Category Archives: Developing Storyline Ideas

Got Milk or Brucellosis?

Posted on July 20, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

I’ve often blogged about biological weapons—both those used in the past and those with potential for use in your new thriller plots. The world’s population has certainly been victim to biological warfare in the past. In 184 BC, Hannibal’s warriors … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, A How To Blog on Murder Weapons, About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, About Murder, About Writing, All About Murder, Biological Poisons, Biological Warfare, Biological Warfare Treatments, Biological Weapons, Bioterrorism, Blog About Poisons in Fiction Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Bloodless Death Scenes, Brucellosis, Brucellosis - A Biological Weapon, Chemical Poisons, Chemical Weapons Discussions, Chemicals Used For Murder, Choosing How a Character Should Die in a Story, Deadly Food, Deciding How to Kill Off a Character in a Novel, Designing Murder Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Food Source Poisons, Foods That Kill, Foods Used For Murder, How to Choose a Murder Weapon for a Plot Idea, How To Write A BloodLess Murder Scene, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Instruments of Death, Interesting Murder Weapons, James J. Murray Blog, Killing a Villain in a Novel, Killing Off Characters in Writing, Killing Off Characters in Your Novel, Killing With Lethal Microbes, Lethal Agents and Murder, Lethal Biologicals, Methods of Murder, Microbes Used To Murder, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder Weapons Discussed, Murder With Food, Neurotoxin Poisons, New Blog, New Methods of Murder, New Methods To Kill Characters in Your Novel, Plotting Interesting Murder Scenes, Plotting Murder Scenes, Prescription For Murder Blog, Preventing Human Brucellosis, The Science of Murder, Tools of Murder, Unique Murder Plots, Unique Murder Weapons, Ways to Murder, Writing Dramatic Murder Scenes, Zoonotic Infections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

TOXIDROMES: Wet vs Dry Symptoms

Posted on June 15, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In last week’s blog, I introduced the concept of toxidromes—defined as a group of specific symptoms and clues which medical examiners use to identify the specific substance used to poison a victim. In that blog, I discussed two of the … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, A How To Blog on Murder Weapons, About James J. Murray, About Murder, About Writing, Achieving Writing Perfection, All About Murder, Anticholinergic Toxidromes, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Chemical Poisons, Chemical Weapons Discussions, Chemicals Used For Murder, Cholinergic Toxidromes, Deadly Poisons Discussed, Designer Poisons Used For Murder, Designing Murder Plots, Developing Story Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Developing Writing Skills, Difficult to Solve Murders, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Drugs Used For Murder, How to Choose a Murder Weapon for a Plot Idea, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Instruments of Death, Interesting Murder Weapons, James J. Murray Blog, Killing Off Characters in Writing, Lethal Anticholinergic Drug Symptoms, Lethal Chemical Poisons, Lethal Chemicals in Murder Mysteries, Lethal Cholinergic Drug Symptoms, Methods of Murder, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder Weapons, Murder Weapons Discussed, Murder With Drugs, New Blog, New Methods of Murder, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Poisons and Murder, Poisons Used For Murder, Prescription For Murder Blog, The Science of Murder, The Writings of James J. Murray, Tools of Fiction Writing, Tools of Murder, Toxidromes and Murder, Toxidromes and Murder Mysteries, Toxidromes in Murder Mysteries, Toxidromes to Identify a Poison, Toxidromes to Solve Murders, Unique Lethal Compounds, Unique Murder Plots, Unique Murder Weapons, Ways to Murder, Writing Death Scenes, Writing Dramatic Murder Scenes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

TOXIDROMES: Solving The Poison Puzzle

Posted on June 8, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

The murders that occur in my novels and short stories often involve a lethal medicine or a poison. To create a believable plot, I make sure to do my homework to get the toxic effects of those substances correct. That’s … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, A How To Blog on Murder Weapons, About James J. Murray, About Murder, All About Murder, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Bloodless Death Scenes, Chemical Poisons, Deciding How to Kill Off a Character in a Novel, Depressant and Stimulant Toxidromes, Designing Murder Plots, Developing Story Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Drug Poisoning, Drugs For Murder Plots, Drugs Used For Murder, How to Choose a Murder Weapon for a Plot Idea, How To Write A BloodLess Murder Scene, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Instruments of Death, James J. Murray Blog, Killing a Villain in a Novel, Killing Off Characters in Writing, Killing Off Characters in Your Novel, Lethal Chemical Poisons, Lethal Chemicals in Murder Mysteries, Methods of Murder, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder Weapon Groupings and Categories, Murder Weapons Discussed, Murder With Drugs, New Blog, New Methods To Kill Characters in Your Novel, Plotting Interesting Murder Scenes, Plotting Murder Scenes, Poisons and Murder, Poisons Used For Murder, Prescription For Murder Blog, The Science of Murder, The Writings of James J. Murray, Tools of Murder, Toxidrome's, Toxidromes and Murder, Toxidromes in Murder Mysteries, Toxidromes to Identify a Poison, Unique Murder Plots, Unique Murder Weapons, Ways to Murder, Writing Death Scenes, Writing Dramatic Murder Scenes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

DIELDRIN – An Old Remedy For A New Kill

Posted on June 1, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In the past I’ve blogged about many compounds that have been used for murder or been used as wartime bio-weapons. One of the common denominators of these lethal compounds is that many were first developed as pesticides and used for … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, A How To Blog on Murder Weapons, About James J. Murray, About Murder, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Bloodless Death Scenes, Chemical Poisons, Chemicals Used For Murder, Contact Poisons, Deadly Poisons Discussed, Designer Drug Deaths, Designing Murder Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Dieldrin and Its Lethal Effects, Dieldrin and Murder, Dieldrin For Murder Mysteries, Dieldrin Poisoning, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Drug Poisoning, Drugs Used For Murder, How to Use Prologues, Ideas for Murder Scenes, James J. Murray Blog, Killing Off Characters in Writing, Lethal Chemicals in Murder Mysteries, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder Weapons, Murder Weapons Discussed, New Blog, New Methods of Murder, Plotting Interesting Murder Scenes, Poisons and Murder, Poisons Used For Murder, Prescription For Murder Blog, The Science of Murder, Tools for Murder, Unique Murder Plots, Unique Murder Weapons, Ways to Murder | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mysteries vs Thrillers

Posted on March 23, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

A few years ago, mysteries were the hot genre. It seemed as if everyone was reading a mystery novel. The thrill of guessing “Who done it!” was the excitement that kept me, and many others, reading book after book. More … Continue reading →

Posted in A Mystery Novel, A Thriller Novel, About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Writing, Achieving Writing Perfection, Adrenaline Rush, All About Writing, Better Fiction Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Character Driven Writing, Designing Murder Plots, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Story Arcs, Developing Story Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Developing Writing Skills, Difference Between Mysteries and Thrillers, Growing As A Writer, James J. Murray Blog, Mysteries and Thrillers Compared, Mysteries Vs Thrillers, New Blog, Plotting Murder Scenes, Prescription For Murder Blog, Proper Use of the Written Word, Role of Suspense in Mysteries, Role of Suspense in Thrillers, Story Development, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, The Writings of James J. Murray, Tools of Fiction Writing, Writing Skills, Writing Techniques | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

LADY KILLERS’ PHARMACEUTICALS

Posted on March 2, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

 ~ Female Murderers are the Exception! ~ That’s what I found out when an author friend asked me to guest blog on her “Profiles of Murder” blog site this week. Diane Kratz is a crime fiction writer who holds three … Continue reading →

Posted in A Diane Kratz Interview, A Guest Blog, A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, A Thriller Novel, About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, About Murder, Acute Poisons, All About Murder, Blog Interviews, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Bloodless Death Scenes, Chemical Poisons, Chemicals Used For Murder, Deadly Drugs in America, Designing Murder Plots, Developing Story Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Drug Poisoning, Drugs For Murder Plots, Drugs Used For Murder, Free Book Downloads, Guest Blogging, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Instruments of Death, James J. Murray Blog, Killing a Villain in a Novel, Killing Off Characters in Writing, Killing Off Characters in Your Novel, Lethal Agents and Murder, Methods of Murder, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder Weapons Discussed, Murder With Drugs, New Blog, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Plotting Interesting Murder Scenes, Prescription For Murder Blog, Profiles of Murder Blog, Published Novel by James J Murray, The Psychology of Murder, Tools of Murder, Unique Lethal Compounds, Unique Murder Plots, Unique Murder Weapons, Writing Death Scenes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Transdermal Poisoning

Posted on January 20, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

One day last week I was talking to a doctor of physical therapy and he asked a most interesting question that I had to think about before attempting an answer. He said that he had a patient who could not … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, A How To Blog on Murder Weapons, About Medications/Pharmacy, About Murder, All About Murder, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Chemical Poisons, Chemicals Used For Murder, Choosing How a Character Should Die in a Story, Contact Poisons, Designing Murder Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Drug Patches For Murder, Drugs For Murder Plots, Drugs Used For Murder, How to Choose a Murder Weapon for a Plot Idea, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Instruments of Death, James J. Murray Blog, Killing Off Characters in Writing, Killing Off Characters in Your Novel, Lethal Agents and Murder, Making Your Own Topical Drug Therapy, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder Weapons Discussed, New Blog, New Methods of Murder, New Methods To Kill Characters in Your Novel, Plotting Murder Scenes, Poisons in Transdermal Patch Therapy, Poisons Used For Murder, Prescription For Murder Blog, The Science of Murder, Tools of Murder, Transdermal Patch Therapy, Unique Murder Plots, Unique Murder Weapons, Ways to Murder, Writing Death Scenes, Writing Dramatic Murder Scenes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

PROLOGUES – To Use or Not To Use!

Posted on December 16, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Fiction writers often use prologues to set up their story—possibly with an actual murder scene or with a scene that gives valuable historical information to help the reader understand the villain or hero. But are these preambles to the real … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Editing, Accuracy in Writing, Achieving Writing Perfection, All About Writing, Better Fiction Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Correct Use of Prologues, Death of The Prologue?, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Story Arcs, Developing Story Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Developing Writing Skills, Growing As A Writer, How to Use Prologues, James J. Murray, James J. Murray Blog, Learning the Art of Writing, Mastering Your Craft, Misuse of Prologues, New Blog, Obsession with Proper Usage of the English Language, Prescription For Murder Blog, Prologue Use and Misuse, Prologues, Prologues in Modern Fiction Writing, Proper Use of Prologues, Proper Use of the Written Word, Role of The Prologue, Story Development, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, Tools of Fiction Writing, Use of Prologues, When Not to Use Prologues, Why Use Prologues | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

From Fan Fiction to Profiles of Murder

Posted on October 7, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Several years ago I met an interesting writer online. There seemed to be an instant connection since we both liked cats—particularly black cats. More importantly, we were both struggling to find our niche in the ocean of new writers waiting … Continue reading →

Posted in A Diane Kratz Interview, A Guest Blog, A New Anthology of Short Stories, A New Short Story Collection, A New Short Story Release, About Diane Kratz, About James J. Murray, About Murder, All About Writing, Blog Interviews, Blog Writers, Blogging, Designing Murder Plots, Developing Better Life Skills, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Storyline Ideas, Developing Writing Skills, Diane Kratz-An Author Interview, Fiction Based on Facts, Flicker by Diane Kratz, Flicker-A New Short Story, Growing As A Writer, Guest Blogging, James J. Murray Blog, Learning the Art of Writing, Mastering Your Craft, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, New Blog, New Book Is Published, New Book Release, New Short Story Anthology, New Short Story Collection, Plot Ideas and Where They Come From, Plotting Short Stories, Prescription For Murder Blog, Profiles of Murder -Diane Kratz, Profiles of Murder Blog, Short Story Development, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, Tools of Fiction Writing, Writing is Murder Blog, Writing Skills, Writing Techniques | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

CYBER ATTACKS and MURDER

Posted on May 27, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

When I develop a new murder mystery idea, one of the primary issues that must be solved is determining how the murderer gains access to his victim, preferably without leaving evidence that can lead back to the villain. In this … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, All About Murder, Blog Trends, Blog Writers, Blogging, Culture Shock, Cyber Security Issues, Cybercriminals, Cyberterrorism, Cyberwar, Developing Storyline Ideas, Fiction Based on Facts, Future Shock, Guest Blogging, Internet Security, James J. Murray Blog, Lapinsky, Using Cyber Security To Murder, Using Malware For Murder, Walt Lapinsky Blog, Websense, wrLapinsky | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments