Murder & Mayhem

Since the conference took place on a college campus,
this sign was a good idea. The SWAT truck and K-9 patrol cars
might have scared students off.



Since I don't usually write crime fiction, I was hesitant to go to the Mad Anthony Writer's Conference day of "Murder & Mayhem," but am so glad I did. Within the first 10 minutes I wanted to call my husband and tell him that the conference was fantastic. By noon, I wanted to go home and work on the mystery I started and abandoned last November. Suddenly, I was re-inspired and ready to write.

We started the day with an introduction to the Newport, Kentucky Gangster Tours.  I scribbled notes as though I was cramming for a final exam; I wanted to capture every word and every bit of history. It was absolutely fascinating and I can't wait until tours start in May so that I can hear it and see it all again. (americanlegacytours.com)

Then we moved into writing mode. Hallie Ephron, author of Writing the Killer Mystery, hosted a workshop with valuable exercises that will make our mysteries pop. It was during this session that I had my epiphany and suddenly knew the solution to my mystery and what I needed to do. I almost ran out of the conference to start working on it, but thankfully stayed in my seat. There were more good things to come.

Officer Cresap and his K-9 patrol dog Ketcher gave us not only demonstrations of how Ketcher tracks and finds narcotics, but also gave us invaluable information we could use in our writing. Officer Cresap knew who his audience was. We were full of questions and he happily gave us answers. Anyone using a K-9 dog in his story would be set. I thought about adding one to mine.

After lunch, screenwriter Sally Nemeth dispelled the idea of Law & Order's "ripped from the headlines" reputation. She talked about the differences between 'based on a true story' versus 'inspired by a true story', then handed out newspaper clippings and had us try our hands at fabricating stories loosely based on the facts we were reading.

Next we were introduced to SWAT Teams: what they do, what equipment they use, and the training they receive. Our speaker relayed one case in particular, giving us insights that he probably shouldn't have since he was talking to a group of writers. But don't worry -- we'll never tell. 

The day ended with Chief Deputy Dwyer taking us through  a homicide case. He was charismatic and obviously loves his work. The graphic slide show reminded me of criminal justice courses I took in college, but again, Chief Dwyer talked to his audience and described the homicide investigations in such detail that we were all reminded that those little details (smells, atmosphere, settings) are crucial to telling a good story. We were so enraptured by his tales that we didn't leave when the session was over. Finally, we were kicked out.

I still don't consider myself a crime writer, though I am going to rework my mystery. Murder & Mayhem was a fabulous conference; well worth attending. I can't wait until next year's!