Writerpedia discussion

I am writing a...urban fantasy I guess you could call it, but I need advice in several different areas.

Eventually I would like someone to read it (other then myself) to make sure it makes sense, that each character has his or her own unique voice, and that I have minimized the extraneous information. However, right now I am on page...103, and only about 1/3 of the way through the story arch I have in my head. So I don't know how long it will be until I am ready for that.

Right now I have questions regarding military—specifically Special Operations (SEAL teams and the like). Other areas I have questions in are criminal law (I am trying to decide what is and is not illegal in my world, i.e. is giving police false information attained via psychic means illegal? and if so, under what circumstances?) FBI/police procedures for kidnapping/murder, and tactical assistance (the main character has found the kidnapper in an isolated area—back in the woods, and needs to capture the bad guy and rescue the little boy).

…ok, reading that my storyline seems to make no sense. But it does, I promise. Or at least I think it does. In any case, these are only the start of my questions, I’m sure there will be more to follow.

If you can help, I would deeply appreciate it. If all you can do is point me to a source, I appreciate that as well.

Thank you!

Ellen

wish i could help. sounds interesting though

You know, if I were looking for information about SEAL procedures, etc., I'd be researching not only the Navy website, but also Googling for true stories from SEALs themselves. You might find these in newspapers, on different websites, but barring an expert, Google is the next best option. I did something similar when I researched recovery times from a bullet wound, in addition to talking to medical personnel.

FBI procedures, again, go to the FBI website www.fbi.gov (I think) or Google for true stories. There've been untold numbers of true accounts.

If I were you, in regards to whether or not evidence gained by psychic means is legal, or giving false evidence attained by such means is a crime, I'd ground this in reality, just to give the reader the option to suspend his or her disbelief long enough to enjoy your story.

Just my two cents. Hope it helps some.

Mari

By grounding in reality, I mean I'd make the evidence obtained by psychic means, or the false evidence as such, impermissible in a court of law, just as hearsay is. This gives the reader a base to which he or she can relate.

mari

Thanks Mari, you've brought up an interesting point.

I've done both--looking up SEAL stories and FBI ones (I have the FBI site bookmarked on the page that gives you actual case files). I've even watched the Military channel--they had a special where they followed a SEAL class though the BUD/s training not long ago. But I guess what I really need is someone who has more knowledge so I can bounce ideas off them. I just don't know where to find them.

*searches under bushes* They are very good at hiding.

As for evidence gained by psychic means--I've set the world up so that psychic abilities are accepted, and utilized by most governments and government agencies. The US even has an agency established to identify, train, monitor, and employ psychics: the Bureau of Preternatural Research and Relations.

With all that, it is plausable that evidence gained by psychic means is admittable in court. But then I have to address the issues of when is it illegal, how is it illegal and the whole mess.

I want to make it illeagal for a psychic to willingly provide false information to the police--mostly because I have a character I just don't like and I want to punish her for being a insufferable know-it-all who has cost seven boys their lives--but I'm not entirely sure how to do it.

I'm a bit of a perfectionist with just enough knowledge of criminal law that the particulars of it are giving me fits.

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions Mari.

I guess your biggest problem regarding the false information by a psychic is going to be how to prove the physic gave false information in the first place. Or so it seems to me. And that would give me fits as well.

I have plenty of physic characters in my work, even one who's a Texas Ranger, but nothing he intuits isn't backed by solid evidence if he's after a conviction in court.

Think of it, though. If an agency, any agency of law enforcement, tries to get away with pointing a finger at someone, they have to have hard evidence to prove their case. Otherwise, it's just a matter of guilt because someone at the agency says so. I wouldn't want to live in a world like that. And being a police agency, the Bureau of Preternatural Research and Relations should have the easiest time of all producing said hard evidence because they can, in effect, read minds and thus know where to find the evidence as well as the bad guys, or girls. In fact, I could see some inter-agency rivalry here over turf, as it were, because the psychic bureau is so good at their jobs versus the regular police and FBI, stuck with producing evidence to prove their case the hard way.

Just some thoughts...

Mari

Technically, the BPRR isn't a police agency.

When I named them Bureau I was thinking more along the lines of Bureau of Indian Affairs. The main directive of the BPRR is to identify the preternatural. They also train psychics since psychic skills can be an asset and an untrained psychic is potentially dangerous; monitor psychic businesses--you can only have a psychic business if you are a verified and certified psychic (and the BPRR does not like giving out the certifications)...and other stuff that right now escapes me.

When I started writing it was the Bureau of Psychical Research and Relations--and the world only had psychics, but somehow I now have active magic users (witchs/wizards, sorcerers etc--though I haven't figured out the terminology there), fey or faries (though they technically are still living in another realm/dimension and only a few wonder around), were's, and vampires. Hence the "Preternatural"...my simple world convoluted itself. *sigh*

I hadn't thought about an inter-agency rivalry though...so its interesting and somehow almost right. It doesn't work because the BPRR isn't a police agency but they DO place psychics with agencies that request psychic assistance. Although there are some psychics who skip the BPRR and just join an agency (like the FBI) as an agent and work up that way. In fact the character I want to punish (Jennifer) is one of those who skipped the BPRR; Brianna (the main character/heroine) works for the BPRR and has met up with a lot of resistance, and down right hostility on several cases--to the point where on one case they ignored her to disaterous results. I couldn't explain why though, not logically but now I think I have it. What if the agent in charge of that investigation had his own psychic abilities and when they called Brianna in anyway he deliberatly ignored her because he resented her?

...it gets confusing trying to explain everything in my head in a logical manner, so if all I've done is confuse you I appologize.

Anyway, thanks for the ideas. You have been more helpful then you know.

Ellen

Well, glad to have helped some, Ellen. Isn't it amazing how stories start out so simple and end up so complex? I love being a writer.

Mari

I am going to try again. I have Googled, looked at Wiki, other sites and books and I still need help with questions on military and police procedure (so I changed the name of the thread and hopefully more people will look at it).

I am a firm believer that you can do all the research in the world, but actually TALKING to someone who has had experience in what you are looking for will help you more than any book.

Therefore, if anyone has had any police and or military experience and would be willing to share--and answer off the wall questions, will you please use the goodreads e-mail and e-mail me? I honestly don't know what I need right now other then a sounding board--or just someone to talk to, to get the...feel of my character's right.

Please, please, please help!

Ellen

There's a group called the Dorsai Irregulars, some were mercenaries and ex-mil types, who do security at SF conventions.

http://www.di.org/

Thanks Marc...not sure what it will get me but thanks for the link.

Ellen

Ellen,

Send me a specific situation, like whatever section you are stuck on in your story and I'll send you a response.
I'm law enforcement so I can help you there. My cousin is an ex-SEAL and I'll see if he can shed any light on those situations.

Will do James, thank you!

Ellen

that`s right and enchanting, keeo the good works going.

Why not ask Barack Obama? He seems to know all about police procedure and how to handle military operations.

Rick wrote: "Why not ask Barack Obama? He seems to know all about police procedure and how to handle military operations."

Umm...yeah. Not going to work--I was hoping for something a little more practical, like say someone who has experience in one of those areas and wouldn't mind talking to me and letting me bounce ideas off them.

*sigh* I guess this was useless. But thank you everyone for your suggestions.