Them's Fightin' Words! Writing Fight Scenes Right with AJ Scudiere

______________________

Fight Scene Example 3 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I recently met AJ Scudiere at the Writers' Police Academy where she helped to demonstrate how to remove a gun from someone's hand and just how lethal a knife can be.

AJ, can you tell the ThrillWriting crowd about your background?

AJ - 
I was a dancer for over 20 years, pointe, modern, tap, etc. as a performer, teacher and choreographer. Now, I'm a writer, with 6 released books and over 20 best fiction or suspense of the year awards.

Fiona -
Very nice to have you. What a treat. Our topic du jour is getting a fat lip. Let's talk about reading first. AJ, when you read fight scenes, what makes you skim over the words?

AJ:
*Obvious writer techniques for breaks in action - like the character

  pulls the trigger, and we stop for a mental review in a way that

  doesn't flow. 

* When I start rooting for the antagonist because the hero gets

   really dumb all of a sudden and doesn't even know it.

* And sudden shifts in character, setting or even gravity i.e. we

   need a knife, so our southern housewife was just carrying one

   down a dark alley for no reason.

Fiona - 

YES! Or suddenly has a skill-set that takes years of practice to develop.

BTW, this Southern housewife ALWAYS carries a knife down dark alleys. 

Can you talk about pacing? What are some effective pacing points you can offer so that the fight has the desired impact?


AJ -
There's a common saying that fast things happen slow and slow things happen fast, and while that's a good general rule, it can be tiring to read something consistently set up that way. 

I find good writing reflects what's going on in the scene: introspection gets long sentences with heavier clauses and bigger vocabulary. Fights often go by with short, clipped sentence structure. This is often a good time to use fragments, commands, and other very short pieces. Vocab should stay short and ideally even contain words with sharp or harsh sounds when read aloud.

Fiona - 

Can you give us some fight scene sentence examples?

Fight Scene Example 2 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

AJ

His fist was lead as it plowed into her cheek. She reeled. Gulped for air.

Fiona - 
How do you like to lead into and out of fight scenes? 

I know it's not formulaic - but there is a decided shift in real life fight events (to read about the body language of aggression, go HERE)  you're eyeing your opponent, experiencing feelings, and then there's a trigger...

AJ -
This really plays back to that tunnel vision Eli Jackson was talking about. (See Eli Jackson's blog article HERE) When I shift into fight mode (IF I shift--sometimes I just open a chapter in a fight) then the scene starts wide and narrows. I tend to follow the characters' thoughts. So in many cases, there's a house, a room, a scene. Then as the fight begins, things shift scope. There's a lamp we can grab and wield if necessary. The gun at our back (or not, depending on how things go down) . . .

Fiona - 
A fight scene is short on the page but long in planning - can you walk me through the process (knowing that you have a sister-ninja at the ready).

AJ -
I literally walk through the scene. My family likes to ask if it's a new dance. They usually get a dirty look from me, then get told to join me, so they can play my victim or something. I'll ask/make my husband stand with his arm out in a punch so I can see if I can grab his arm and how much effort it would take to pull or push someone his size. I also head down to the karate school and grab my two favorite ninjas (one is my sis, both are avid readers) to walk a scene for me. I always know what I want before I go in, and I always find out I'm either wrong, off base, or really had no idea what I wanted.

Fiona - 
LOL - I was just working with a co-author over Skype and telling him about slicing an artery. He would NOT believe me. So I grabbed a daughter (2nd degree black belt) and a marker and told her to act out the scene to show him how she'd fall. My writing partner was horrified. So much fun!

AJ - 

Yup - that's pretty much it. I don't understand why other people don't see how much fun it is. Afterward, I say thank you and happily bop up the stairs to my office and proceed to murder folks on paper. Good times. 

Fiona - 

You are helping to put together the writing/fighting weekend - what kinds of things as a writer did you feel it was important to make sure were included - the things every fight-scene writer should experience rather than make up in their imagination?

AJ -

I've added more of the "who" to have. I.E. we need someone who will teach X because so many writers use this type of weapon in their story. I'm on a handful of writers' forums, and I see the questions writers are asking. I'm making sure we are addressing fight needs across genres. Also, I'm making sure our writing classes fit writers' needs, too. Not just a big name to come in and tell a funny story but to teach something specific about fight writing.

Fiona -

What are some of the most common questions that writers ask about fight scenes - AND what weapons are they asking about. 

AJ - 

Right now, everyone is clamoring for longsword. Not only do we have longsword teachers and demos, we have several eras represented. Though no one asked outright about this second topic, the one that most makes writers light up is when we mention our physicist who will be teaching about lasers and a separate class for space/anti-gravity fighting.

Fiona - 

Whoop! A physicist teaching AND anti-gravity fighting!!!

When you're writing a fight scene, how much research do you do? And, what does research look like to you?

AJ - 
It takes a lot more to get it right than people think. I can swim, but I don't jump in the pool and think I'm Michael Phelps. 

A lot of people don't realize that when writers slap things on paper, we get called on it, just the same way anyone else does when not giving their craft/job the work it requires. 

It's my job to get it right. And I work really hard to make sure that everyone, fighters included, can read my books and not get pulled out of the story by errors.

(Watermelon) Citrullus lanatus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Research takes many 

forms. In a lot of cases it can be done at the computer and involves reading or watching videos. 

But whenever I can, I go hands on. I lived in a firehouse for a while, and went on every call. I went into a police station and interviewed people at all different positions as well as rode along for over 24 hours. I shoot things, I break into my own house, and I've murdered a handful of watermelons.

Fiona - 
Can you tell me the story behind your favorite scar? (If no scar, then favorite harrowing story.)

AJ - 
No scars really. calluses on feet from spinning on hardwood barefoot for years.

Most harrowing story: I was in the the grocery store (with my then 6mo old infant) when two masked men came in and gunned down the two Brinks Guards there to pick up the daily cash. It was planned, they were never caught, and it happened 8 feet away from me. 

I learned that, no, you won't necessarily recognize gunfire when you hear it. And that traumatic situations are just that . . . shocking, out of nowhere, and very disjointed in our interpretations of them

Fiona - 
WOW!

Since you were there as a mother - what did you do first?

AJ -
I ran first. Major props go out to the store personnel who knew what they were doing. 

They filtered everyone out through the back door in a relatively orderly fashion considering the multiple murder at the front of the store. I'm pretty calm in a tough situation, so I carefully unhooked the car seat from the cart. I remember hooking it into my elbow, thinking my son was heavy, and he would bounce more there, but I'd be able to get farther hauling him. I remember he laughed and thought it was fun.

Fiona - 

And I thought this interview was fun! Thanks AJ.

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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.

HOSTILE CROWDS – Would Your Character Know What to Do? with Terrorist Specialist Rock Higgins

_________________________________

Photograph by Mikael Marguerie, see Flickr file
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This guest post is from ThrillWriting's good friend Rock Higgins.
Rock is an Executive Protection Operator (Bodyguard) he works a 7 day on 7 day off rotation for an international businessman and his family. As he oversees 20 guys, it's pretty busy as Rock travels worldwide.

Rock is a Certified Anti-Terrorism Specialist.
He trains businesses in anti-terrorism procedures. he 
also teaches civilians, law
enforcement, military and bodyguards in close
quarter combat and now, of course, he writes.
Fiona - 
So Rock, I was just reading and Alafaire Burke novel where her hero was caught in a riot situation. It was an awesome way to develop the plot. Can you give my heroine some pointers for survival? 

Rock - 
Demonstrations are popular these days. At some point, somewhere, there will be someone demonstrating.

Most demonstrations are peaceful, while others are not. Even peaceful protests can turn dangerous. 

Perhaps your character is attending a demonstration and those who would prefer a more militant form of protest infiltrated the crowd. 

Perhaps your character is in an area where a peaceful demonstration turns into a riot then she must be able to respond and not become a victim of either the rioters or law enforcement.

To start with, here are a couple of fundamental questions:
* Did your heroine check with LE in her
  local area or the areas she is travelling to
  check on demonstrations of whatever
  nature?
* Does she know her local area like the
   back of her hand, but what about the
   areas she regularly visit, or on a one-off
   visit? 
* How quickly on arrival does she 
   familiarise herself with the area?

Hostile Crowd

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

No need to explain the definition, the name says
 it all. There are though different types of crowds. Knowing how the crowd developed is an important factor.
Here is just a short list:
* Protest marches
* Static Demonstrations
   (picket lines)
* Football (soccer) Matches
* Sales Queue
* Funerals
* Stag Parties
* Music Events
* Counter Demonstrations
* Fox Hunts
* Mostly anywhere that there are bars, nightclubs and alcohol

This list shows you that these types of events occur mostly outside and mainly in an urban setting but can also happen in rural settings. Demonstrations can also happen indoors. Static demonstrations, for example, where groups occupy buildings, often turn violent when security evicts the protesters.

 Photograph by Mikael Marguerie, see Flickr file (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For anyone caught in a hostile crowd situation, the main aim is to vacate the area as soon as possible. In order to leave safely, your heroine might have to wait for a clear opportunity. In some cases, waiting is too dangerous, and the only solution is to go through the crowd.

Anyone can become a target in a hostile crowd situation - civilian, executive protection operator, military and law enforcement personnel. Whether on foot, or in vehicles, bad luck or bad planning can land your heroine in a life-threatening situation.

* Tip – If your heroine are in a vehicle, keep all the windows up 
   and locked. 


* If your heroine is on foot, then  she should walk NOT run.
   Running attracts attention from both rioters and LE. Remember
   that during riots there are no rules. Rebels have killed, raped,
   beaten and robbed. The less attention she can bring to herself the
   better.

* Parents who have children must act like a close-protection team 
   in this situation. The team would give all round body cover and
   walk through the crowd to the recognised point of safety.

* If as a parent, there is one child who is small enough to be
   carried, then the mother should carry the child. The father will
   cover both mother and child. He will defend them if attacked. 
   Others suggest that the father should bear the child because he is
   stronger. That is wrong, unless the mother is more combat
   effective than the father is.

* If your heroine is protecting two children, then if possible the
   mother should carry one and the father the other. If an older child
   is present, the parents should be covering all with the older child 
   in the front. Remember, it is even more imperative to have 360-
   degree awareness in these situations. Break down movement into
    bounds (Move from one protected spot to the next)

* Teamwork is all-important here.

* If your heroine is in a location where she can carry a concealed 
    firearm as a civilian, she should not have her weapon free. LE is
    not going to take chances upon seeing it. Have her hand on her 
    weapon if the situation warrants it, but she should not have it 
    presented unless she has to use it.

Protesters clash with riot police on November 7, 2007. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

* Buildings in proximity to
   the riot are not safe. 
   These will no doubt be
   broken into and looted.
   Moving to higher floors in
   the building is not a good 
   idea as the risk from fire 
   and smoke from the 
   ground floor can cut off
   any escape and be deadly.
   If your heroine needs to 
   use buildings in proximity, then use them to get to further buildings. Look for fire exits at the rear of 
  the building, or windows that she can smash, to put distance
  between her and the rioters.

* One thing your heroine should not do is walk towards the police
   line. If there are officers nearby, then seek help. However, 
   remember, rioters and looters will want to take on the police, and
    she will be between both.

Friendly Crowd

Now I know you are asking yourself, “How can friendly crowd be dangerous?” Unfortunately, they can be quite risky and more so because the expectation was that the environment was safe.

Think of a crowd of screaming fans of the pop group, film star, or other celebrity. They are pushing, crushing, or running to get to their idols. Because fans do not expect violence, it can be a traumatic and sometimes a deadly experience. Hysteria soon catches on: and in a sudden rush, your heroine can lose those with whom she came and end up under foot.

Events with metal barriers or fences can also cause crushing problems for those at the front as fans from behind push forward. Your heroine should plan for safety, as well as, planning for a good time.

I have seen soldiers have their weapons nearly taken from them in a hostile crowd during full-blown terrorist riots. I have been in sports stadiums accompanied by family members when football-hooligan clashes broke out. I have worked through friendly as well as hostile crowds as an executive protection operator.

It can happen to anyone.




Fiona - 
Thanks so much for sharing that information. If you're a writer trying to figure out the tactical points and mind sets of protection details - or you just need a great way to twist your plot line. I HIGHLY recommend getting yourself a copy of Rock's books. Meditations of a Modern Warrior
and Meditations of a Modern Warrior II.  Here's the LINK

***Also, Rock has very generously offered to help with specific plot line issues. You can leave them below.

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.

Dynamic Handguns and Shooting in a Structure: Information for Writers Prt 1 - Plotting Gems

graphic found on Facebook

This blog article is based on my experience at an all-day dynamic gun training class that I took at 
Nottoway Wildlife Association, LINK  called "Personal Protection in the Home," following NRA curriculum. 

These are the same folks who taught me about rifles in this article: BLOG LINK. 

You are writing a kick ass heroine. Woot! And while everyone loves a beautiful, smart, effective heroine, and I have one as the main character in my Lynx series, it also adds dimension and reality if she struggles a little bit. One of my writing coaches told me that if things are going well for your heroine, you're writing it wrong. Your girl should be constantly struggling.

Well if I were a template for a heroine in a dynamic gun situation, believe me there was a whole lot of struggling going on. 

Before your heroine even brings a gun into her home she:

* Understands that using a gun or any lethal weapon
   is a tool of last resort - though your heroine doesn't believe this
   standard applies during a zombie apocalypse.

* Understands that gun laws and her decision making is
   based on locality; she should know her laws and have made her
   decisions in advance. How your plot advances depends on the
   reality of those laws.

The focus of this first blog in the three-part Dynamic Handgun series is take-away plotting gems that I picked up through hands on practice and lecture.

Found on Facebook

Things I learned: Or, Why your heroine can't go out and buy a gun today, and blow away the bad guy who jumps out of her closet with a machete in his hands tomorrow.




* Firing on a range and

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

   dynamic 
   (moving/situational) firing
   are vastly different.
* Firing on the fly without
   lining up the sites and
   having time to
   check stance, breathing, etc.
   will definitely effect your
   heroine's ability to hit the
   mark dead center. 
   Her goal is merely center-
   mass. As a range shooter, I
   hit bulls' eyes. That day? 
   Eh, not so much.

* I am a dancer/MA fighter; you'd think that I had control over my
   body. When my focus was on the "bad guy" also known as the
   little piece of paper in front of me, my coordination was off. Way
   off.
   
   Watch this video that was taken on the archery range.

   Here you can see the technique while focused on a single task.
   My right elbow is down and back. Then I was asked to perform a
   memory task and a speech task with the second shot. Even
   moving with plenty of time and deliberation, you can see my
   practiced body mechanics shift; my right elbow went above
   my head. The point here being - your heroine must practice
   situational, all components put together, tactics if you are going to
   write her a successful outcome. Doing it first time on-the-fly
   just won't fly with your readers who know anything about tactical
   shooting.

   * Past injuries can effect your character's ability to move fluidly
   into certain dynamic poses. For example, as I tried to follow the
   instructions to go down on my right knee, I felt like and old rusted
   gate. My ACL (central knee ligament) is made from a cadaver
   ligament after a fight that did not end in my favor. Who knew this
   would impact anything? In MA practice and dancing, I simply
   don't make that move. For me everything was very crunchy
   granola, and I lost my balance on the way down. So think about
   your character's past injuries and how they could effect her
   present-time shooting scenarios. Did something happen in the past
   that could trip her up now? Remember, nothing should come easy
   for her

   Brian Coates, whom you will see in the ThrillWriting 
   inset video at the bottom of this article, is a U.S. Marine Corp.
   veteran. He moved into place and dropped to his knee smoothly.
   (I'd say gracefully, but I think that would paint the wrong 
   picture.) 

   Video Quick Study (3:46) Shooting on the move

   Practice makes perfect. Practice on this specific move - not just a 
   generally fit/sportive heroine. While being an active person might 
   make the learning curve quicker, there will still be a learning
   curve.

* In my mind, switching to non-dominant hand shooting was no
   big deal. When I was actually asked to perform the task, I had to
   stop and look at my gun and figure out how to change my
   fingering, my left finger on the trigger felt really odd and pulling
   the trigger with my left index finger felt even odder. Did your
   heroine sustain an injury to her dominant arm/hand
   necessitating a switch? It's not going to be as easy or effective as 
   it is in the movies unless she trained this action.

) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

* Eyesight matters. I know
   you're thinking, no duh. But
   what if your heroine wears
   glasses or contacts? Does
   she have time to grab her
   glasses and her gun? 

   What if there is low light/no
   light? Did she practice 
   aiming with her eyes 
   closed? Does she have 
   a light attached to her gun? 
   A laser?

   Consider not  just eyesight
   but visual dexterity. 
   How quickly can your
   heroine spot and decipher a 
   potential threat especially 
   in an adrenaline impacted 
   situation? This is a trained
   response. Maybe not 
   necessarily combat training
   but some discrimination training

   Did her past job/conditioning make certain eye patterns difficult? 
   Let me give you and example: 
   One of our tasks was to not aim the gun with sights but merely to
   look at the center of the target and pull the trigger. My paper had 
   bullet holes neatly placed all the way around the outside of the
   target circle not a single shot made it to the inside. 

Image found publicly on Facebook
I feel his pain

   When my instructors talked to me about focus, I realized that I 
   could not perform this task because I have done neuro-plasticity 
   training that required me to look at a center point and focus on
   the periphery. Something I will now train to overcome. Gamers
   might have this kind of reaction and certain sports. 

Image copied from Facebook

* While revolvers are predictably reliable, automatics fail. My gun
   needed oil, so it failed quite a bit. (Lesson learned.)
   ` Stove pipe - when a bullet sticks straight up in the chamber
   ` Two bullets in the chamber
     Video Quick Study (10:37) malfunctions and clearing
     instructions notice he says to practice at home with snap caps.
     Your heroine must practice to be effective.

graphic found on Facebook

* They ran a drill that demonstrated a knife wielding villain can get
   to and injure your heroine before she could get a shot off (with
   the gun already in her hands). This might be good news for a 
   heroine who attempts to flee a gun scene. It might be bad news to
   your heroine if she is all that's standing between the bad guy and 
   the future of the world as we know it.

* Being shot is not as effective as one might be lead to believe by
   watching video games, movies and the like.
   ^ It is typically not bloody or even visible. If you need a bloody
     crime scene try a knife. (Homicide Scenes Blog Link, Blood
     Spatter Blog Link)
   ^ The person does not blow backwards as if there was a bomb.
     They collapse if the bullet was well placed like a shot to the
     head.
   ^ Often the person who is experiencing adrenaline will not even
     realize they've been shot ( read about that under scar story at
     bottom of this interview Blog Link)
   ^ Multiple, well-placed shots must occur in order to down your
      villain.
   ^ It will take several seconds for the impact of those shots to take
     effect. In those seconds the villain is still functioning and can
     still harm your heroine.
   ^ Your villain's physical response will be effected by drugs or
      alcohol use. (Illegal Drugs 101 - choosing a drug for your
      villain Blog Link)
    ^DOWN DOES NOT MEAN OUT
     - was he wearing a bullet-proof vest and merely stunned?
     - is he faking the collapse so that he can get your heroine to
       lower her guard?
     - Have your heroine cover the guy with her gun, stay vigilant,
       and wait for the police. She shouldn't go up and frisk him - he
       may grab her, take her down, and take her weapon --or maybe
       that's what you want to happen next. Or maybe she's in a
       remote area with no hope of help. Now she has to make some
       darned hard choices.

* Knowing that an attack happens quickly, and your character
   needs to get her bullets in even more quickly, I shot my entire 
   extended cartridge (16 count) of bullets as fast as I could with 
   some semblance of hitting central mass. I knew I was being taped 
   and therefore could time it. 10 seconds and I was empty. I was 
   fortunate that I didn't have any malfunctions while firing those 
   rounds.

Brian Coates demonstrating a behind barrier strategy discussed in
Prt 2 of Dynamic Handguns. Fiona Quinn emptying her mag.

You were not a very benevolent author and decided that your heroine would not be attacked by one but several assailants all at once. What's your girl to do to save her skin?

* She should engage the most hazardous threat first. 
   Things which might inform her assessment include:

   ^ How close are the attackers to her and which is closest

   ^ What kinds of weapon are they wielding? 

   ^ How fast are the attackers coming at her?

      We know that the police with all of their training only have a

       20% impact rate. And we know that you can survive and act

       after being hit by a bullet. Since the guy with the machete is

       barreling towards her, she might chance the bullet hit to stop 

       the machete-swinger.

* How many bullets does she have? If your girl is unloading on

   thing-one, then thing-two ran round the corner, she's left with

   a not particularly useful empty gun. 

   Another strategy would be to try to put a

   bullet in each of the ogres and then assess. Was she successful?

   Yes? Call the police and wait. They're still attacking? Shoot

   another round into each and so forth.

* Remember, even the best of the best get tunnel vision and train

   strategies to prevent this from happening. While she has the ogre

   in her sights his troll partner could be sneaking up behind her and

   she'd never know he was swinging his club - lights out. 

Some of my articles you might want to review along with this information -

About guns:

Found on Facebook

Bullet Tutorial
Choosing a Handgun
Shotguns and Rifles
Shooter Simulation 
       (tunnel vision)
Carrying Concealed (interview)

About forethought/preparation:
Home Invasion - Hard v. Soft Target
Home Invasion - Setting Up a Safe Room & Creating an Escape Route

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.

This article was informed by the NRA Guide to the Basics of Personal Protection in the Home (2000)
As always, 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.
Related articles

• Dynamic Handguns and Shooting in a Structure: Information for Writers Prt 2 (Ready, Aim, Fire)
• Dynamic Handguns and Shooting in a Structure: Information for Writers Prt 3

Related articles

Criminal Trial Coordination with Cynthia Forget

Fiona - 

Cynthia Forget

Hi Cynthia, welcome to ThrillWriting, would you introduce yourself to our readers?

Cynthia - 

My name is Cynthia Forget. I am the the Criminal Trial Coordinator for 4 counties and am responsible for the scheduling and coordination of resources, services and facilities in those areas.

Fiona - 

(Please note that Cynthia lives and works in Canada)

Cynthia, I have to say that your job is not one that I had considered when plotting a novel. I am imagining all kinds of ways that a character in your position could help or hinder a plot line. Would you mind explaining specifically what it is you do in your coordination efforts?

Cynthia - 
Well, my main task is the creation and operation of the court schedule. I design the schedule to accommodate 6 judges in 14 courtrooms. I decide what courts will sit when (ie. first appearance courts, plea courts, pre-trials, and trial courts). I assign the judges to the particular courts. Once that schedule is set then

I assign cases to particular courts. I should note that all my work is overseen by a

Local Administrative Judge and the Regional Senior Justice.

Fiona - 
Can you take me through a typical day? Start with I grabbed my car keys at --:00 a.m.

Cynthia - 
I would arrive at work at 8:15 a.m. The first thing I do is obtain the lists from the courtroom clerks of everything set the day before. I put those cases into my trial schedule and generate a list of available trial times for each court. This needs to be completed before 9:00 a.m. when some courts start.

Fiona - 
Everything set the day before - that is all of the cases that were scheduled the day before?

Cynthia Forget at Work

Cynthia - 
Yes, all of the cases from the day before. those set after I left for the day - others I would have already dealt with.

Fiona - 
Why doe it need to be in by 9 if the dockets are set in advance? And how far in advance are they set?

Cynthia - 
The list of available court time has to be ready for the judges to use in court - to set matters - I provide them with the list of available times. Court starts at 9:00 and 9:30.

Then counsel starts arriving in my office to deal with their cases. They want priority court time (which is given to certain cases) or to reschedule matters etc

Fiona - 
What qualifies for priority court time? And is this one of the areas where a character might be manipulated?

Cynthia - 
Priority time is key - yes it is easily an area where cases can be manipulated. In our jurisdictions priority cases include continuations, domestic assaults, cases that are at risk for being appealed for lack of a speedy trial.

Another way cases are manipulated is through the day - I monitor the progress of each courtroom and move matters between judges as I see fit - counsel often will come and request a case be moved

Fiona - 
So if a judge is falling behind a lawyer could come to you and say - Look I have another case at 3:00 can you move me to another judge?

Cynthia - 
That's right

Fiona  - 
What if you wanted to move a case to another judge, and the lawyer absolutely was dead-set against it - he knew the other judge would be tougher on his client - could he say no?

Cynthia - 
That is strictly the decision of the trial coordinator.

Fiona - 
Interesting - so if a lawyer had developed his case to exploit what he knew about Judge X, he could all of a sudden be thrown over to Judge Y, and his tactics might be all wrong for that judge.

Cynthia - 
Right. I should note, one other scheduling point - seizures and disqualifications - if a judge hears the pre-trial of a case, they cannot then hear the trial, they are disqualified. Or if they know a party to the case, they are disqualified. So if a lawyer didn't want Judge X for trial, they may try and get him for pre-trial, knowing they will then not have him for trial.

A seizure is when a judge starts a case, they have to be the one to finish it.

. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Fiona - 
VERY COOL DETAIL!!! Do you ever get to go and watch a trial?

Cynthia - 
Yes, on a slow day, I will often go in and sit in the courtroom and observe - not only out of interest, but also I feel it's important to stay on top of the way things run in the courtroom. - I miss the courtroom - I used to be a court reporter/clerk

Fiona - 
Oh fun! What made you change directions?

Cynthia - 
Promotion

Fiona - 

Great! 

Okay on with a day in the life of a trial coordinator. Lunch - how long is the break - is yours as long as the judge's

Cynthia - 

Yes - generally it's an hour sometimes an hour and a quarter. I try to take my lunch at noon - court usually lunches at 1:00 - that way I can interact with the stakeholders during the break ...

Fiona - 
Are you allowed to speak to people outside of your job? Can you be friends with the lawyers, have drinks with the guardian ad litems etc.

Cynthia  - 
I've never been told not to.

Fiona - 

At this point in the interview I want to make it is VERY CLEAR that you and I are speaking hypothetically. I am, as an author, looking for ways to manipulate a plot line and in no way do these questions or your answers reflect on you or your work ethic.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Cynthia - 
OK

Fiona - 
You would know all of the judges personalities and the judges quirks, personal stories, and sentencing choices?

Cynthia - 
Yes.

Fiona - 
You know something about the cases that are going to court? Would a trial coordinator read the charges etc.

Cynthia - 
Not all the cases but definitely the larger ones

Fiona - 
What information do you have when scheduling?

Cynthia - 
A coordinator would read the files for most cases the charge, the defense counsel, the Crown Attorney, the pre-trial judge, the time estimated for trial the number and type of witnesses

Fiona - 
And one would also read the newspapers - a coordinator might have familiarity and opinions about a case?

Cynthia -
Yes...

Fiona - 
 My thought is - if a character had some kind of God-complex and wanted to manipulate outcomes -- that a character could potentially line up cases with the judge that would have the most bias or give the strongest prison sentences - is that possible?

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Cynthia - 
Absolutely

Fiona -
Is there the potential then for a character to be bribed? Say a family thinks the evidence is weak - but their daughter is dead, and they know in their heart that this is the guy who did it. - The family is worried that he'll walk. Is there the potential for bribing a coordinator so she will schedule the trial with the hard-nosed judge?

Cynthia - 
I suppose that is possible.

Fiona - 
And there's not really any way that the character would be caught except perhaps by the tax guy?

Cynthia - 
The character could be overseen by another staff member or the judiciary. for example, if a character was offered a "gift" by a defense attorney and a judge witnessed it that could cost them their job. I am not allowed to accept even the smallest of gifts - like chocolate at Christmas - for the sake of perception.

Fiona -
No chocolate at Christmas - that's martyrdom! But they would be more circumspect than that - say an envelope of cash dropped through their home mail-slot?

Cynthia -

I suppose a character could make that happen - though predicting what one judge will do is very difficult.

Fiona - 
Let's chat about that. How much contact would the character have with a judge? Would they hear water-cooler talk about the judge's private lives?

Cynthia - 
A lot of contact - and yes the trial coordinator (t/c) works very closely with judges.

Fiona  -
I'm thinking a wayward wife case and ensuing homicide. And the t/c knows that the judge's wife left him for another man... or something along that line. Or a doper case is coming up, and the t/c knows the judge's kid is in rehab...

Cynthia - 
Right - those types of things would definitely be in the t/c's knowledge

Fiona - 
So the t/c knows the judges buttons. Do they also know how a judge likes to sentence? For example, do you know "Judge Mayers" likes to give benefit of the doubt, but  "Judge Harlock" puts them in the pokey for the longest time allowed by law.

Cynthia - 
Right - all the judges have their pet peeves, so to speak, and the t/c would generally know how harsh they sentence - so too do counsel - they generally know how they sentence on certain cases and attempt to do what is called "judge shopping" this is something the t/c has to guard against.

Fiona - 
So if the character were quietly dating the hunky lawyer - or have a mad crush on him - he might be able to suggest the judge he might like?

Cynthia - 
True

Fiona - 
I know that you encounter many personality types in your job - but are there any traits that would make this job easier and what personalities (doing the job correctly - just speaking personality wise) would make this a pain in the rear.

Cynthia - 
Lawyers who are very self-centered make the job much more challenging - the same can be said for judges.

Fiona - 
So I'm a writer I'm developing a character to do this job - she is helped out by her excellent memory and organizational skills but her anger towards men... that kind of thing.

Cynthia - 
Being a bit of a control-freak is a good thing in this job - being very friendly and cooperative also helps

Fiona - 
Here on ThrilWriting we have a traditional question and always ask about your favorite scar.

Cynthia - 
My biggest scar is internal - I had a baby who died inside me at 14 weeks - She didn't miscarry and had to be surgically removed - it was a very harrowing experience.

Fiona - 
I'm so sorry. 

Cynthia - 
Thank you

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