Category Archives: Killing Off Characters in Writing

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 →

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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 →

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Phosphorus – An Enlightened Poison

Posted on May 25, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

The name phosphorus comes from a Greek word meaning “bearer of light” and is commercially produced in two predominant forms—white and red phosphorus. In its white phosphorus (WP) structure, WP is a waxy substance that gives off a slight glow … Continue reading →

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Aconite – A Two-Edged Sword!

Posted on April 13, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Many botanical compounds have important medical uses, and some of modern medicine’s most important drugs were derived initially from plant sources. However, some of these botanical compounds have a very narrow dosage range between a therapeutic effect and toxicity. This … Continue reading →

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Mad As A Hatter!

Posted on March 9, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

More than 200 years ago, hat making was a profitable business, but it could also be a deadly one! The furs used to make felt hats were dipped in a preservative made with mercury nitrate solutions. The soaking also helped … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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

Scorpion Venom – A Lethal Opportunity!

Posted on May 13, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Scorpions are predatory arthropods—exoskeleton or shell-like creatures. They originated in England in the High Middle Ages (around 1200 AD). Although scorpion venom has a fearsome reputation, there are only about 25 varieties (out of the over 1,700 species) that have … Continue reading →

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Powdered Glass – An Instrument of Death?

Posted on April 15, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Let’s say that you have a particularly nasty villain in your novel and want to kill him or her off in some unique way. You have a brilliant idea! Crush glass into fine shards and mix them into the villain’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, About Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Broken Glass and Murder, Characteristics of Murder, Choosing How a Character Should Die in a Story, Crushed Glass and Murder, Deciding How to Kill Off a Character in a Novel, Designing Murder Plots, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Glass Shards and Murder, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Instruments of Death, Interesting Murder Weapons, Killing a Villain in a Novel, Killing Off Characters in Writing, Killing Off Characters in Your Novel, New Methods of Murder, New Methods To Kill Characters in Your Novel, Powdered Glass and Murder, Prescription For Murder Blog, The Science of Murder, Tools of Murder, Unique Murder Plots | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Chemical Weapons At A Glance!

Posted on November 19, 2014 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Although my blogs are eclectic in that I sometimes write about pharmacy issues, at other times I blog about interesting methods to kill off characters in novels and sometimes I write about…well, about writing. Since many of my blogs involve … 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, Blog Trends, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Categories of Harmful Substances for Humans, Characteristics of Killing, Characteristics of Murder, Chemical Weapons Discussions, Chemicals Used For Murder, Choosing How a Character Should Die in a Story, Creating Emotional Drama in a Murder Scene, Deciding How to Kill Off a Character in a Novel, Developing Better Writing Skills, Drugs For Murder Plots, Drugs Used For Murder, Harassing Agents and Murder, How to Choose a Murder Weapon for a Plot Idea, How To Write A BloodLess Murder Scene, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Incapacitating Agents and Murder, Interesting Murder Weapons, Killing a Villain in a Novel, Killing Off Characters in Writing, Lethal Agents and Murder, Murder Weapon Groupings and Categories, Murder Weapons, Murder Weapons Discussed, Murder With Drugs, New Methods To Kill Characters in Your Novel, Plot Development, Plot Ideas and Where They Come From, Plotting Murder Scenes, Poisons Used For Murder, Prescription For Murder Blog, Tools of Murder, Unique Murder Plots, Ways To Kill, Ways to Murder, Why Women Own Guns, Writing Death Scenes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments