Trauma

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m back today after a week of work and writing. The fourth of July came and went, and we had another mass shooting. For the life of me, I don’t understand the motivation behind these shootings.

What could the shooter possibly gain from killing people who are enjoying a parade. Did you know there was a two-year-old boy wandering the streets because his parents had been killed by the shooter? A good Samaritan helped him eventually and got him to the proper authorities, but this is heartbreaking. His little socks were soaked in blood.

Something needs to be done. I hate to suggest more government intervention especially since there’s so much corruption, but I look at Canada, and they have the same issues we do, but they have strict gun-control laws, and they don’t have the mass shooting problems we do. It’s time to follow in their footsteps. I don’t want another child growing up parentless.

More gun control will help, but it’s not enough. We need to find the motivation behind these shootings. What is the killer seeking by doing this? Is it attention? Is it to alleviate their own pain? One of the things these shootings all have in common is that the shooter in every single one is male.

What else do they have in common? I did a little research, and this article gives a detailed rundown on the profile of mass shooters. It breaks them down into five categories. https://www.vice.com/en/article/a35mya/nearly-all-mass-shooters-since-1966-have-had-four-things-in-common

This article suggests there are some commonalities between the different types. School shooters both at the K-12 level and university level are or have been students of that institution. They are suicidal and have a history of trauma or violence in their past.

Workplace shooters usually have a grievance against the company and work there. Place of worship shooters are motivated by hate against that particular religion. Then we have the mass shooters at a commercial location. These shooters have a history of violence and criminal records.

Wouldn’t a history of violence be a huge red flag? We need stronger gun controls until we are willing to deal with the underlying issues that are creating these mass shooters.

We need better mental health support for everyone, but especially for men. We need better family support because many of these shooters have experienced childhood trauma.

I believe it all boils down to the family unit. I would bet my bottom dollar that workplace shooters, place of worship shooters, and mass shooters at a public location all had childhood trauma in their pasts.

We as parents need to take better care of our kids so they don’t grow up to be mass shooters. So more restrictive laws on guns, better mental health care, and better support for parents, so they can be better parents will create an environment where we can all live our lives without fear.

I know this won’t happen overnight, but we do need to make some changes and fast. How about you? Do you have any ideas? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!

Hello everyone. I hope all is well with you. I’m back today and I’m making some major changes on one of my stories. You know the WIP I said was done? Yeah, well I had a major epiphany and I’m changing it. I want it to be that good. So, I’m hoping it doesn’t take me a long time to put it all back together, but we shall see. I have a good feeling about this story. So wish me luck, okay?

Photo credit: Anton Vakulenko via Visual Hunt / CC BY-SA

We’re getting a lot of snow today so I’m crossing my fingers for a snow day tomorrow because then I’ll get a lot of writing done. I don’t know about you but the holidays wreak havoc on my schedule. I just can’t seem to maintain a routine. Part of it is because my kids’ lives get busier with Christmas concerts and parties, but another reason is because there’s always some surprise event that we have to prepare for or something along those lines.

Photo credit: me’nthedogs via Visualhunt.com / CC BY-NC

But enough about me. 🙂 I thought today I would talk about something that’s very important when writing your story and that is research.

Photo credit: Melinda Stuart via Visualhunt / CC BY-NC-ND

Research? Why is that important? I’m so glad you asked. The reason is because good research makes your story authentic. I know what you’re thinking. It’s fiction. I can create my story any way I want to. Yes and No. Authenticity is important even in fiction. If your story isn’t believable, you’re going to lose your reader.

So let’s say you’re writing a story about a man who climbed the Canadian Alps. To start your research you could use the internet or Wikipedia and you’d find a great deal of superficial information. To give your story authenticity you’d want to talk to someone who’s actually climbed them. They could give you blow by blow details of their experience because they actually did it. See how much better your story will be?

Photo credit: Internet Archive Book Images via Visualhunt.com / No known copyright restrictions

Let’s say you’re writing a story about a murder and you have to make sure you get the police procedures correct. That’s when you need to call in the professionals. I have a contact at the State Police Post and I call her whenever I have a procedural question. She always sets the story straight for me.

If I’m dealing with an emotional response to a trauma, I speak with a number of psychologists I know who provide the ground work for the victim’s emotional reaction. Again, see how much more authentic my story will be?

So when you start out on this incredible journey to write that awesome story, remember to put together your research team. There are many people who are willing to help you if you just ask. Establish relationships with those people, they’ll keep your story authentic. Trust me. 🙂

Social Media has made it much easier to establish contacts with professionals in many different fields. It is an incredible tool for writers. Have you heard this is one of the best times to be a writer? It’s true. We can make connections so much faster and easier than we used to. Our stories will be so much better because we invested time and energy in the research. It’s true.