What's in Your Wallet? Every Day Carry for Your Character: Info for Writers

Do you remember watching that old game show "Let's Make a Deal"? Monty Hall would ask women to reach into their purses and pull out absurd things, pieces of cheese and such. As a kid, I wondered what thought process the women would go through when making their choices of what to bring to the show -- just in case it got them an opportunity to play the game.

I thought about this again when I was reading Janet Evanovich's By the Numbers series. Stephanie Plumb had a gun and maybe some bullets in her purse. . .somewhere. . . 

What your character carries with them is a big insight into the character's thought process, background, and lifestyle. As an example, I'm going to show you the inside of my purse so you can see what I mean.


Ta dah! This is my purse with the insides pulled out. 

It weighs a TON!

In the center of the black organizer is this toiletry bag

Which looks like this when opened.

By now you might be thinking, wow this chick is VERY organized. 

When it comes to my purse, I am. 

Just like a bag carried by a military person or an EMT, my bag is there for convenience and to save lives. It has saved lives many times. So I am very careful with how things are packed into my bag.

This is what's inside that toiletry bag:

On the right of the bag are the everyday niceties: 

• chapstick - outdoors a lot
• deodorant - two teens
• lotion

On the left tools/safety

• paracord (blog article)
• swiss army type knife
• small leatherman
• Glucose tabs (to counter low blood sugar)

In the center go six specialized mini-kits:

Kit #1 (MOST important)

• diabetic meter
• test strips and fresh needles
• alcohol wipe
• lancet
• fast acting glucose (read about using that in this scene of MISSING LYNX)
• And a hair tie - because if you're using the glucose gel on someone, you'll have it in your hair.

Kit #2

• shampoo taken from hotel stay because it works like soap.
• lighter/cotton balls for fire starting
• 2 glow sticks
• tweezers (can use lighter to disinfect)
• 2 different colors of duct tape - the bright pink is good for marking trails if you are lost. Also great for writing information for the EMT prior to their arrival when assessing and triaging folks. Just stick it on their arm at the wrist.
• And grey is an all purpose helper. (They are each wrapped around used gift cards.)

Kit #3

Mini first aid 

• honey works great for a bunch of issues from low glucose to wound care
• benadryl in instant melt form can save someone having an allergic reaction

Kit #4 

Hair and Clothes

Kit #5

Meds - the basics 

• Advil
• Allergy
• Pamperin (great for migraines)
• Imodium

Kit #6 

Other first aid - (products for alternative use)

• Condom (blog article)
• Tampons/pads (blog article)
• 4 wash cloths (those little white disks expand in water)
• A hand crank flashlight
• dental floss (blog article)
• Emergency cash

Now all of that goes into an outer carry case with pockets that contains:

• umbrella with pen light
• water
• wand flashlight
• pens
• CPR kit with gloves and respiration mask
• 6 meal replacement bars
• red lipstick 

My keys:  

• flashlight
• multitool
• whistle

Did you note how many forms of light I have?

1 high lumen hand held light wand

1 high lumen tactical flashlight

2 glow sticks

1 hand crank flashlight

1 mini pen light

(and if push came to shove) a lighter

____________

8 forms of lighting. 

WHY??? you may ask. I have been involved in many a crisis, and it seems the one recurrent theme is it's pitch black. Emergencies in the dark are darned dangerous.

Did you notice the forms of food/glucose?

6  meal replacement bars

2 honey

1 tube glucose tablets

1 tube fast acting glucose

$ for emergency food

_____________

11 forms of possible sugar/food. 

WHY??? (I know the diabetes meter was a give away.) My kid #4 is a T-1 diabetic. BUT 1/3 of America has some form of diabetes. All of the emergency diabetic stuff I carry, in the ten years I have carried it, has only been used to save strangers' lives.

If I had lead a life different from the one I have, I would obviously carry different products in a different way. 

Things not on my priority list include brushes and makeup except for my energy boosting red lipstick which BTW is excellent for writing tourniqueted-limb times on foreheads etc. Ah, now would your character have had that thought when she put her lipstick in her bag?

What's in your character's wallet or purse? 

• Will it help? 
• Will it thwart? 
• Will it give insight? 
• Will it be a conversation starter?
• MAYBE it will twist your plotline.

Fiona Quinn's Newsletter Link, Sign up HERE

Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.

Stuck in the Car During a Snowstorm: How to Save Your Heroine's Life

________________________________________________________________________

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Your heroine was out of there! She jumped into her car and drove at break-neck speed, racing away from the troubles that you wrote into her plot line. She couldn't see the distant city lights yet as she flew down the lonely dark highway, but surely she was getting closer to civilization and some sanity - or maybe just a stiff drink.


Not so fast, silly heroine! Your author has written you an empty gas tank. Looks like you're stuck in sub-freezing temperatures by the side of the road. Now what?

Maybe she isn't even out there alone and far from civilization? Here's a link to a story where a family with a baby is stranded on a highway for 26 hours along with everyone else. No rescuers coming to the rescue. Did your character come prepared?
LINK (1:21)

Photo credit: Wikipedia)

YIPES! Maybe this is what happened to your character:
Video Quick Link - (1:35) black ice
Video Quick Study (0:56) slush

... or maybe she's a kick-ass driver?
Video Quick Study (6:20) - Driving well on ice - besides the bloke has a great English accent (always a

                                           bonus!)
Video Quick Study (4:14) Acceleration
Video Quick Study (1:14) Did you put your heroine into a four-wheel drive?

Here are some ideas on how to save your heroine and make her look like she knows how to take charge of a bad situation. Or reverse if you feel like making her life really miserable.

RULE #1 Do NOT leave the car!

Best case:
* She told someone when she left, the route, and when she should get to her destination.
* Heroine should be aware of where she is travelling so she can give an exact location to rescue workers.

* Arrive safely and let everyone know she made it. Whew!

But then she got stuck in a snowbank?
* Stay with the car
* Call for help, giving location
* Start car periodically to warm it up and keep the battery from draining.
   (so the horn will work to signal for help)
* Make SURE that the tailpipe is free of obstruction (like snow drift)
   you don't want your heroine to asphyxiate on carbon monoxide. Or maybe you do...
* Have your character weigh the pros and cons of getting out of the car
   `Drop in core temperature when exposed to wind and snow
   `Damp clothes that wick heat away from the body and no longer provide
    insulation and warmth.
   `Are there things in her trunk that might be helpful? That could save her from
    discomfort, if not save her life?

Video Quick Study (5:27) family go stuck overnight.

Which leads us to her EDC (Every Day Carry)

How smart and prepared is your heroine?




This is an example EDC winter kit that she might have in the back of the car along with water bottles.
All of these items tuck easily into the small plastic bucket with room for other things your heroine might want.
This kit contains:
* Food for three days (fiber bars, jerky, raisins, peanut butter, candy)
* An in-car toilet kit. Okay guys, roll your eyes, but "going" out in sub-freezing weather for ladies in winter
   clothing would take a yoga master. Also, every time she opens the door, she lets out any warmth she's built
   up in the car, and exposes way too much of herself to the elements - the cold and the wet. So instead, she
   lines the white plastic bucket with a draw-string bag, uses that with the TP, then closes the top firmly.
   Tah dah!
* A hand crank radio/flashlight (ours also has a phone charger - though this is only helpful if your heroine is
   travelling where there is a phone signal.) This will:
` Keep the car battery from going low
` Give her needed information on weather conditions
` Help keep up her morale and help her pass the time
` Have her keep her circulation moving by doing this light exercise without breaking a sweat and
   moistening her clothes.
* Glow light
* Hat
* Emergency blanket - which can be tented over the in-car heater to help reflect
   even more heat onto the heroine and help keep her toasty warm.
* Lighter
* Knife
* Extra trash bag (to collect snow if she forgot her water bottles or runs out of water)
* Hand warmers
* In-car heater: unused paint can, small Crisco, piece of paper

(NOTE: this heater with one wick raised the ambient car temperature to 68F while the exterior temperatures were dropping. Two wicks would increase the amount of heat output but increase smoke and fire hazard.)

Other things that she should/could have on hand:

* Signal flares and other signalling devices. She can use the mirrors in her car, and beep the horn in a
   sequence of three. REMEMBER any grouping of three - light flashes, sound blasts, etc. - are an
   international distress signal. Call AUTHORITIES immediately to get them involved in the situation.
   If your character is running into an unknown situation- she should do so with caution.
   It could be a home-invasion/kidnapping scenario.
* Extra gloves
* Sub-zero sleeping bag
* A folding shovel
* Jumper cables, windshield scrapers, tire re-inflation cans and other normal car EDC items

Consumer Reports talks your heroine through pre-winter preparation. If she didn't do it, well there you have your plot twist! Video Quick Study (11:00)

. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here's hoping both you and your character stay safe. 

Fiona Quinn's Newsletter Link, Sign up HERE

Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.

Self-protection in Fiction - Carrying a Kubotan - Information for Writers

Kubotan (Photo credit: trapgosh)

DISCLAIMER - This is a non-political site that is geared to help writers write it right. I am presenting information to help develop fictional characters and fictional scenes. In no way am I advocating any position or personal decision.


Your heroine is in danger, and she knows it! She has to protect herself. But how? Sometimes giving your character a new tool to use makes for a more interesting read. So for the next few weeks, I will be introducing self-defense tools beyond the pistol in the purse.

Let me start with some credentials. I am a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. I have trained with several hand-to-hand weapons in preparation for my second degree black belt testing.

As far as weapons go, I will offer this piece of advice, with your characters as well as in real life, if the decision is made to have a weapon handy:

1.) Know how to use it.
2.) Be willing to use it.
3.) Practice - often.

For me, as far as everyday-carry (EDC) goes? I always have a KUBOTAN handy.

Questions???

Is it legal to carry a Kubotan?
Check with your local state, but in my research, I have never found a law against carrying a kubotan. I have carried it into federal buildings, airplanes, courthouses. The only place anyone ever stopped me was an event where the POTUS was speaking. The Secret Security asked me to give them my "weapon." (And it was my pretty pink one! Boo.)

Are they expensive?
10$ Depending.

Are KUBOTANS dangerous weapons?
First, let me say that almost ANYTHING can become a weapon and be used in a dangerous way (okay maybe not elbow macaroni, but you understand what I'm trying to say here.)
*My car keys can gouge out your eyes.
*My high-heel can be planted into your windpipe.
*My coat-belt can choke you out.

So dangerous is as dangerous does. If your character doesn't know how to use a kubotan or is unwilling to inflict pain/damage it is better for your character that she not carry one because it can be turned against her - though that might make a good plot twist.

Where would my character buy a KUBOTAN?
Gun shops
Self-defense shops
Martial arts suppliers
Amazon.com

Are there different types of KUBOTANS?

This is a cylinder kuboton. I think of it as a boys' kuboton. I wouldn't carry it. I think it would slip out of the hand too easily. Security guards carry this a lot for pressure point pain infliction.

This is my kuboton. See how pretty it is? Everyone thinks it looks like a Christmas tree ornament. Yeah, think that.

Notice the ridges that fit nicely between my fingers. It helps me grip it tightly. Imagine holding that in a fist for a punch. The solidity helps to protect the hand bones, and the keys will fling out - double impact. For example, while landing a punch to the nose, causing a break that will take the fight out of most assailants, the keys will fling into the temple. A temple strike, for your character, can be fatal to their attacker.

(Attached you also see my LED flashlight - another EDC component that might get your heroine out of a bad situation.)

On my KUBOTAN, notice the sharp point. This, in my opinion, is key. It is for applying pressure, and makes a (hammer) strike that is much more devastating.

There are also kubotans that have a release so that a chord extends between the keys and the kubotan. This makes the kubotan ILLEAGAL in many states because it becomes a modified numchuck. Jail time slows the pace of a book. Just sayin'.

What are the basics of KUBOTAN protection?
*When I fight, my left foot is forward and my right foot behind and
  to the side for stability. (This frees up my dominant leg for kicks
  and allows for pivoting for running away and for back-sliding if
  they are brandishing a weapon - like a knife)
* The kubotan is carried in the dominant hand; the non-dominant
   arm is up to block the attacker's response.
* DO NOT aim at your target. Aim significantly past your target, so
    you get the full range of motion. For further information about 
    how to aim and follow through go to this LINK
* Keep your motions controlled and tight. (No wide/wild swinging
   around) Why? They'll take your weapon; you are left open for a
   strike; it's fatiguing; you lose power in the swing...snap instead.
* Once you start striking, strike until you have cleared a path for
   retreat. DO NOT STOP the defense.  GO means GO - then have
   the character run, or not, you know what happens next in your
   plot.

After writing this article, I received a question from a writer about the helpfulness of a kubotan in two different scenarios: the blitz v. premeditation. She was also curious as to how effective a kubotan actually is. Here's my answer:

Fiona Quinn's Newsletter Link, Sign up HERE

Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.