Category Archives: Writing

Why Criminals Believe They Are Heroes

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As most of you know, I write romantic suspense with a lot of police procedure, and one of my favorite research tools is a book written by Jennifer Dornbush: Forensic Speak: How to Write Realistic Crime Dramas. She and Debbie Burke are two of my favorite resources on villains…not that either is one. All that to say, I’ve invited her to do a guest post on the Killzone today.

Jennifer Dornbush is an author, screenwriter, and speaker. Here’s a bit about her in her own words:

The television or movie screen is the closest most people will ever come to witnessing the forensic world. But I actually lived it. As a daughter of a medical examiner whose office was in our home, I investigated my first fatality, an airplane crash, when I was 8 years old. Picking up pieces of skull and brain matter, my father simply saw this as a hands-on anatomy lesson. This would be the first of many coroner lessons I experienced over two decades.

Now for a look at how a villain thinks:

The body tells you what happened.
Behavior tells you why.

In crime fiction, readers may be drawn in by the mystery or the puzzle of who committed the crime. What keeps them turning pages is the psychology behind the act.

Readers want to understand how someone justifies crossing the line into violence. They want to see how the logic of the crime holds together from the inside, even when it appears monstrous from the outside.

This is where forensic psychology becomes essential.

One of its most important insights is this: most offenders do not see themselves as villains.

They see themselves as heroes.

That may sound surprising, but it is one of the most consistent patterns investigators observe. People rarely commit serious crimes while believing they are evil. Instead, they construct a narrative that reframes their actions as necessary or justified.

In other words, they tell themselves a story.

That story explains why they are right and the world is wrong. It allows them to bypass the moral barriers that normally prevent harm.

Psychologists call this rationalization or moral disengagement.

Understanding this mechanism matters in both investigation and storytelling. The most compelling antagonists are not chaotic villains. They operate within a belief system that makes sense from their own perspective.

When readers see the internal story driving the crime, the antagonist becomes far more believable—and far more disturbing.

To see how this works, we can look at three powerful examples from real life and storytelling.

The Unabomber: Violence in the Name of Salvation

Ted Kaczynski, known as the Unabomber, carried out a bombing campaign that lasted nearly two decades. His attacks killed three people and injured many others, targeting universities, airlines, and individuals connected to technological development.

From the outside, the crimes appeared senseless and cruel.

But from Kaczynski’s perspective, they were part of a moral crusade.

He believed modern technological society was destroying human freedom and trapping humanity inside systems that stripped life of autonomy and meaning. In 1995 he demanded that newspapers publish his manifesto, Industrial Society and Its Future, which argued that technological progress would ultimately erode human dignity.

Within that worldview, violence became a form of resistance.

Kaczynski believed he had recognized a truth others refused to see. His attacks were meant as warnings—attempts to force society to confront what he saw as an existential danger.

He did not see himself as the villain.

He believed he was trying to save humanity.

This kind of rationalization allowed him to commit violence while maintaining the conviction that he was morally justified.

Forensic psychologists study these belief systems because they reveal how offenders justify crossing moral boundaries.

Violence rarely begins with the thought I want to harm people.

It begins with a belief that harm is necessary in order to get people to pay attention and listen up.

Once that belief takes hold, destructive and violent behavior follows.

Walter White: The Hero of His Own Tragedy

Crime fiction often explores the same psychological dynamic. One of the most famous examples appears in the television series Breaking Bad through the character of Walter White.

At the beginning of the story, Walter appears sympathetic: a struggling high school chemistry teacher facing a devastating cancer diagnosis and the fear of leaving his family with nothing.

His decision to manufacture methamphetamine begins as an ultruistic attempt to secure financial stability for his wife and children. At first, the reasoning feels almost noble. Walter convinces himself he is sacrificing his morality to protect the people he loves.

But as the story unfolds, that justification begins to fracture.

Walter’s actions grow increasingly ruthless. He lies, manipulates partners, and orchestrates violence that destroys multiple lives. Yet he continues to insist he is acting out of necessity.

“I did it for my family.”

That phrase becomes the foundation of his self-image. As long as he believes this heroic mantra, he can continue crossing moral boundaries.

Over time, however, the audience sees what Walter cannot admit. What began as fear for his family becomes pride, ego, and the intoxicating pull of control. Yet abandoning the original story would mean confronting who he has become.

Walter White never wakes up and decides to become a villain.

He simply continues believing he is the hero.

Thanos: The Logic of Catastrophe

Blockbuster films build compelling antagonists around this same psychological principle.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thanos believes the universe faces inevitable collapse. In his view, overpopulation will exhaust resources and lead to universal suffering.

His solution is catastrophic: eliminate half of all life.

To others, this goal is horrifying. But Thanos does not see himself as a monster. He believes he is the only one willing to make a difficult decision others refuse to consider.

In his mind, he is not committing genocide. He is saving the universe.

What makes the character compelling is the sincerity of that belief. Thanos does not act from cruelty. He believes he is preventing greater suffering and frames his actions as mercy.

The audience rejects his conclusion but understands the logic behind it.

A villain who believes he is evil is predictable and stock.

A villain who believes he is saving the world is far more dangerous and human.

Why This Psychological Pattern Matters

These examples illustrate one of the most powerful principles in forensic psychology: people behave in ways that align with their beliefs about themselves.

If someone believes they are protecting others, their behavior will reflect that narrative. If they believe they are correcting injustice, they will frame their actions as necessary. If they believe they are restoring balance to the world, violence and disruption may become part of that mission.

The key element is not the act itself.

It is the story behind the act.

Criminal rationalization often follows a familiar pattern. A grievance forms, and the offender begins to believe they have been wronged by society, by individuals, or by circumstance. That grievance expands into a broader explanation, identifying an enemy, a corrupt system, or a threat that must be addressed. Eventually, disruption and violence become framed as a solution for that problem.

Once that narrative is fixed in a villain’s mindset, they don’t see themselves as a perpetrator of harm but as hero correcting a grave wrong.

This does not excuse the behavior, but does it explain how humans are able to cross boundaries they normally never would.

Forensic psychology studies these disordered belief systems because they shape both motivation and behavior of criminals. Investigators examine writings, communications, victim selection, and crime scene behavior to understand the internal narrative driving the offender.

The same principle applies to storytelling. The most compelling antagonists are not chaotic forces of evil but individuals whose actions follow a distorted conscience, yet recognizable logic of justification.

Their worldview is warped. Their conclusions and actions are horrific. But their “why” makes sense within their disordered trails of logic.

When the Criminal’s Story Collapses

Every criminal narrative eventually faces the same challenge: reality, truth, order, and justice.

Evidence accumulates. Contradictions appear. The internal story the offender constructed begins to fracture under pressure of real consequences and failed logic.

Sometimes that fracture happens during interrogation. Sometimes it occurs in court. Sometimes it emerges slowly as investigators piece together the truth.

But eventually, the offender’s false narrative collides with the facts and natural law.

That collision is where crime stories reach their most powerful moments.

Because what is being dismantled is the belief system that justified the crime.

When the offender can no longer sustain the story they told themselves—when the hero they imagined themselves collapses under the weight of natural law, truth, and justice— that is when they lose the final battle.

And when they do, the result is the most unforgettable part of the story. Chaos is ordered. Truth wins. Justice is restored. The right and true hero emerges victorious.

The Heart of Crime Stories

Crime fiction is often described as a genre about puzzles, evidence, and the fight for justice. Those elements are certainly part of the appeal.

But at its core, the genre explores a deeper level: the stories bad people tell themselves about who they are and what they deserve… and what they think others deserve.

Forensic psychology helps us understand those stories.

It reveals how grievance and trauma warps a bad guy’s justification, how that justification turns into criminal action, and how action shapes their identity as heroes, not villians.

Offenders never see themselves as monsters.

They see themselves as misunderstood.

They see themselves as necessary.

They see themselves as right.

They see themselves as change-makers.

And most of all—

They see themselves as the hero of the story.

Jennifer Dornbush is an author, screenwriter, and forensic specialist who brings crime stories to life with authenticity and heart. With a background rooted in real-world forensics and a passion for crafting unforgettable mysteries, Jennifer offers readers and viewers a front-row seat to the intersection of science, justice, and human nature. Jennifer’s crime expertise has made her a sought-after speaker, consultant, and educator. Through her webinars and master courses, Jennifer guides writers in melding suspenseful storytelling with forensic realism to the screen and page. Meet her at www.jenniferdornbush.com

 

 

 

Managing Backstory

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By John Gilstrap

Backstory is an often undeniable temptation for inexperienced writers. We see it all the time in First Page Critiques submitted and reviewed here at the Killzone Blog. And I’m not just talking about the throat-clearing data dumps that poison those first paragraphs. Unnecessary backstory invades minor moments as well, and handled improperly, those moments stop the story one hundred percent of the time.

Backstory is the crutch that explains everything. It’s like the Chorus in ancient Greek plays that represents the epitome of telling and not showing. With a sprinkling of backstory, we can tell our readers why a character flinches, why she drinks too much, why he doesn’t trust authority.

Here’s the tragedy of squandering that slice of real estate on the page: the reader doesn’t care why a character thinks something or does something until the rationale is important to the story. But the worst part of the wasted real estate is that you’re ruining future tension. The fact that a character has a signature tic is cause to keep reading. Once the mystery is solved, interest evaporates.

This is a difficult concept for me to explain, so stick with me as I try to work through that which I was never taught, per se, but have been told I do well.

Backstory should arrive as consequence, not as explanation. Earn the reader’s curiosity before presuming to answer a question he hasn’t yet asked. If your character checks the locks three times before going to bed, don’t explain it. Let it sit there. Let another character notice it. Let it cause friction. Let it slow characters’ actions down when speed matters. Now it’s a problem, not a quirk.

A book is a limitless canvas. Take your time. Make the reader beg to know before you grant them knowledge.

Backstory is best revealed when it is pulled out of a character. It falls flat when it’s pushed onto the character by the author. Conflict is your delivery system. You want your characters to feel real, right? Well, real people don’t sit around in the middle of a crisis and reveal historical details of why they feel the way they do. (Okay, they did that very thing in The Breakfast Club, but that was the eighties, and we should all strive for better than that.)

Some elements of backstory needn’t ever be explained. Why does Charlie have a scar across his cheek?  Why does Agnes walk with a limp?  If it’s not critical to the story being told, there’s no need to explain. That’s a lot harder to do when Charlie or Agnes are your POV characters, but even with them it’s doable. Imagine an exchange like this:

“Hey, Charlie. I’ve always wondered where that scar came from?”

“I go it in a fight with the last guy who didn’t mind his own business.”

That’s a complete reckoning, and it does everything you want a plot to do: it builds mystery, establishes character, and even advances the relationship between the two characters.

Then there’s subtle backstory. I don’t particularly like quoting my own work, but here’s a passage from my current WIP—the one that triggered the idea for this blog post:

Irene parked her cruiser at the curb in front of the streetside door that she knew to be locked and walked around to the right, where the side entrance served as the ceremonial portal with its covered entrance and double doors.

This presents backstory in an implied way that doesn’t get discussed very often in classes. This little passage tells us that 1) Irene has been here before; and 2) she’s comfortable in what she’s about to do. The point here is that backstory can be implied as well as being called out.

Then there’s this from a paragraph or two later:

As she crossed the threshold into the forced faux comfort of a giant living room for the dead, she winced against the mixed aromas of flowers and formaldehyde that she’d come to associate with such places.

Here, we got some emotional history as well as physical recall. We know that she’s been to funeral homes, the tone delivers that she’d rather be someplace else. We don’t need to know the reasons for those previous visits.

Some shortcuts for hiding backstory inside the front story

Let expertise reveal history. Avoid telling us what a character used to be. Show us how they move through their world now. If your character constantly checks over his shoulder for approaching strangers, or he notes where exits are, that’s plenty to tell us that he has an interesting past. You don’t need to reveal what that past is until that story beat has an immediate impact on the main story.

Reveal character details through third-party observation. And here again, only to the degree that is necessary. Consider a retake on the issue of Charlie’s scar:

Adam pulled Baker into an empty office. “Do you know where Charlie got that scar?”

Think of all the opportunities here. Choose your favorite:

“I have no idea. I asked him once, and that didn’t go well at all.” This one is sort of dismissive. It shows that Baker is either afraid of Charlie, or just isn’t interested in the drama.

Or

“Something about Afghanistan. Traumatized the crap out of him. I think it’s what makes him angry. He doesn’t want to talk about it, and I don’t push.” Here, we learn an extra nugget of information about Charlie’s scar, but we also read respect mixed in with the fear of confronting Charlie. Baker has previously shown curiosity, but nods to Charlie’s desire to be left alone.

Or

“Yeah, I do, and it’s none of your damned business. When you’ve endured half the crap Charlie’s put up with—what he’s survived—maybe you’ll understand that when a man says he wants to be left alone, it’s a survival skill to leave him the hell alone.” Here Baker not only projects respect for Charlie, but also loyalty to him—apparently an earned loyalty. It also shows Adam to be pretty small for asking.

Or

“Ten years ago, when Charlie was in the Army, his unit was assigned to clear out a building. The place was packed with bad guys . . .” This one is a data dump disguised as dialogue. While it provides backstory, it is, I believe, hands down the worst of the options. Unresolved questions drive tension, tension drives conflict, conflict drives character, and character drives plot. Data dumps are just piles of words.

I’ve written here before that I think it’s a mistake to study the writing process as a series of component parts. Setting, plot, character, dialogue, backstory, chaptering and all the rest need to be reduced to a stew, not a list of ingredients. I don’t think about any of those things when I write. I just . . . write. That’s the blessing and the curse of being self-taught.

It all boils down to this in the end—the only true, inviolable rule of writing commercial fiction:

Never Squander Drama!

In any writing project, every plot point presents infinite choices derived from infinite variables. If you over-think it, you’ll spend ten years rewriting Chapter One. If you’ve ever been part of a writing group, you know at least one of those people. My suggestion to everyone reading this is to consider one challenge:

For each of the choices you make, choose the one that reveals as little as possible while simultaneously piquing the greatest interest in the unknown.

So, TKZ family, does this make sense?

Never Give Up

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Last night I was working on my presentation for the Pikes Peak writers conference scheduled for May. My oldest daughter, the Redhead, was on the couch with her laptop, miraculously inserting the slides as they popped up on my screen at the same time. In addition, she was adding bits of period music here and there in real time.

Kids can do this, even the ones who are now 38 and the mother of two. Technology ain’t my friend, and I’m counting all the ways My Road to Publication and Other Great Disasters presentation can screw up with an electronic hiccup.

At some point in this program, and I never know when because I kinda wander around without notes (which is going to be a problem with slides in and music in a specific order), I reach a point where I discuss the thousands, nay, the millions of rejection notices I received through the years from editors and agents alike.

I wish I’d kept them all, but in a fit of self-pity just before my first novel was accepted, I threw two paper boxes full of them into the dumpster. Okay, it wasn’t millions, but it was a lot.

Some were so faded you couldn’t read the faint blue letters because they were cheap mimeographed notices that said, “Thanks for your submission, but they do not meet our needs at this time.”

Of course the first thing I did after opening the envelope, each and every time, was sniff the mimeograph paper as all kids did back when we were in school. I still try it today. Back then, the whole class did it as one, and it became so iconic, Fast Times at Ridgemont High created that same scene. Lordy, we were probably high ten seconds after all that methanol and isopropyl alcohol hit our lungs.

The teachers were probably buzzed pretty good themselves after returning from the workroom with their own lungs full of those same vapors, and nerves jangling with enough nicotine and caffeine to jolt a dead elephant back to life.

On top of all that, if you were a good kid (me), you got to sometimes make those copies for them back there, inhaling the heady aroma of chemicals and second-hand smoke.

What a time to be alive.

However, back to the rejection notices. Many of them were mimeographed boilerplate blowoffs, and I soon learned it by heart.

Thank you for your submission. Unfortunately it doesn’t meet our needs at this time.

As the years progressed, the letters became more formal, probably because I wasn’t hand-writing them and had graduated to typing. Some were form letters, but others were hammered out by the literary agents or editors themselves.

In one personally written rejection, the agent dismissed my submission with a clear and cutting declaration . “This manuscript has trees in it. I don’t do trees.”

Somewhere around two thousand, I’d reached a point in my attempts to sell a novel and was done and the box was gone that afternoon.

I immediately regretted it.

Desperate for some kind of positive affirmation, I decided to cold call Joe R. Lansdale and ask if he’d suffered the same continual stream of No Thanks. He answered his land line, I told him who I was and how I was a fan, but despite success as a newspaper columnist and magazine writer, I was done.

He didn’t know me from Adam, or even Eve, but he spent nearly an hour on the line, talking me out of stepping off the ledge.

Only weeks letter, I received an email from my starter agent accepting my first manuscript and I quit second-guessing myself.

Rejection letters are a guaranteed stumbling block for all authors.

Stephen King’s first novel, Carrie, received 30 rejections.

Animal Farm was rejected and the editor wrote, “it’s impossible to sell animal stories in the USA.”

Tell that to James Herriott (All Creatures Great and Small series) and Watership Down (Richard Adams).

Even Lord of the Flies was turned down a number of times and one editor declared the manuscript was “absurd and uninteresting.”

J.K. Rowling’s original manuscript for Harry Potter was rejected by 12 different publishing houses. One literary agent warned, “You do realize, you will never make a fortune out of writing children’s books?”

John Steinbeck, well –––.

The secret is to grow a thicker skin and keep working. Neil Gaiman, English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays, suggests that rejection slips will always arrive, and, if you get published, you can pretty much guarantee that bad reviews will follow as well. Just learn how to shrug and keep going or “you stop, and get a real job.”

Let’s end with this quote.

“Starting when I was fifteen I began to send short stories to magazines like Esquire, and they, very promptly, sent them back two days before they got them! I have several walls in several rooms of my house covered with the snowstorm of rejections, but they didn’t realize what a strong person I was; I persevered and wrote a thousand more dreadful short stories, which were rejected in turn. Then, during the late forties, I actually began to sell short stories and accomplished some sort of deliverance from snowstorms in my fourth decade. But even today, my latest books of short stories contain at least seven stories that were rejected by every magazine in the United States and also in Sweden! So, dear Snoopy, take heart from this. The blizzard doesn’t last forever; it just seems so.” — Ray Bradbury

So how many rejection notices have you received? Dozens? Boxes delivered via dolly? Or is there one drawer in your desk that is the Dead Zone?

No matter. Keep at it and never give up

 

 

 

Reader Friday-What’s In Your Bucket?

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Let’s talk about buckets. Or, more specifically, bucket lists.

From Wikipedia:  “The term “bucket list” refers to a list of things a person wants to accomplish before they die, derived from the phrase “kick the bucket,” which is a euphemism for dying.

“Nuff said there, I think.

 

Next, what does your bucket look like?

The one above? Or this…? If you’ve got a lot left you want to do, this might be the one you need.

 

To the point, what’s in YOUR bucket that you want to accomplish before you move on to the next sphere?

 

 

Me: I hate flying, but when I was about 12, my friend’s dad was a pilot and owned a small plane. He took us up one day and flew around our small valley here in central Washington. At one point, he handed over the controls to me. And I’ve always wanted to do that again.

TKZers, it’s your turn. What’s inside that bucket you’ve been carrying around?

And, just because I couldn’t resist . . . isn’t she cute?

 

 

 

True Crime Thursday – Government License and Permit Scams

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by Debbie Burke

You may be familiar with email and text scams from fraudsters claiming you missed jury duty or owe traffic fines or road tolls. Immediate payment is demanded, or they threaten you’ll be arrested, your driver’s license suspended, yada, yada, yada.

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When such messages are sent by email, they’re called “phishing.” Those sent by text are “smishing.”

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Many victims fall for these scams because the convincing messages look and sound like the government agencies they supposedly represent. Plus they play on fear and urgency.

Well, criminals have stepped up to a new level of sophistication.

If you plan to build, remodel, make additions, or otherwise change the use of your property, you may need to obtain permits and/or licenses. When a business or individual applies, the information filed for those projects is publicly available and can be accessed by criminals. That includes the property address, as well as actual code numbers for required permits.

In some states (like Florida), even a change as small as replacing a window requires permits, inspections, and, of course, fees.

Zoning and licensing departments are usually backed up, causing delays in project completion while the property owner waits for inspections and re-inspections before they receive approval to continue.

So it’s not surprising to receive an email that appears to originate from these agencies demanding fees. If you don’t pay immediately, they warn your project will be delayed, disapproved, and blocked.

Anyone who’s ever built a house or developed property understands the frustration of constant delays, as well as fees on top of fees on top of more fees.

Criminals are quick to recognize new profit opportunities. Permit and license scams are among the latest.

The FBI issued a public service announcement on March 9, 2026, warning about the recent rising trend of phishing emails from criminals impersonating government departments.

According to the PSA:

  • The emails contain detailed, accurate information about planning and zoning requests, including property addresses, case numbers, and the true names of city and county officials.

  • The emails use professional language, formatting, and imagery consistent with legitimate government communications for planning and zoning applications, including review processes, planning commission procedures, regulatory compliance, and relevant ordinances.

  • The email addresses contain usernames similar to city or county planning and zoning departments but originate from non-governmental domains, such as “@usa.com”

  • Email delivery may be timed to coincide with ongoing communications with city and county officials regarding the permitting process.

  • Attached PDF invoices contain itemized statements of purported fees and direct applicants to request payment instructions via email, rather than telephone, to ensure a reliable audit trail for all correspondence related to the application. This is designed to deter the victim from calling the city or county office to verify the fees.

  • The emails emphasize urgency, threatening delays or other obstacles in the permitting process if the applicant does not immediately render payment.

So how do you determine if an email is real or fraudulent?

  • If they demand payment by wire transfer, peer-to-peer payment service, or cryptocurrency, it is a fraud. Government agencies do not require these methods. But criminals love them because funds can’t be traced, and you can’t recover your money.
  • Check the actual website (NOT the link in the email). You may find the agency has posted warnings with updates about new scams.
  • Call the agency using the phone number listed on their official website (NOT a number from the email). Find out if fees are actually due.

Some agencies even reach out proactively to warn of scams. For instance, a few days ago, I received an email from the Montana Secretary of State who handles business licenses. She warned impersonators were making bogus demands for fees from business owners.

Since her email didn’t ask for money, I knew it was genuine!

The FBI adds:

If you or someone you know has fallen victim to this impersonation scam, file a complaint with the IC3 at www.ic3.gov. Be sure to include any available information including:

  • The email address, date of email, phone number, if provided;

  • The date of your project’s scheduled hearing, if applicable; and,

  • The amount listed in the fraudulent invoice, the method requested to pay fees, and bank account information, if provided.

Under the best circumstances, the permit and licensing process is glacial in speed.

Unfortunately, in some instances, internal corruption means shakedowns and bribes are required before a project moves forward. Remember The Sopranos?

Now phishing scams will mire systems even more as people call to find out if notices are fakes. Plus agencies must field complaints from victims who’ve been defrauded.

Ironically, so-called “artificial” intelligence is being used to create scams that appear increasingly real.

Credit: Andrea Pokrzywinski

As AI improves, new phishing emails may not smell as phishy as older versions but they still are frauds (phrauds?). 

~~~

TKZers: Have you encountered phishing or smishing?

~~~

In Stalking Midas, glamorous con artist Cassandra Maza doesn’t need AI. Instead, she uses charm and flattery to ensnare her latest prey: a cranky senior who loves his nine rescue cats. Then investigator Tawny Lindholm uncovers the scam. Cassandra has killed before and each time it gets easier. Now Tawny is in her sights.

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Truncating Phrases

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Truncating Phrases
Terry Odell

 

tree trunk with axe cuts and an axe

Image by Sabine Kroschel from Pixabay

Language changes over time. Ask anyone who’s tried to keep up with a teen’s usage. But it can be more than words. As writers, we might be having our characters use what seems like a common phrase. However, a lot of these phrases have been truncated over time, and their full meanings have changed. Here are some examples:

“Curiosity killed the cat.”
The full saying: “Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.
The full version actually redeems curiosity, but we usually quote only the first half, turning it into a warning.

“Jack of all trades.”
The full saying: “Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than master of one.”
The original praised versatility, but the shortened version now implies mediocrity.

“Great minds think alike.”
The full saying: “Great minds think alike, but fools seldom differ.”
The full saying actually balances the idea with a caution against conformity.

“Money is the root of all evil.”
The full saying: “The love of money is the root of all evil.” — The Bible
The missing words change the meaning from greed being the issue to money itself being evil.

“Blood is thicker than water.”
The full saying: “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb..
The original meant chosen bonds can be stronger than family ties — the modern version says the opposite.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
“Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it burned in one.” (later addition)
The addition adds a twist about destruction being easier than creation.

“The proof is in the pudding.”
The full saying: “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”
The original means you can only judge something by experiencing it, but the shortened form is often misunderstood.

Starve a fever, feed a cold.”
The full saying: If you starve a fever, you’ll feed a cold.”
The complete saying was a warning against undernourishment, not medical advice.

“The exception proves the rule.”
The full saying: “The exception that tests the rule.”
“Proves” originally meant “tests,” not “confirms.” The modern reading flips the meaning.

“Nice guys finish last.”
The full saying: “Nice guys don’t always finish first.” (from Leo Durocher’s quote)
The original was contextual, but it’s now used as a cynical generalization.

Any surprises in this list? Any to add, TKZers?

Find me at Substack with Writings and Wanderings

Deadly Ambitions
Peace in Mapleton doesn’t last. Police Chief Gordon Hepler is already juggling a bitter ex-mayoral candidate who refuses to accept election results and a new council member determined to cut police department’s funding.
Meanwhile, Angie’s long-delayed diner remodel uncovers an old journal, sparking her curiosity about the girl who wrote it. But as she digs for answers, is she uncovering more than she bargained for?
Now, Gordon must untangle political maneuvering, personal grudges, and hidden agendas before danger closes in on the people he loves most.
Deadly Ambitions delivers small-town intrigue, political tension, and page-turning suspense rooted in both history and today’s ambitions.

Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”

Five Tips to Keep Track of Characters Behind the Scenes

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by Debbie Burke

Crime fiction has multiple story lines. Readers see the story on the page, but important events also unfold behind the scenes that the reader may not see. TKZ’s own Jim Bell has a terrific term for this, “the Shadow Story.”

The shadow story follows the antagonist’s actions to thwart the hero. The hero (and the reader) may not be aware of what’s happening offstage as the villain lurks in the shadows, scheming and wreaking havoc.

That’s why the author must always keep track of antagonists and/or villains. (For this post, I’m using the terms somewhat interchangeably).

Stories require conflict. Antagonists cause conflict. Therefore, antagonists are as necessary, if not more so, than heroes.

If you lose track of your villain, you’ve lost the story’s primary cause of disruption and distress.

Here are five tips to monitor what antagonists are doing offscreen.

  1. Create two documents, parallel stories with one for the hero, one for the villain.

The hero’s story is what the reader sees on the page.

The shadow story tracks the villain offstage. This may or may not ever be visible to the reader.

In traditional whodunnit mysteries, the villain is hidden and not revealed until the end. The point of view is often limited to the hero’s, either first person or close third person. The parallel shadow story will not be shown on the page. Rather it is a working document for the author’s eyes only.

In suspense and thrillers, the reader may know or quickly learn the villain’s identity. With a known villain, the shadow story can be visible on the page in parallel with the “onscreen” story. Multiple points of view can include the villain’s. That’s how I write my thriller series, with POVs alternating among several characters.

  1. Track your shadow character with a baby cam or your phone. An imaginary baby cam keeps a constant watch on your villain. The locator dot on the phone screen blinks along the street map to follow the villain’s movements.
  2. Think of two TVs side by side. One is showing the hero’s channel. The other plays the villain’s channel. The timeframe is the same, but the locations are different. Flip back and forth between them.

    Photo credit: Annette Dawm, Pexels

4. Use a calendar or appointment book. Log the day, time, and location for each character in each scene.

Screenshot

In time-critical scenes, like a bomb ticking, you may need to detail the action minute by minute, or even second by second.

5. Use index cards or sticky notes in different colors (blue for hero, yellow for villain, green for secondary characters, etc.). Write a short summary of each scene (time, place, characters present, what happens) on the appropriate color card or sticky.

Another alternative is a white board using different color markers.

When the draft is complete, lay the cards out on a table. Kay DiBianca puts her stickies on closet doors in her office.

Study the color pattern. This visual review points out potential problems. Are there too many scenes in a row in one color? Do you need to rearrange the order to improve pacing or balance the characters?

Are there missing scenes? Or scenes that could be cut without hurting the story’s forward momentum?

 

Our creative brains all work differently. To keep track of multiple characters and story lines, some writers prefer programs like Scrivener (which Jim Bell uses), Memory Map, Wave Maker, and Fantasy Calendar.

I’m more visual and tactile-oriented so it’s easier for me to stay organized with physical appointment books, calendars, and index cards.

The method doesn’t matter as long as the author always stays aware of what the antagonist is doing in the shadow story.

Because that’s the wellspring of your story’s conflict.

~~~

TKZers: How do you monitor characters in the shadows? Do you use time-tracking programs? Low tech tools like calendars and index cards? Or another method? Comments welcome below.

~~~

Today’s post is based on The Villain’s Journey-How to Create Villains Readers Love to Hate.

“Debbie Burke has filled a critical gap in writing craft instruction. We needed a book of solid advice for creating compelling, three-dimensional villains. This is it.” – James Scott Bell

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What Are You Reading in 2026?

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“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” ― Stephen King

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Most writers are avid readers. An article on medium.com sums it up this way:

In a nutshell, reading and writing are inseparable. The better writers tend to be exceptional readers, and better readers can produce exceptional writing. A writer who doesn’t read is like a musician who doesn’t listen to music or a filmmaker who doesn’t watch films. It is demoralizingly hard to do good work without experiencing the good work that has been done before.

A well-read writer has better verbal skills, discerns the nuances of language, and distinguishes between poor and quality writing, so read more, read widely, and learn from other people who do what you are aiming at with the facility and the skill level you would love to cultivate.

 

I’ve been reading an eclectic variety of books in 2026. Here are some of them:

On Desperate Ground by Hampton Sides

The story of the battles around Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War. I’m writing a novel with Korean War veterans and I wanted to get details of the actual battles.

 

 

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

A book club pick. It’s an interesting novel that explores aspects of the fear of death, the art of fortune telling, and the power of suggestion. Most authors will appreciate the first chapter which almost guarantees readers will turn the page.

 

 

Over the Edge of the World by Laurence Bergreen

A fascinating look at the expedition led by Ferdinand Magellan that resulted in the first circumnavigation of the Earth. It’s one of the books that fuels my fascination with the early explorers.

 

 

Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey

Time to saddle up and read about the cowboys. Although I skimmed the long, descriptive sections, I liked the story and found myself eager to get back to it each evening.

 

 

Balancing Life’s Roles by Jarrell Gibbs

This common sense guide to handling all the different roles we play in life was written by a friend of ours. Very useful advice especially for young people.

 

 

Satan’s Subway by Steve Hooley

Our very own Steve Hooley authored this middle grade fantasy. Once again, Steve tackles a serious issue through the eyes of a the Mad River Magic gang.

 

 

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

This was also a book club pick. I read just a few chapters before it had to be returned to the library. The book is wildly popular, and I’d be interested to know if any of you have read it and what you think about it.

 

 

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain

Just started this one. I imagine it would be interesting to many authors.

 

 

Now I’m looking for a good mystery. Any recommendations?

* * *

So TKZers: What books are you reading in 2026?

* * *

 

A missing person. A trail of secrets. Private pilot Cassie Deakin reluctantly follows a mystery that refuses to stay buried—uncovering truths that shine brighter, and more dangerously, with every step.

Click the image to go to the Amazon book detail page.

Putting Writing First For a Few Days: Rainforest Writers Retreat

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Lake Quinault

On the first Wednesday of this month I went to my annual writers retreat, held annually at Lake Quinault in Washington State’s magnificent Quinault Rainforest on the Olympic Peninsula. As usual, when I returned, I was bubbling with enthusiasm for writing (okay, even more enthusiasm than usual).

When I mentioned having gone in a comment here at TKZ, our own Debbie Burke asked if I would be sharing my experience in a post here. I’d written briefly about it three years ago in the intro to a Words of Wisdom post, but that didn’t do the experience justice.

Why attend a writing retreat? What might you get out of attending?

Writers retreats can give you the opportunity to truly put your writing first for a short period of time. I’m not talking about making your writing a priority, but rather going someplace—even if it’s with your writers group to a local coffee shop for an afternoon or a beach house for a long weekend—and immersing yourself in your writing and writing craft and letting go of day-to-day concerns.

Retreats can also be a powerful way to kickstart your writing, both for beginners starting out, or for an experienced writer looking to change up their writing, or return to it after an absence, long or short.

They can provide opportunities to learn writing craft, build community, and of course, time to focus on writing and provide a place to write, either alone or in a group setting, sometimes called parallel play and also known as body doubling where you leverage the presence of other writers engaged in the same activity. Rainforest writers has been called an “accelerant” because the retreat’s isolation, community and writing focus can accelerate your development as a writer.

***

Retreat organizer Patrick Swenson with Resort manager Ian Strait looking over his shoulder.

Rainforest Writers is run by my friend Patrick Swenson, himself an author as well as the publisher of Fairwood Press, who taught high school English classes for 39 years before retiring in 2024. Patrick has been putting on Rainforest since 2007, when it was a single five day session. Now there are four sessions, one after the other, beginning in late February and into mid-March. Each begins on a Wednesday afternoon and ends at noon on the following Sunday.

The retreat takes place at the Rainforest Resort Village, located on the south shore of Lake Quinault. Rooms are available at the Village inn, the Parkside suites, or the Fireplace cabins. There are no phones in any of the rooms, and cell service can be spotty. There is internet, which is a bit iffy in the Village inn, but quite accessible in the Salmon House restaurant and lounge, as well as the General Store.

The retreat fee is $200, which includes breakfast at the Salmon House Thursday through Sunday. Patrick provides sandwich fixings for lunch Thursday and Friday, while long-time attendees Deborah and Chuck put on a soup lunch on Saturday which nearly everyone attends. You’re “on your own” for dinner, which for me means the Salmon House, except for Thursday night when a group dinner is held in the restaurant, which is a wonderful opportunity to mingle with other writers over food.

Thirty plus writers attend each session, with many returning each year, often to the same session they attended in the past. I began going in 2019, Session 2, and did Session 2 every following year through 2025, except for the Pandemic year of 2021 when there was an online retreat instead. This year I decided to switch things up and attend Session 3, which was held from Wednesday March 4 through Sunday March 8.

Most of the attendees write science fiction, fantasy or horror, but there are a few crime dogs like myself, as well as paranormal romance writers, memoir writers and historical novelists. Writers range from novices to professional authors. Authors are a mix of traditionally published and self-published.

I’ve known writers to rent a cabin for their Rainforest session, and hole up and simply write as much as possible, which is a perfectly fine way to spend the retreat if you so choose.

However, for most of us, the writing retreat is also about community. Informal conversations about writing, the writing life and publishing, as well as writing alongside each other, at times in the Salmon House lounge, which has a lovely view of Lake Quinault and the forested hills beyond. The lake teems with water fowl—Canadian geese, loons, mergansers, ducks and more. Bald eagles also visit the lake. It’s an amazing backdrop which can provide a place to gaze between writing sprints.

***

Early bird writing in the lounge.

There are two organized group writing sessions in the lounge each day—the early bird writers from 6-9AM and the night owls from 9PM to after midnight, and then there’s informal sessions at the other times.

In previous years, like a crazy person, I burned the candle at both ends and was an early bird and a night owl. in both groups.

This year sanity prevailed  and I went with being an early bird, arriving just after the start at 6AM and writing until breakfast at 9AM each morning. The past three retreats I brought mystery novels to revise but this year I came with a new mystery novel I wanted to begin drafting, which is an entirely different energy. I also wrote some micro-fiction as a break from my frenzied novel drafting.

I also wrote in the afternoons following lunch, sometimes continuing in the lounge, other times back in my lakeview room at the Village inn, and often did a session in the early evening. Over the course of five days I wrote 19,339 words, which included 2100 words on the opening of a longer short story. The vast majority was on Last Seen Shelving, the fourth Meg Booker library cozy.

In the spirit of both fun competition and group effort, Patrick puts up a white-board each session where writers can track their session word counts, and also any editing they do. The person with the largest word count at the end of each session wins a prize, as well as first pick in the raffle, while the second and third place finishers get to pick a prize ahead of the drawing. Patrick also tallies the total words written by all writers in a session, which gives a bit of a team effort feel to the word count.

This session I ended up in third place. My normal writing pace is 1000-1500 words a day, going over 2000 words later in the novel as the story careens toward climax. At Rainforest I averaged nearly 5000 words a day, keeping in mind that I only had two plus hours on Sunday. On Thursday and Friday I wrote around 6000 words each day. However, by Saturday afternoon I ran out of gas and had to take a long break.

I’m not a binge writer by nature, I’m only one when forced by a deadline. Instead, I normally work at a steady pace. I tend to binge write at Rainforest.

The last time I drafted fiction at Rainforest was in 2022, when I wrote over 15,000 words worth of short stories. This session reminded me I can extend myself but just like working out extra hard, I end up needing to recover. Since I’ve returned from Rainforest, my writing pace has been much slower, well under a thousand words each day as I recharge, but I haven’t missed a day. I went into Rainforest not having drafted regularly for a while, and came out of it with a building streak, and yes, I am still tracking my word count.

***

Another important aspect of Rainforest is in providing opportunities to learn about various aspects of writing and the writing life.

Each session has hour-long presentations at 11AM Thursday, Friday and Saturday. When I started there were also presentations at 3PM on Thursday and Friday, but Patrick felt that broke up the day too much and wanted to give writers a more unbroken stretch of time for writing, editing etc. between lunch and dinner.

In the past I’ve attended presentations on characters, sensory detail, pacing, POV, action scenes, writing in more than one genre among others. I usually make time to attend at least a couple of the presentations.

Last year I was a presenter, for the first time, giving a mini-workshop on self-publishing. My audience was engaged and asked some terrific questions.

This year I attended all three presentations.

Thursday, author Kate Ristau gave a talk on the classic idea of “throwing rocks at your characters,” which looked at what your character is trying to achieve, and what obstacles and complications arise as she struggles to reach her goal. Kate gave us an exercise that asked about how the objects in our story and how we might externalize our characters’ wants and needs in the form of the objects.

For instance, in my fourth mystery, the library itself represents a place of fulfillment for my hero and a place where she can make a difference, which is a need she has.

Friday’s presentation was “Project Management Tools for Sustainable Writing Habits” by J.B. Kish and Remy Nakamura and proved to be insightful and informative.

J.B. and Remy provided us with worksheets, first looking at our expectations about “our ideal writer selves,” such as how many words per day does my ideal writer self produce, how often, when, how easily do I enter a state of focus, how confident is my ideal self, how long does it take them to finish a novel draft.

They discussed “compassionate productivity, looking at sustainably being able to reach “real outcomes” vs the ideal ones, the importance of mindfulness when it comes to your own process, challenges and life situation, and the idea of incremental, forward progress.

Accountability can be very helpful, especially when there are consequences for doing the work—rewards if you achieved it, or withholding a reward if you do not, such as not opening a bottle of fine Scotch you’d purchased until you finish the project.

“Touch the work everyday,” even if it’s only to jot down a few words on the draft, write a note or spend a few moments considering what comes next.

Saturday Dean Wells presented “The Ending Was There All Along,” how to breakdown the decision tree of your ending. Dean began by stating that writer’s block is noise: your creative side is stymied by your critical side. His solution is “structured problem solving.” Drill down through the noise. It’s a back-to-basics approach. He counseled using your analytical side to engage in dialogue with your creative side. Ask your creative side questions about what you want as a writer in this story.

At essence, story is character + setting + problem. The character either succeeds or fails.

Which do you want as a storyteller?

He uses a logic tree. Identify the problem. Does it result in success or failure? If success it can be simply happily ever after or come at a cost. If the latter, that can range from the personal to collateral damage. What does this look like? Personal can be self, loved one, friend etc.

This leads us to before the ending and our hero’s fear—what is your character afraid of losing?

In order to overcome this the hero must be willing to sacrifice, which Dean feels is the single most important aspect of your hero. They take a little leap of faith in order to solve the problem.

He broke down Act III into Climax, Resolution and Denouement and noted its importance, the untying of the story not. For me as a cozy mystery writer, it’s the granting of the boon of justice which restores the integrity of the community where the story takes place.

He gave examples from films such as Star Wars: A New Hope and the 1972 western The Cowboys, starring John Wayne and Bruce Dern.

Part of Dean Well’s decision tree on endings.

***

The Cabin party is held Saturday night, in Cabin 6,  Patrick’s cabin, where you can drop by anytime during the day during your session for a snack or a beverage, and often an informal conversation about writing. Cabin parties are another opportunity to meet and talk with your fellow attendees.

Every session wraps up Sunday morning, at 11 in the lounge, where the Rainforest inspiration award. Every attendee votes for the attendee who proved most inspirational during their session.

In Session 3 this year, that was J.B. Kish, the co-presenter of project management for writers (his fellow presenter Remy Nakamura won the inspiration award a previous year). The inspiration award winner will have their name engraved and put on a retreat plaque commemorating all the winners.

After this, the session word count winners were announced, with me coming in at third behind Cyrus at second, with 23,000 plus words, and Rebekah at first with a staggering 32,000 words written. It was her first Rainforest and she was stunned to have won.

A raffle for donated prizes—everything from books and music to coffee and tea mugs to fine wine followed, and then we said our goodbyes and we began our drives back to our respective homes.

Another session had flown by, giving us a chance to put writing first for a few days, concentrate on a project, learn a few things, and perhaps make new friends as well as reconnect with old ones. I always return home with increased creativity and enthusiasm.

Crow at Lake Quinault playing the part of mystery’s iconic raven.

 

Resources:

Rainforest Writers: https://rainforestwriters.com/index.html

Making retreats part of your writing life: https://writershelpingwriters.net/2026/01/writing-retreats/

***

Have you attended a writing retreat, or would you like to? What do you get out of retreat, or what would you like to, if you’ve never been on one before?

Handwriting ~ A Boost for the Brain

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When was the last time you held a pen or pencil in your hand and wrote something other than a grocery list? I rarely even do that since I have an app that creates all kinds of lists. Most of us just don’t use a pen and paper anymore. Even the school systems don’t teach cursive any longer, and don’t get me started on that! I dread the day when no one can read the Declaration of Independence!

In our digital age, where typing has largely taken over, the simple act of putting pen to paper holds remarkable benefits for our brains. Handwriting stimulates the brain in ways that typing simply cannot match, fostering creativity and cognitive function. Studies have shown that writing by hand (rather than tapping away on your keyboard) increases brain connectivity and reduces the risk of dementia. 

I didn’t know the dementia part, but I learned long ago that I retained more information when I took notes at a lecture with a pen compared to only listening or even typing them into a computer or tablet. You would think it doesn’t make any difference, but you would be wrong.

Studies show that when you write by hand, you retain the information by fostering a deeper cognitive connection with the material. The slower pace of handwriting encourages thoughtful composition, enabling you to articulate your thoughts and ideas more effectively.

Handwriting also engages multiple areas of the brain, strengthening neural pathways and enhancing fine motor skills, coordination, and memory. I, for one, am a kinesthetic learner, or a “hands-on” learner. The act of putting a pen to paper enhances my creativity and is my go-to when I’ve painted myself in a corner. Brainstorming with that pencil and paper unlocks my mind.

Think about it. When you write with a pen, your brain engages in a flurry of activity. Each stroke requires your fingers to perform distinct actions to form every letter. Meanwhile, your eyes are analyzing each character, while your brain cross-references it with all the other letters it has stored. The brain processes the memory and subsequently makes real-time adjustments to the fingers to form the letter.

That’s not true for typing. When typing, your fingers don’t have to trace out the form of the letters — they just make three relatively simple keystrokes. It takes a lot more brainpower to write than to type.

A study was conducted with thirty-six students who were given a digital pen and a touchscreen, and a keyboard with instructions to either write words with the pen or type them. The students’ brain activity was recorded via an electroencephalogram (EEG). When using the pen, the EEG showed the entire brain was active compared to a much smaller area when the student typed the word.

One last thing. Recently when I sat down to write a thank-you note, I learned the age-old adage, “Use it or lose it,” is true. Even though I’m a left-handed writer, my handwriting has always been very good. In fact, I always prided myself on my handwriting. But because I’ve sort of been on vacation, I haven’t been brainstorming or even taking notes at church.

My first attempt to write the note…well, let’s say a chicken could’ve scratched out a better letter! All because I can’t remember the last time I actually handwrote something. I’ve used either my phone or computer to make notes, write emails, and even to make lists. Since then, you better believe I’ve been practicing my handwriting.

How about you? When was the last time you actually took out a pen and paper and wrote something?