TIME FRAMES, RESEARCH & THE VALUE OF WRITERS GROUPS

Sometimes the smallest things can trip up a writer. Almost happened to this one. But for the good eyes and critical thinking of my Writers Group, who don't even write the same genre as I, a piece of work I am working on would have continued with a significant error.

The problem came about because I changed the original time frame to fifteen years earlier. The reason isn't important; I just felt other elements would work better. In the process I failed to research that certain critical elements that couldn't be changed hadn't been developed by the new time frame, i.e. the Internet and emails not to mention certain "language" we commonly use such as BTW, FYI, LOL, etc.

Fortunately, one of the members in my Writers Group raised the issue. She wasn't sure but.... Stop the Presses and send out group "Help" messages to people of the appropriate ages and who lived in the story's location at the time of the story's time frame. Seems the Writers Group was on the money. And it was my daughter (!) who found the most "on the mark" piece of information needed.

Yes, the story can be "fixed", the time frame can be changed to fit the accuracy of that critical element - BUT what if I had not had the eyes and critical thinking of my Writers Group? Deep doo doo. That's what.

I had done research on car models and colors of the cars being used (not every color is produced by every car maker in a given year - something to check out). I had checked out the appropriateness of certain perfumes and men's colognes. But the Internet and the availability of email communication? Nope.

With so much technology evolving so quickly - and taken so much for granted by so many, writers need to be careful when incorporating any aspect of it in their writing. Once more, a butt was saved from the fire. Could have been a bonfire without that catch....

NEW RESOURCE FOR FICTION CRIME WRITERS

In today's QueryTracker email is an interview and notification of Carolyn Kaufman's first book for writers, THE WRITER'S GUIDE TO PSYCHOLOGY: How to Write Accurately About Psychological Disorders, Clinical Treatment and Human Behavior. It hits Borders bookshelves today - December 1, 2010.

How fortunate I am to have a great Borders bookstore right here. In fact, that's where our Writers Group meets.

This book, which I intend to gift to myself, is being praised by bestselling thriller writer and psychologist Jonathan Kellerman as "thoughtful, scholarly, comprehensive and a boon to writers aiming for accuracy when depicting the world of abnormal psychology and clinical treatment." Another bestselling author, Jilliane Hoffman, adds, "Every writer who even thinks about creating or explaining a character with a psychological disorder should have a copy on their desk, right next to their dictionary and thesaurus..." (which is where I will have my copy, BTW)

According to the article on QueryTracker, "Carolyn Kaufman's doctorate is in clinical psychology, and she is a former psychotherapist turned full-time psychology professor at Columbus State Community College in Columbus, Ohio. She is frequently consulted by journalists as an expert source, and her specializations are clinical/abnormal psychology and media psychology."

I know that I have often read her columns on QueryTracker and found them insightful and true in accordance with experiences and individuals I encountered during my career in the law enforcement/corrections field.

Even in the brief introduction provided in this morning's column the author talked about the differences in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, psychotic and psychopathic and errors made in television and fiction when trying to use these illnesses to describe characters.

This book will be a treasure trove for any writer who desires to write credible stories with characters of depth and validity.