Writer's Resource Link-Swap!
Nov. 15th, 2010 11:37 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
elliptic-eye.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
criminalxmindsEverybody always says it would be great to have more casefic in this fandom, but crafting a good one is exacting work. I can't be the only one who could use all the help she can get when it comes to getting the details right, can I?
So this post is for sharing your go-to resources for writing Criminal Minds fanfic. Links to online material are especially welcome, since they're freely available to everybody, but if you have hard-copy titles you'd like to recommend, please do.
ALSO: Please feel free to REQUEST a particular kind of resource you'd like to see. Maybe somebody has just exactly the right thing in their files or Delicious account somewhere.
Anyway, here's what's in my bookmarks and on my shelves:
The Basics
•![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
little_details Indispensable. The comm is high traffic and welcomes practically any sort of question, provided posts follow the comm rules. If people can't give you an answer, they can usually point you toward a place that can.
•ask_a_cop Exactly what it sounds like: Got a question about law enforcement? Ask it here, and the cops who run the comm will be happy to answer as best they can.
• Project Gutenberg Need a quote for your fanfictional voice-over? Voilà.
• The Annual FBI Uniform Crime Reports One of the most widely-cited sets of data in U.S. criminology, the UCR is a massive compilation assembled yearly and breaking down criminal activity by type, location, and frequency. The place to go with questions such as, "Just how common is murder, all things considered?" (Answer: not so very.)
• Criminology, Larry J. Siegel. Textbook. I haven't read this from cover-to-cover, but it's a handy thing to have on the shelf, for when you want to know what the larger world of crime looks like—plotting a story often involves introducing elements and conflicts that are more mundane than lust murder. Just as general criminology texts don't usually have much information on serial murder, books on serial murder don't usually provide much information on, say, fraud, and how the Cop of the Week would go about looking for it.
Forensics, Cadavers, and Physical Evidence
• The Writer's Forensics Blog Run by Dr. D. P. Lyle, this blog is a combination of case studies, Q&A, and general information from a medical doctor with a longstanding interest in crime writing. Very nice guy—I wrote in with a particularly bizarre question and he wrote back with a very thorough and helpful answer within only a couple of days. I've found the blog strongest for forensic medicine, but there are entries addressing criminal psychology.
• Anil Aggrawal's Internet Journal of Forensic Medicine This publication is replete with case studies, which makes it a particularly handy place to mine for plot ideas. As for its academic standing, I don't know—a good amount of it seems to be secondary research—but it is a great compilation of weird little details. Another benefit: a much more global outlook than many periodicals. WARNING: Some articles are extremely graphic.
• Forensic Pathology Index Fantastic image library of various traumas. Want to tell us what Dr. Reid sees as he leans over the pathologist's shoulder during an autopsy? Start here. Note also they've got tutorials on gunshot wounds and drug abuse pathology, also complete with pictures! [It goes without saying that this is graphic by definition, but one thing that might not be obvious is that some of these photos are from victims who were children. So, yeah, highly disturbing content.]
• Sisters in Crime Discussion Listserve I haven't actually subscribed yet, but ran across this and thought I'd include it—sounds like it could be a perfect, writer-centric resource.
• Forensic Science International One of the foremost periodicals in the field, I believe. I'd have headed the list with this, except 1) it's not always layman-friendly, and 2) you'll need a subscription to access full articles (not cheap). I'm including it despite that, because the abstracts can serve as inspiration and because some people may have a subscription through a university.
• Suite 101: Forensic Science An easily browsable compilation of articles on crime scene processing, forensic techniques, and so forth that's friendly to those of us who areliberal arts majors mere mortals.
• Guide to Crime Scene Investigation One more for the CSI angle, with info broken down by investigation stages/task.
Serial Killers and Criminal Psych
Frankly, I haven't found many good online resources for this, so any recommendations are much appreciated. But here's what's I've got:
• All About Forensic Psychology Offers three chapters specifically on profiling (\o/), and also has chapters on other practices relevant to our interests: witness memory, a discussion of the discipline's credibility, psychological autopsy, and—wait for it—geographical profiling! I was particularly pleased to find that last one; the show never really explains very much about it when they use it, and it's great info for plotting a casefic.
• Criminal Profiling: International Theory, Research, and Practice, Richard N. Kocsis (2007) Can't comment on this one—I only just now turned it up, and haven't yet read it.
• Introduction to Forensic Psychology, Anne M. and Curt R. Bartol. (There's a lot of husband & wife teams in this field, for whatever reason.) Pretty much something I use like my Criminology textbook: Just what is forensic psych, and how might the BAU actually be called upon to use it? That's conflating profiling and forensic criminal psych, but frankly that's exactly what the show does sometimes, so. I found this particularly eye-opening about the role of forensic psychologists/psychiatrists in the legal system and just how their testimony is really used.
• Psychopathy: Theory and Research, Robert D. Hare (1970). This is a classic, and if the BAU team were real people, I would be stunned if any of them hadn't read it. Hare is the originator of the Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R), which is still widely used. (Even if you don't want to write a scene where such a test is being administered, you could use it to structure an interview you do portray, e.g.)
• Serial Murder, Ronald M. Holmes and James De Burger (1988). This also seems to have been something of a watershed book; it's widely cited in others' work. Contains a section on serial killer typology and one on profiling. I was particularly impressed that the authors included some discussion of the status of profiling as science or non-science.
• Serial Murder (2nd ed), Ronald M. and Stephen T. Holmes (1998). Builds on the previous; there's a section of the book devoted to each serial killer type, and one on female serial killers. Information often summarized in table form for easy reference. Very user-friendly.
• Sexual Murder: Catathymic and Compulsive Homicides, Louis B. Schlesinger (2003). Places the very specific and uncommon crime of "lust murder" in the context of larger homicide patterns and domestic violence. Based on case-study (inevitably—as the book discusses, the crimes under consideration are so rare that that's really the only way to study it so far), the book discusses various theoretical frameworks and the methodology of this kind of research. Includes many projective drawings by offenders, which are sometimes graphic, often disturbing, and—surprisingly—frequently unremarkable.
• The Psychology of Female Violence, Anna Mott (2008). What it says on the tin. Detailed, but accessible. Warning: the best part of this book addresses female violence against children, and makes for uncomfortable/potentially triggering reading.
• Clues from Killers: Serial Murder and Crime Scene Messages, Dirk C. Gibson (2004). All right, this one is weird. Here's the thing: It's a pretty terrible book. The author's actual contribution, in the form of "analysis" of serial killers' communication with law enforcement, the general public, &c., ranges from sloppy to frankly inaccurate to useless. What is useful about it is that it gathers a lot of primary source material in one place. Mainly I'd recommend looking at the reproductions of the notes, interviews, and crime scene messages, and sparing yourself as much of Gibson's prose as you can. Offenders addressed are: Berkowitz (Son of Sam), the D.C. Sniper, the Mad Butcher (Frank Sweeney?), Kaczynski (Unabomber), the Zodiac, the BTK Strangler, John Robinson, Jack the Ripper, William Heirens, and the Black Dahlia.
Miscellaneous/Tangential
• Between Good and Evil: A Master Profiler's Hunt for Society's Most Violent Predators, Roger L. Depue. This is Depue's autobiography; I got it as an audiobook and listened to it while knitting. ^_^ This guy had to have been the basis for a lot of Gideon's character; interesting look into how someone actually ends up as a profiler.
• A User's Guide to PTSD Really amazingly detailed recounting of one person's experience living with PTSD—I'm grateful to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rachelmanija for sharing this information, and it corrected a lot of misconceptions I'd been walking around with. Since pretty much every member of the BAU has been through hell, at this point…
• Crimeline: History of Forensic Science Need an obscure factoid to put in Reid's mouth, or want to showcase Prentiss or Morgan's stealth!nerdery?
Any more? Please share!
Additions, courtesy of our fabulous fellow fen:
John Douglas, basis for Rossi's character
Criminal Minds Fanwiki Glossary
Bartol & Bartol, Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach
Andrews & Bonta, Psychology of Criminal Conduct
Fanfic_Med: researching medical aspects of fanfiction
Robert K. Ressler's website (RL profiler)
IMFDB entry for Criminal Minds
Notes on a lecture by former BAU member Mary Ellen O'Toole
Kaigou's Basics of Street Mentality
Dark Dreams, by Roy Hazelwood (RL profiler)
So this post is for sharing your go-to resources for writing Criminal Minds fanfic. Links to online material are especially welcome, since they're freely available to everybody, but if you have hard-copy titles you'd like to recommend, please do.
ALSO: Please feel free to REQUEST a particular kind of resource you'd like to see. Maybe somebody has just exactly the right thing in their files or Delicious account somewhere.
Anyway, here's what's in my bookmarks and on my shelves:
The Basics
•
little_details Indispensable. The comm is high traffic and welcomes practically any sort of question, provided posts follow the comm rules. If people can't give you an answer, they can usually point you toward a place that can.•
ask_a_cop Exactly what it sounds like: Got a question about law enforcement? Ask it here, and the cops who run the comm will be happy to answer as best they can.• Project Gutenberg Need a quote for your fanfictional voice-over? Voilà.
• The Annual FBI Uniform Crime Reports One of the most widely-cited sets of data in U.S. criminology, the UCR is a massive compilation assembled yearly and breaking down criminal activity by type, location, and frequency. The place to go with questions such as, "Just how common is murder, all things considered?" (Answer: not so very.)
• Criminology, Larry J. Siegel. Textbook. I haven't read this from cover-to-cover, but it's a handy thing to have on the shelf, for when you want to know what the larger world of crime looks like—plotting a story often involves introducing elements and conflicts that are more mundane than lust murder. Just as general criminology texts don't usually have much information on serial murder, books on serial murder don't usually provide much information on, say, fraud, and how the Cop of the Week would go about looking for it.
Forensics, Cadavers, and Physical Evidence
• The Writer's Forensics Blog Run by Dr. D. P. Lyle, this blog is a combination of case studies, Q&A, and general information from a medical doctor with a longstanding interest in crime writing. Very nice guy—I wrote in with a particularly bizarre question and he wrote back with a very thorough and helpful answer within only a couple of days. I've found the blog strongest for forensic medicine, but there are entries addressing criminal psychology.
• Anil Aggrawal's Internet Journal of Forensic Medicine This publication is replete with case studies, which makes it a particularly handy place to mine for plot ideas. As for its academic standing, I don't know—a good amount of it seems to be secondary research—but it is a great compilation of weird little details. Another benefit: a much more global outlook than many periodicals. WARNING: Some articles are extremely graphic.
• Forensic Pathology Index Fantastic image library of various traumas. Want to tell us what Dr. Reid sees as he leans over the pathologist's shoulder during an autopsy? Start here. Note also they've got tutorials on gunshot wounds and drug abuse pathology, also complete with pictures! [It goes without saying that this is graphic by definition, but one thing that might not be obvious is that some of these photos are from victims who were children. So, yeah, highly disturbing content.]
• Sisters in Crime Discussion Listserve I haven't actually subscribed yet, but ran across this and thought I'd include it—sounds like it could be a perfect, writer-centric resource.
• Forensic Science International One of the foremost periodicals in the field, I believe. I'd have headed the list with this, except 1) it's not always layman-friendly, and 2) you'll need a subscription to access full articles (not cheap). I'm including it despite that, because the abstracts can serve as inspiration and because some people may have a subscription through a university.
• Suite 101: Forensic Science An easily browsable compilation of articles on crime scene processing, forensic techniques, and so forth that's friendly to those of us who are
• Guide to Crime Scene Investigation One more for the CSI angle, with info broken down by investigation stages/task.
Serial Killers and Criminal Psych
Frankly, I haven't found many good online resources for this, so any recommendations are much appreciated. But here's what's I've got:
• All About Forensic Psychology Offers three chapters specifically on profiling (\o/), and also has chapters on other practices relevant to our interests: witness memory, a discussion of the discipline's credibility, psychological autopsy, and—wait for it—geographical profiling! I was particularly pleased to find that last one; the show never really explains very much about it when they use it, and it's great info for plotting a casefic.
• Criminal Profiling: International Theory, Research, and Practice, Richard N. Kocsis (2007) Can't comment on this one—I only just now turned it up, and haven't yet read it.
• Introduction to Forensic Psychology, Anne M. and Curt R. Bartol. (There's a lot of husband & wife teams in this field, for whatever reason.) Pretty much something I use like my Criminology textbook: Just what is forensic psych, and how might the BAU actually be called upon to use it? That's conflating profiling and forensic criminal psych, but frankly that's exactly what the show does sometimes, so. I found this particularly eye-opening about the role of forensic psychologists/psychiatrists in the legal system and just how their testimony is really used.
• Psychopathy: Theory and Research, Robert D. Hare (1970). This is a classic, and if the BAU team were real people, I would be stunned if any of them hadn't read it. Hare is the originator of the Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R), which is still widely used. (Even if you don't want to write a scene where such a test is being administered, you could use it to structure an interview you do portray, e.g.)
• Serial Murder, Ronald M. Holmes and James De Burger (1988). This also seems to have been something of a watershed book; it's widely cited in others' work. Contains a section on serial killer typology and one on profiling. I was particularly impressed that the authors included some discussion of the status of profiling as science or non-science.
• Serial Murder (2nd ed), Ronald M. and Stephen T. Holmes (1998). Builds on the previous; there's a section of the book devoted to each serial killer type, and one on female serial killers. Information often summarized in table form for easy reference. Very user-friendly.
• Sexual Murder: Catathymic and Compulsive Homicides, Louis B. Schlesinger (2003). Places the very specific and uncommon crime of "lust murder" in the context of larger homicide patterns and domestic violence. Based on case-study (inevitably—as the book discusses, the crimes under consideration are so rare that that's really the only way to study it so far), the book discusses various theoretical frameworks and the methodology of this kind of research. Includes many projective drawings by offenders, which are sometimes graphic, often disturbing, and—surprisingly—frequently unremarkable.
• The Psychology of Female Violence, Anna Mott (2008). What it says on the tin. Detailed, but accessible. Warning: the best part of this book addresses female violence against children, and makes for uncomfortable/potentially triggering reading.
• Clues from Killers: Serial Murder and Crime Scene Messages, Dirk C. Gibson (2004). All right, this one is weird. Here's the thing: It's a pretty terrible book. The author's actual contribution, in the form of "analysis" of serial killers' communication with law enforcement, the general public, &c., ranges from sloppy to frankly inaccurate to useless. What is useful about it is that it gathers a lot of primary source material in one place. Mainly I'd recommend looking at the reproductions of the notes, interviews, and crime scene messages, and sparing yourself as much of Gibson's prose as you can. Offenders addressed are: Berkowitz (Son of Sam), the D.C. Sniper, the Mad Butcher (Frank Sweeney?), Kaczynski (Unabomber), the Zodiac, the BTK Strangler, John Robinson, Jack the Ripper, William Heirens, and the Black Dahlia.
Miscellaneous/Tangential
• Between Good and Evil: A Master Profiler's Hunt for Society's Most Violent Predators, Roger L. Depue. This is Depue's autobiography; I got it as an audiobook and listened to it while knitting. ^_^ This guy had to have been the basis for a lot of Gideon's character; interesting look into how someone actually ends up as a profiler.
• A User's Guide to PTSD Really amazingly detailed recounting of one person's experience living with PTSD—I'm grateful to
rachelmanija for sharing this information, and it corrected a lot of misconceptions I'd been walking around with. Since pretty much every member of the BAU has been through hell, at this point…• Crimeline: History of Forensic Science Need an obscure factoid to put in Reid's mouth, or want to showcase Prentiss or Morgan's stealth!nerdery?
Any more? Please share!
Additions, courtesy of our fabulous fellow fen:
John Douglas, basis for Rossi's character
Criminal Minds Fanwiki Glossary
Bartol & Bartol, Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach
Andrews & Bonta, Psychology of Criminal Conduct
Fanfic_Med: researching medical aspects of fanfiction
Robert K. Ressler's website (RL profiler)
IMFDB entry for Criminal Minds
Notes on a lecture by former BAU member Mary Ellen O'Toole
Kaigou's Basics of Street Mentality
Dark Dreams, by Roy Hazelwood (RL profiler)
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 04:45 am (UTC)And so is your icon.
Thanks for compiling this!
no subject
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 04:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 04:57 am (UTC)Also, someone on tumblr put together a list of jargon commonly used on the show. Give me just a minute and I'll find a link for you, if that's something that could be useful?
no subject
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 04:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 05:02 am (UTC)http://www.criminalmindsfanwiki.com/page/Criminal+Minds+Glossary
no subject
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 05:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 05:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 05:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 05:00 am (UTC)Textbooks to add
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 05:02 am (UTC)Or just, you know, come to my university and take the Criminal Behavior course with the irl version of Reid. :D
Oh, and I should add, sometimes I find myself yelling at the tv, "THAT'S NOT RIGHT!" when CM presents some sort of information, so I'd go the geeky route and do real research over using what the show tells you about criminal behavior.
Re: Textbooks to add
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 05:25 am (UTC)Not that I have any idea when I'd find time to read itOr just, you know, come to my university and take the Criminal Behavior course with the irl version of Reid. :D
Ohhhh, how I wish I could.
Oh, and I should add, sometimes I find myself yelling at the tv, "THAT'S NOT RIGHT!" when CM presents some sort of information, so I'd go the geeky route and do real research over using what the show tells you about criminal behavior.
Agreed. It's sort of weird, with fanfic—on the one hand, you have this golden opportunity to expand things and really do it right; on the other, it still has to incorporate enough fudging to look like what the viewers are used to seeing. But major dramatic license aside, I'd much rather the fic I read/write go the geeky route. :D
Re: Textbooks to add
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 05:33 am (UTC)It's the one thing that sucks about liking a popular tv show that's about a field you're interested in. Sigh.
no subject
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 05:05 am (UTC)Useful medical link (maybe Prentiss got hit on the head again? Maybe you want to know how long your unsub can keep a victim alive in some sort of terrible gruesome situation (can you see why I struggle to write casefic)? ):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fanfic_med/
Medical professionals will answer your weird fanfic questions!
no subject
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 05:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 05:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 05:53 am (UTC)Also, Robert K. Ressler.
Publications listed here:
http://www.robertkressler.com/pub.html
no subject
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 05:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 05:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 06:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 06:39 am (UTC)The IMFDB entry for Criminal Minds (http://www.imfdb.org/index.php?title=Criminal_Minds) (All the guns we've seen on the show, and who carries what. Great for that moment when you're ten pages in and go "shit, what the hell kind of gun does Morgan carry anyway?".)
A write-up of a lecture given by Mary Ellen O'Toole, former member of the BAU (http://fabrisse.livejournal.com/162613.html) (Has details on psychopaths, risk factors, and the myth of "stressors".)
Kaigou's basics of street-mentality (http://kaigou.dreamwidth.org/140665.html) (This is a first-hand account of what it's like living on the streets. It covers everything from weapons to everyday life to economics; the basics like "why would this person pick a knife over a gun to defend themselves" to a breakdown of how hard it is to have a weapon on you at all times. It's excellent for characterization.)
no subject
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 06:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 06:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 02:58 pm (UTC)Post added to memories for future reference. Thanks again! ♥ ♥ ♥
no subject
Date: Nov. 17th, 2010 08:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 04:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Nov. 16th, 2010 05:05 pm (UTC)~ sera
no subject
Date: Nov. 17th, 2010 12:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Nov. 17th, 2010 08:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Nov. 17th, 2010 12:38 am (UTC)