Blog Assignment #1 - Research... Or Just Plain Fun

It's time for me to do a little research for my screenplay. I spend as much, if not more, time researching for my screenplay, as I spend writing it. The theme, plot points, settings and characters in this piece require more research than most of my pieces.

Why is that? Because I'm not a sexually driven person (contrary to the believe of my readers), nor am I a serial killer. But to make my stories believable, I have to convince my readers that it's possible I am and that's why my characters and stories are so good.

So for sex and sexiness, I turn to the same place most women do... Cosmopolitan Magazine. Not only do I read the magazine itself, but I follow a few of the blogs. My favorite is the Best Sex Ever blog.

I like this blog because it makes sex less mundane, and gives new ideas to spice up my characters' sex lives. It's not about porn, erotica or smut. Although, at times it feels like the writer is looking very unrealistically at sex, for the sake of shock value. But since I'm not trying to duplicate what they write, it's still a good source for a fresh outlook on sex. It's all about bringing characters closer, pushing stories forward or giving a serial killer her Modus Operandi.

That's right... Sex as the serial killer's M.O. or "method of operation" (English translation of Modus Operandi). I learned the term on my favorite TV show "Criminal Minds". Not only did I become aware of the world of serial killers, but became fascinated.What I discovered was that when creating killers, you have to let go of all pleasantries and realize that you are dealing with the scum of the earth. So to keep the realism, without actually committing murders, it's important to read about them. I do a lot of my research using blogs like "The World Of Serial Killers".

This blog exposes it's readers to  many cases of serial killers. As well as gives information about famous serial killers, like Jeffrey Dahmer (Pictured left). These articles and stories start me on research mode for M.O., victimology and signatures from which I can create psychological details from my characters. Understanding how the minds of killers of all levels work, can create a level of realism that won't just flow naturally without research.

Now I know that you are probably disturbed by the content I have researched thus far. But truth be told, I research pretty much everything, prior to writing anything. And when I'm feeling that my writing muscles just need a bit of exercise, I like blogs with prompts and writing tips that I can practice. One blog that I really like is "The Write Practice". Tips like "When You Don’t Know What to Write, Write About Your Insecurities" you have a great guide to keeping your writing pretty fresh.

So as a whole, blogs are a great source for research information. But remember, you are reading a person's thoughts, and topics that they researched. So it's not always the best source for all topics. All in all though, it can be pretty fun doing your research with blogs... Especially all of Cosmo's blogs.

Oh well... Back to my writing.