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Anything can be a weapon - A mystery and suspense writing motto

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Whether you are defending yourself from an attacker or trying to kill your wife and frame Guilder for it (Princess Bride joke), weaponry is unlimited because every object in your house can probably be used to kill or defend yourself. Please don't use this to suggest you can kill yourself! That is not the message I am promoting! If any of you have ever watched The Red Green Show  you know that "any tool is the right tool". When building a porch or a car that is absolutely not true, but when it comes to writing a self-defense or murder scene it is true. Below are the reasons I believe that the possibilities are endless for weaponry. Self-Defense Scenarios In the case of self-defense, this is a brilliant way to a have an unconventional weapon used. An umbrella? A letter opener? A frying pan? An encyclopedia? All of the above will work for this use. When you are being chased by someone with intent to kill you or assault you, one can't be picky about what o...

The Hardy Boys - a brief history

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The Hardy Boys have been around as long as Nancy Drew has.  They were created in 1927 and written under the name of Franklin W. Dixon. Much like Nancy Drew, they have been maintained by ghostwriters. Frank and Joe Hardy have been featured as phone contacts and physical characters in Herinteractive Nancy Drew games, have their own PC games, and their books continue to be written. Since I've done a feature on Nancy Drew's history, it's only fair to do one on Frank and Joe Hardy. Their images don't generally change, mostly because they are men, but their personalities vary by series to a small degree. Men don't have fashion to worry about, usually, so it makes perfect, logical sense that their images don't change as much as Nancy's. They live in Bayport with their mother (Laura Hardy) and their father, plus their Aunt Gertrude. In some books they work for The Network/ATAC (american teens against crime). The Original Series Let's get a ment...

Nancy Drew through the years - a changing image

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With the CW Nancy Drew drama coming out, I thought I should do something Nancy Drew related. I have been a Nancy Drew nerd since childhood. I am a proud fan of Herinteractive games (shout out to all the Drew Crew out there!). Nancy's image has changed from her creation to today. Everything from her wardrobe to her hair color hasn't been the same. I'm going to go through her image and appearance, as well as other changes, from her creation to today. With the changes that happened, I want to say that what hasn't changed is her love of mysteries and empowerment of women. She has encouraged young girls for decades and the idea of Nancy Drew has not died since her creation. A Brief History Nancy Drew was created in 1930 by Edward Stratemeyer and maintained by ghostwriters. To this day, various Nancy Drew series are written by ghostwriters under the name "Carolyn Keene". She is known for her courageous solving of dangerous mysteries, her sense of sty...

domestic abuse law - the basics for writers

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Domestic abuse is a serious issue that can't be ignored. No matter what your gender, it can happen to anyone. When it comes to laws, here's what can be done. It is defined by the domestic abuse hotline as a pattern of behaviors used by one partner to control and maintain control of the other partner. You don't have to be married to have this issue. You can be dating, married, or living together. Status doesn't matter here. This abuse type is done by using physical harm, fear, and controlling behaviors. These can range from emotional abuse to threats and abuse of power.  In the first source link at the bottom of the page there is more information on this topic and abuse type. Law and Punishment Let's get into laws, in Lehmans terms. This type of law includes civil protection orders and punishment for the controlling partner. Most are prosecuted under state law. I am going into Ohio's domestic violence laws here, so it may be different if you aren'...

Hiding blades - creating hidden weaponry for your character

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So, you're writing an assassin or a spy and you need some cool hidden blade ideas. Today is your lucky day! This post is about real-life hidden blades that actually exist. You can pay money for these and own these in real life. You can even make some yourself. A note of caution to those cosplaying: security will take your hidden blade if it is real! Make a fake one, if cosplaying.  Shoes with Blades  You've seen blades hidden in shoes in Kingsman and James Bond . You can make one of these yourself or buy it. Instructions on how to make this are also on Pinterest. You can also find it in high heel  form.    No joke, you can pay hundreds of dollars for high heel weaponry. Most of these are stillettos. They may or may not need to be special ordered, but they do exist. These can be used for self-defense in many scenarios.                                 ...

Suffragettes - UK and United States

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For all those writers writing history pieces that involve women's suffrage, this is for you. For all those people scrolling facebook, pinterest, and twitter out of boredom, this is also for you. This is especially for those who love women's history.  These brave women are the reason women can vote and be involved in law. Here's the basic overview of how long they fought for the basic right to have legal voice. In the UK It was started in 1897 by Milicent Fawcett. She was for peaceful protest because doing anything irresponsible may prove to the men that women couldn't be trusted. Later another group began, after that one failed. Emmeline Pankhurst started Women's Social and Political Union in 1903 and was willing to do anything to get what she wanted, violence included. She interrupted many meetings with her suffragette group and they were jailed many times over for it. They also burned churches that didn't agree with them, broke windows, chained ...

Nellie Bly - 10 Days in the Mad-House

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Nellie Bly, real name Elizabeth Jane Cochran, was a great investigative reporter that wrote many great stories, but one made it into the movies. One of her greatest stories included traveling the world in 72  days, but she is most known for going undercover at the asylum on Blackwell Island, NY. The book was titled Ten Days in the Madhouse. Blackwell Island, NY Blackwell Asylum was the first mental hospital in New York. It was overcrowded, which resulted in a lack of internal administration, disease outbreaks, improper diet and nutrition, and bad living conditions. To reduce costs they even hired convicts as attendants. They had accommodations for 640 in 1868 and had 1035 people in the building. More buildings were built throughout time. Female and immigrant patients were many, though men still ended up here. The newest and most violent were put in one building, and if new patients weren't violent, moved to another building. Nellie Bly checked herself into here in 188...