just figured out what to do with the ending of my story!Laura J. Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13822749971171301648noreply@blogger.com