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Showing posts with label Gun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gun. Show all posts

Monday, July 15, 2013

Choosing a Handgun for Your Character

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English: Trigger Double Action Italiano: Grill...
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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.







Decision One - Why is your heroine carrying a gun?

Target Shooting - chose a gun that
    is comfortable to shoot and the
    ammo is inexpensive.
    (.22 is cheapest)
Conceal Carry - strong enough
     bullet to do the job (higher
     caliber), light enough and small
     enough to conceal on the body.

Home Protection, Back Woods, Zombie Apocalypse
     for all 3, she might want a 
     higher caliber
     (bigger bullet - .357, .44) to
     protect against large animals
     such as bear or werewolf.

This is a picture from one of my target practices with a Springfield 9mm XD-S/20 feet/32 bullets.



DECISION TWO: There are two kinds of handguns - the revolver and the semi automatic



English: Enfield No. 2 Mk I* revolver produced...
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Revolver

The revolver gets its name from the barrel that must revolve forward to bring the next bullet into play.

The industry standard is a six-bullet cylinder.

If the villain is using a revolver then your heroine can count bullets and has a window of opportunity when he has to reload.

Now choose:
Single action - your character will have to cock the gun before she can pull the trigger. This slows down her firing ability.
Double Action - every time your character squeezes the trigger it will pull the hammer back and fire


PROS

* Extremely simple
* Point and shoot
* They fire every time - if they fail to fire in an emergency situation
   simply continue to pull the trigger and the cylinder will continue
   to rotate and prepare the next round
* Easier to clean and maintain than a semi-
* Can be left loaded without issue


CONS

* Smaller capacity than a semi
* No recoil spring to help you with recoil action - the shooter's hand
   takes the recoil. This HURTS so, in my opinion, not a great gun
   for target practice but okay for emergencies.




 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Semi-automatic

A semi-automatic fires the bullet in the chamber, extracts it, ejects it, and loads a new round


PROS 

* More control than a revolver
* More comfortable to shoot because of the recoil spring
* Higher capacity (holds more rounds)
* Quicker to reload


CONS

* Not as simple as a revolver: there are more parts such as the
   magazine release and the slide release.
* Not necessarily as reliable because they can jam occasionally. 
   The character would have to clear the jam before she could
   continue shooting.
* Must take apart to clean and maintain
* If you leave your gun loaded for a long time the magazine springs
   can become compressed so one should not leave it loaded (or just
   replace the magazines every once in a while). But this might 
   be a reason for a complication in your plot.

Semi- automatic video quick study (6:15)


DECISION THREE - What is the gun made from?

This mostly has to do with weight - how carry-able is it? How accurate is it? How much can your heroine handle?

Three Most Common Materials

Steel and Polymer (around 26  oz.)
Steel and Aluminum Framed (around 32 oz)
Full Steel ( around 40 oz.)


DECISION FOUR - Safety or no safety?

With a safety on, even if there is a bullet in the chamber, squeezing the trigger will not produce a shot. This might pose a problem for your character if her adrenaline is flowing, her brain isn't functioning, and she can't figure out why the bad guy is still attacking her.

Without a safety - her shot is quicker. However, accidents can happen. Would this advance your plot?

DECISION FIVE - Is this a good fit for your character?

* How big are her hands? (check grip size on gun)
* How strong is she? (check weight)
* Can she take the recoil? (a revolver might put her on her butt and
   that might be where you want her)
* What capacity (how many bullets does she need to do the job? 
   Or fail at the job?)
* Reloading (How fast? How many times? How successful?)
* What caliber of bullet does she use? Bullet tutorial

I would suggest that after doing some research and making some initial decisions, that you go by the gun store and hold the gun that you think your character would use. I have very small hands and some guns are just too large for me to grip properly. Glocks for example have HUGE grips and are not great for small hands reaching the trigger. Blog entry of me shooting a Glock at a F.A.T.S. demo CLICK HERE

I shoot a Springfield 9mm XD-S for comfort, and accuracy in range shooting and home protection. It fits my small hand, is a good weight and size, and I can use extended clips to increase my capacity. The trigger pull is about 6 lbs. which is easy enough for my strength level. 26 oz. Though pretty difficult for me to field strip (open it up to fix a problem). Small enough for concealed carry. 
Excellent overview of the XD (8:36)

While I write my blogs from the perspective of the heroine, my friend at Confidential Resource thinks you should note:
Hand size is not a gender issue. Handguns are all about the shooter's hand size. Hand strength is also an issue as most people don't work with their hands today. However, hand size is the most critical issue.

The reason it is so important is that the pistol barrel must align with the forearm to enable accurate controlled fire. To line-up with the forearm the tips of the second and third fingers must press on the side of the grip opposite the palm. Without this, you will not be able to acquire or maintain a proper firing grip. For people with small hands, this means a narrow front-strap that is well rounded--think 1911, P220, or perhaps the SR9 pistols. Of course, the reach to the trigger face is also an important consideration.

For concealed I like:
Sig Saur P238 Copperhead (video 1:38) It is easy to conceal (.380ACP caliber). It hurts to shoot. Watch your character's grip - the gun is so tiny she might get her hand over the barrel/slide.

I also like the Ruger LCP and the Kel-Tec P3AT Ruger and Kel-tec (video 8:38) The Ruger LCP is what Kelli carries Women Carrying Concealed blog entry

A COUPLE OF HOUSECLEANING ITEMS:

Did you know?

When you have a magazine in your semi it is not considered loaded. A loaded gun means that you have a round in the chamber. Careful when you're writing. If you write that the gun is loaded and then the character racks the slide, then you have made a mistake.

Should the gun be loaded? Talking to experts, the prevailing wisdom says:
Semi- 
   * If the semi has a safety, yes
   * If the semi has no external (thumb) safety then no (remember
      this just means not having a bullet in the chamber) 
Revolver - yes.
Conceal carry? yes.

Confidential Resource: Sources & Methods for the Investigator  (http://www.confidentialresource.com/ @locuscommunis on twitter) explains that:
Experienced shooters always refer to the 'condition' to describe the pistol's state or readiness to fire. A proficient gun handler will usually keep the pistol in Condition One or Four. Institutions that know their people are incompetent will often dictate Condition Three to avoid negligent discharges in administrative handling.
  • Condition Four: Chamber empty, empty magazine, hammer down.
  • Condition Three: Chamber empty, full magazine in place, hammer down (Israeli carry).
  • Condition Two: A round chambered, full magazine in place, hammer down (extremely dangerous, especially with SA pistol).
  • Condition One: With Single Action: a round chambered, full magazine in place, hammer cocked, safety on. With striker fired pistol: a round chambered, full magazine in place, striker at ready position. With Traditional Double Action (TDA), DAO, or LEM: a round chambered, full magazine in place, hammer at ready.
  • Condition Zero: A round chambered, full magazine in place, hammer cocked, safety off.


Best video series I have ever seen on guns is:
MAGPUL DYNAMICS THE ART OF THE DYNAMIC HANDGUN YOUTUBE overview available on Amazon.

And before I leave today can I just add this one little bit of information...? A pet peeve is someone who writes a silent shot with a silencer. Shooting with a silencer removes the sound and light to a distance that makes it easier to shoot without flinch (my target paper is always so pretty when I shoot with a silencer) but it IS NOT SILENT! 



LINK Nottoway Shooting Sports





See how this article influenced my plot lines in my novella MINE and my novel CHAOS IS COME AGAIN.




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.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Women Carrying Concealed - Information for Writers

Schietsport, vrouwen met pistool / Sports, sho...
Schietsport, vrouwen met pistool / Sports, shooting. Women with pistols (Photo credit: Nationaal Archief)

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 decision.





Fiona - 
Today I am interviewing Kelli about conceal carry. Hey Kelli, are you ready?


Kelli - 
Yep. I'm cooking deer meat, so I may get up and walk off for one second if you wonder why it takes me a minute.
English: Handgun showing self lighting Tritium...
English: Handgun showing self lighting Tritium sights. These sights are commonly referred to as night sights and allow use in low-light and night conditions. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Fiona - 
Bahaha. You do that. Kelli, how would you describe yourself to my readers?

Kelli - 
I'm a 'down home' type of person. I like being in nature and with plants and animals and being able to do things for myself as much as possible. 
I was taught not to ask for help, that shows weakness. Friendly, helpful, but not a doormat to anyone. Growing up, I rode motorcycles, tried to rehab animals that were hurt, went camping with my family and spent most of my time outside playing. I grew up in southern West Virginia.


Wikipedia

Fiona -  
Kelli is being modest. She also holds an MA in education, qualifies to test for her third degree black belt, and is a Tae Kwon Do instructor. Okay, girlfriend, let's talk conceal carry. Watcha got in your purse?



Kelli - 
In my purse I have a journal, my wallet, and some chapstick. I don't carry in my purse!


Fiona
Where do you like to carry, what do you like to carry and why do you do it?

Kelli - 
I carry a .380 Ruger LCP and I use a Smart Carry for that (goes around the waist, deeply concealed). I carry for the same reason people wear a seat-belt, not because I think I will need it, but because it is a good idea for that 'just in case' moment. 

English: Clockwise start at the top left: Gloc...
English: Clockwise start at the top left: Glock G22, Glock G21, Kimber Custom Raptor, Dan Wesson Commander, Ruger sp101, Ruger Blackhawk .357, Sig Sauer P220 Combat. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Fiona - 
Have you ever needed it?

Kelli - 
Thankfully no, I have never had to draw! I also keep a .357 Ruger revolver in my console of my truck.

Fiona - And also a knife?

Kelli - 
As an herbalist, I always carry a good pocketknife, Benchmade! 

Fiona -  
So let's start at the beginning - when did you decide to start carrying and was there any particular reason?

Kelli - 
When I moved to CA we couldn't take a lot of our guns with us because of the law. So I left most of them at home in WV (we took one) after left there I moved to VA, and I realized there were times I was in some 'not so good' areas (not like home in WV where we know everyone). 

I started thinking about how I had lost my shooting skills being gone and how I would like them to get sharpened again. So I took a few classes and then saw they had a conceal carry class and thought that would be a good idea. So I went to the class, got my certification, and went through with the permit! 

My husband had been in Iraq, and I remember feeling a little more vulnerable during that time. I thought I should keep my shooting skills up and get more proactive with my protection of the house and of my daughter. Especially when we were out (we often traveled out of town on agility trials and went back home to WV a lot. (Kelli trains dogs for agility trials.)

Fiona - 
You like to use a Smart Carry and even made a YouTube video, right?

Kelli - 
Yes. I love the Smart Carry, and there were no videos showing how it fit women and how good it was for conceal for women. Most of the videos showed men only. So I wanted to show how easy it was for other women who may be thinking about it.



Fiona - 
Thanks for sharing! When you read books or watch videos of women with guns - I'm sure you see mistakes. What are some of the things that you would like writers to know about women carrying concealed?


Kelli - 
One of my biggest issues with the way women carry is that in most cases they think it is safe or preferable to carry in their purse. I am not saying this is wrong, but I don't feel it is the safest and quickest way to access your gun. Someone who wants to rob you may take your purse (now they have your gun, too).

English: An XOXO brand purse.
English: An XOXO brand purse. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Fiona - 
Okay Ladies, don't put your gun in your purse. And writers, now you can see how this can go wrong for our heroines - if you're trying to make the scene go bad.



Kelli - 
Right. If you have your gun on you, you can access it quicker and if you walk off from your purse there is no risk of someone (maybe a child) getting your gun. To me, that is very dangerous, and I don't care for it.

Youtube of a bra - carry

Fiona - 
Agreed. What about the chick who is afraid, and so she goes to the gun shop, buys a gun, and sticks it in her purse - do you like that one?


Kelli - 
Yikes! Know your gun. Practice with it. Practice drawing from different angels, different scenarios.


Fiona -
You mean I won't have time to hit my favorite pose and do some cleansing yoga breaths?


Kelli - Uhm, no. Fear can cloud your judgment, I would suggest that person get with an instructor and help her overcome her fears, and teach her how to use and carry her gun appropriately to fit her situation and circumstances (whatever they may be).


Fiona - 
Any other advice for the scared rabbit heroine?


Kelli - 
Don't be scared. Be prepared.

Fiona -
We should make a T-shirt.


Kelli - 
Bahaha. Yes. But that is my best advice on anything. Don't be scared, find ways to help yourself feel more confident about your self-defense skills (maybe take a women's self-defense class, martial arts, etc) but fear is NOT your friend! Confidence is your friend!


Fiona - 
Any ethics we need to keep in mind about conceal carry?


Kelli - 
If I am carrying, I usually take my gun off before going into someone's home, unless I know they are gun-friendly, and I usually do tell them. I ask them if that makes them uncomfortable (though I usually remove it). I think that is just being a good friend. If I know they are okay with it and carry themselves then I wouldn't think about it as much.


Fiona -  
Where can you get in trouble carrying - for writers who don't use guns, can you make a quick list? That was cryptic. I mean like a bar, the courthouse...


Kelli - 
That can depend on the state (you should always follow your state laws) but generally government agencies and schools are the top ones. I am not an expert in that so anyone interested needs to research that thoroughly and keep a list on your refrigerator, memorize, keep it in your car, etc. you need to know the law, if you don't you are not ready to carry! 

Advice for the heroine carrying concealed?


Kelli - 
Well my daddy told me this, "Never put your finger on the trigger unless you are ready to kill what is in front of you," and that is a big thing to consider. So my best advice is really think about it. Is your heroine willing to squeeze that trigger if she has to? If not, then she shouldn't carry. If your heroine hesitates, the gun can and will be used against her. Your heroine has to be 1000% sure of her ability to defend her life (or her family's). This is not play time; this is serious. And she needs to be serious about it.


Me - 
And now for the last words...


Kelli - 
My final thought? My life is worth defending, is yours? I really would like to see more women either carry, learn self defense skills, or something to protect themselves, sadly this world is not rainbows and unicorns. Women are often victims; it is time to end that!


Fiona - 
Amen. Thanks to Kelli for sharing her insights and thanks to you for stopping by. 



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.

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Saturday, December 3, 2011

Randy Shepherd, Sniper Information for Thriller Writers

ID: DMST8807422 Released to Public Service Dep...Image via Wikipedia







"FinDot" reticle.Image via WikipediaIt was fun to meet Randy Shepherd. He wears a broad and ready smile. Friendly, enthusiastic and just plain nice. He wears muscles on top of muscles, stacked high. Tight hipped. Cowboy stance. The gait of a soldier. His eyes invite conversation. Teasing is met with a quick wit. Definitely a ladies’ man, with a long history of banter practice under his belt.

Randy has a pulse of 54. Do you know what other animal has a pulse of 54? An Ox. Latent strength. I thought that it would be a bear in hibernation, but their rate is about nine beats per minute. And even Randy would be dead at that rate. Reptiles in cold conditions can get their heart rates down to 54. But not your typical guy. Of course, Randy is not typical.

He is able to keep his heart rate low by running. A lot of running. Marathons-just-for-the-fun-of-it running. His low heart rate is one of the keys to his success. That and nerves of steel. Incredible patients. Eagle eyes. Oh, and a willingness to lie there as he’s covered in bugs and other creepy crawlies, hour after hour, heat, sweat, cold, rain, whatever. Randy is a sniper. The winner of national sniping awards and a Lt. with the Guilford County Sherriff’s Dept.

Randy likes math. He was giddy over the idea of a cosine. Cosine make me nauseated. Well, they did back in college. If Randy had been my teacher, I would have had a better handle on my stomach. When he describes the formula, it is very interesting - it's exciting to think of math formulas from Randy’s point of view. And applicable. Maybe not for me - I’m not sniper material. I’d fall asleep if I had to lie still for eight hours at a time. Rifle  or no rifle. Bad guy or no bad guy. Exciting math formula or no. I’d either be asleep or swatting at the bugs, and needing a potty. Let's just say my pulse is not reptilian.

So here’s a little bit about sniping.

First the T Box - a T box on a face include the eyes as the top of the capital T and the nose as the stem. If a bullet hits in this area, the control portion of the brain will stop instantly. There will be no convulsion. The person who was hit would be unable to pull a trigger on the way down. Nothing. Just splat. Gone.


Snipers are trained to hit a 1” box at 100 yards. - 1” a football field away. 1”!!!! I’m thrilled to hit the bulls-eye at 20’. This area is multiplied by distance. For example at 200 yards the box is 2” and at 300 yards its 3”. At 300 yards! At 1,000 yards, he hits a 10” square. I didn’t know there was enough loft in a bullet to make it fly 1,000 yards. There are 1,760 yards in a mile just to make the distance clear.

Randy has a logbook where he meticulously documents weather conditions such as temperature, humidity, and wind speed. He uses these as a reference when he is adjusting his sites. Did you know that a 20-degree difference in temperature could shift the rise or fall of the bullet by 1” so if Randy were shooting on a day when it’s 40 degrees and a day when it's 100 degrees, the difference in the bullets movement would be 3”. Very significant when you need to hit the 1” box on the T.

Adjustments are made by changing the clicks on their cross-hairs  Theses changes are made in increments of minutes. A circle is divided into degrees and the degrees are further divided into minutes.

They have a formulaic for someone who is walking or running or sitting still. Randy never mentioned one for someone doing the tango - but it was probably because no one brought it up. Surely, Randy has thought of every contingency.

As Randy shoots, he has to not only consider hitting the T, he also has to consider where that bullet is going as it exits. Randy wants to embed it in a wall - he doesn’t want it to keep flying. I certainly don’t want it to keep flying!

So where do those cosines come in?

In Randy’s little black book, where he keeps all of his important numbers, he knows the heights of average things. The height of a window, a door, a lamppost etc. at various distances. This helps him figure out how far he is away from his target. He also knows how high up he is given the floor he is standing on. Important.

If someone from the ground were to say to Randy on the 14th floor, “Hey Randy, we have a laser on him and he’s 380 yards away.” Randy has to take into consideration that that measurement was taken from a 180-degree angle. Randy is shooting from 154’ above. This would make the distance considerably different. Randy does his math calculations (Randy does this - not me. I said it was interesting, not that I’d actually partake) and comes up with the correct distance. He sets the minutes on his reticle of his crosshairs and he’s ready should the shot become necessary.

When is a shot necessary?
When there is imminent danger.

Do the snipers use lasers on their guns?
No, it makes them lazy and it’s just one more thing to go wrong - mechanical failure issues. And we don’t need any issues when trying to get a bullet in that 1” box at 1,000 yards.

Is sniping a glamorous life?
Yes if your idea of fashion is a ghillie suit. This amorphous garment is made to disguise human form by making you one with nature. Basically, you look like a shrub.

The sniper practices being in place for 12 hours at a time. That’s where Randy’s sloth-like heartbeat comes in handy. The snipers are formed into two man teams called “sniper elements.” They try to have eight snipers in a situation. Imagine a building as a diamond. Two elements (4 people) sit together. One sniper element observes the right wall and the other sniper element observes the left wall. There are two other sniper elements doing the same thing only on the diagonally opposite side of the building. Watching walls three and four. So now, each wall of the building is being watched by a sniper element.

Let’s say Randy is on the element looking down the front of the building. He counts off the windows and doors and feeds this information to Command. The snipers try to find indications of what could be in each of the various rooms so if a ground team goes in, Command has an idea of where they are going. Person one on the element will look at their section with binoculars and report anything that they see, especially any movement to Command. They are trying to figure out where the bad guy is hanging out. Possibly barricading himself in.

While Randy’s partner is on binoculars, Randy is breathing steadily, heartbeat is low, eyes shut. He is in a state of suspended animation. On a cue, Randy will open his eye, train his rifle on any given window that is called by his partner, and shoot.

If after 12- 15 minutes nothing happens. They switch. Both snipers have their own guns. Though they train at regular intervals on each other’s guns - just in case one of them has mechanical issues.

They work on a SWAT team. Randy’s SWAT team is made up of two entry teams (16 men) and an 8-man striker team.

If you would like a link to more sniper math information try this:
http://www.sniperflashcards.com/windreading.php



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.

F.A.T.S. No, It's Not Another Diet, Information for Writers


GLOCK 17 semiauto pistol Image via WikipediaCharacter Designation: Some good guys, maybe a hero, definitely some bad guys…

Character descriptions:
Okay. This is a little tricky. I would love to present a hero figure to you today. I know there were some in the room. I don’t have a clue who they were. I don’t know their names. I can’t even remember if they introduced themselves. Someone was tall-ish; someone was round-ish. There may have been some others, and there may not have been. I was in F.A.T.S. training. It was a simulator to train officers in using firearms, and I had tunnel vision from the second I went through the door.

Writers: If you think a witness is going to be with it and take in bunches of information, I would suggest that this would have to be a highly trained person. I have some training, and I’ve got almost nothing in the way of useful detail.

We went into a classroom, yup - just a normal classroom with a screen and a black plywood cutout. I remember this cutout vividly, because I did a lot of hiding there behind it. Seems that, training or no, my body reflexively wanted to duck. The two people I shot next to didn’t seem to have this reflex and stood square on while they were being shot at. Hmmm. Maybe they're not watching the same movies I am.


Bullets for handloading - Sierra brand in .270...
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
We were given guns and cartridges. No real bullets. I’m not sure of the technology that allows the screen to analyze your every move, but it does. I was the little number 8 bubble that wavered on the screen when we did the play back. We used Glocks. Now, I shoot a Springfield 9 mm. and a Glock doesn’t feel much different except that we had extended clips. This forced me to change my grip. I broke my wrist punching through concrete at a Tae Kwon Do testing, but that’s a different story for a different day, (Link to the story) and my right wrist never regained all of its strength. I say that with modesty because my right wrist never was very strong. I prefer to kick - I have long legs, and I want to be out of the bad guys reach. Reach in the F.A.T.S. scenario is not an issue. This fight is all about the gun. And my gun was now held slightly to the left of bulls-eye, sandwiched by my hands 


English: Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport ...
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
First scenario:
We were shown a scene of an airport. A guy was being patted 
down. Some people were moving through the area. A silver haired man about six feet tall came around a barrier and shot at me. Well, us. But it felt very personal. Someone was shooting at me! I dropped behind the barrier. I was the yeller for the group. “Police! Drop your weapon!” All the stupid lines from the movies came back to me. I’m shooting wildly as I’m yelling absurdities. I don’t know what. It could have been, “No you’re not getting up from the table until you eat your peas.” Really. I knew my mouth was moving. I was yelling. But in my head, I was incoherent.

My bullet took him down. I know this because on the play back the little #8 bubble turned red when I shot him in the head. Red is a fatal shot. And then, inexplicably, when his body draped over the table, I kept shooting him in the leg with a bunch of yellow (non-vital hit) indicators.

I had to take off my jacket. It was getting hot in here! Whew! The instructors came over. Okay, now I remember - the guy was much taller than me. 6’2”?   6’3”? Salt and pepper hair. Very calm voice. He adjusted my finger on the trigger to help me straighten out the shot from my floppy right wrist.

Second Scenario: 
Library at the De La Salle College of Saint Be...
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We were called to a school. We wound our way through the corridors to the library where a teen-aged boy held two females at the end of a knife. Now, if I were held at the end of a knife with a short bookcase between me and the knife-wielding dude, I wouldn’t just stand there and look frightened, I’d get the heck out of there. Just sayin’. Anyway, in we go. I’m the yeller. “Police. Put your knife down and your hands in the air.” Guy looks over. He's scared. He’s young. All he wants is a way out and to save some face. He knows what he’s doing is stupid - he just can’t think his way through this. He has tunnel vision. I have my gun aimed at him. It’s a close open shot. Of course, I don’t take it. Those girls aren’t really in harms way. They just need to walk in the other direction. 

As a one time Emergency Interventionist, working with people who have homicidal and suicidal ideations, I know I could probably talk this guy down. I need to put on my counselor hat. But no. I have a gun in my hand. I have tunnel vision on top of tunnel vision, and somehow I lost that counselor hat as I was winding my way through all those darn tunnels. There I stood like and idiot screaming, “I said put the knife down!” over and over and over again, until finally I bored the guy into submission.

Scenario three:
Bristol Law School courtroom
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Is anyone else getting warm in here? Off came my sweater.


In this scenario we were in a courtroom. The camera panned around the people sitting in rows on the benches. I tried to pick out whom I thought might be dangerous. Turned out to be the prisoner. He clocked the guard that was escorting him, stole his gun, and started shooting at me. AGAIN! I got some rounds off - they only hit him in the arm as he was fleeing - maybe he could have bled out from my hits, but it would have taken hours. Maybe he’d die of an infection... eventually. Good thing my partner shot him in the head as we chased him through the park. That ended things sooner rather than later.

Scenario four:
I am sweating. My heart is beating a fast tattoo. I don’t have any more clothes to shed and still preserve modesty. I look around. There is a man in a red jacket sitting on a seat behind me, chuckling as I fluff at my t-shirt. He has grey hair too. Okay. Maybe I saw a bit more than I remembered having seen. 

      “I’m hot!” I told him. “Are there many more scenarios? I’m going to end up having to strip down.” 
     “Turn up the heat,” Round Guy says to Tall Guy. Tall Guy laughs and walks towards the thermostat. That’s all I saw of them - I was back to tunnel vision.

We were called out to a domestic dispute. As we pull up and get out of the car, a man is staggering up the driveway. He goes down. His back is covered in stab wounds. I chase the woman back in the house. She is obviously up-out-of-her-freaking-mind. Yes. That is the technical term an Emergency Interventionist would use. Yes, inexplicably, I’m the yeller again. I guess they saw what a brilliant job I did back at that library. 

      So again, “POLICE! Put the knife down. Move out into the open with your hands on your head!” Does she listen to me? No! She runs back into the bedroom and shoots at me. My hand comes up. I shoot her BOOM! dead-center in the forehead as I go down behind my little protective panel of plywood. My partners fill her dead body full of yellow #s.

And we’re done.

TAKE AWAY : Tunnel vision is very dangerous. All I could see, hear, feel, touch, think was the person with the weapon IN FRONT OF ME. Everything else, everyone else faded completely away. In a writing scenario this would mean that the bad guys could easily jockey themselves into another position. Hell. They could have walked right up beside me and pistol-whipped me in the head. Yup, that tunnel vision is a bitch and needs to be remembered when writing.

As I read this over, I notice I'm cussing a lot. Yeah - the ticker tape running at the bottom of my consciousness was pure gutter mouth. I was stringing them together like a drunken sailor. Lady-like demeanor be damned. Someone was *&#%ing shooting at me!

Even in a simulation there was a physical response. Every one of your characters should be drenched in sweat. If they’re walking away fresh as a daisy, you’ve written it wrong. They need a shower and a stiff drink.



See this article in action in my novella: MINE


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