SOFT TARGET'S Beginnings, by John R. Beyer
Some writers wonder where they receive the idea for
the next novel and for me the crucial aspect of the conjuring up of ‘Soft
Target’ was partly due to my years in law enforcement. As a former street cop
and member of the elite SWAT I had witnessed multiple hostage situations – some
with positive results and some with not so much. Entering public education
after nearly ten years behind the badge left me wondering what would happen if
a hostage situation occurred at a school in the United States. Sure, there had
been school shooting like Columbine, Sandy Hook and the like and as terribly
tragic as they were my imagination kept coming up with the greatest question a
writer in two words ‘What if?”
After attending a symposium concerning school safety
when I was Director of Student Services put on by local and federal law
enforcement agencies one speaker intrigued me. Col. Dave Grossman, retired Army
and psychologist who had created a program called ‘Killogy’. The psychology of
when someone is forced to kill and the inner changes to that person or persons.
He mentioned Beslan – the small village in Eastern Europe which witnessed the
worst school killings in modern history. September of 2004 saw over 300
children brutally murdered in cold blood along with teachers and parents where
the grand total was somewhere near 400 people with guesstimates probably closer
to 600 individuals gunned down or blown up by Islamic Fundamentalists.
It had been a gruesome day for Russia and a wake-up
call for the world.
That is when the question – What if? came to me
while sitting in the audience – writers get ideas wherever they are and
sometimes unexpectedly like what occurred with me.
The first thought was what grade level of school –
Beslan was an elementary school which was problematic with the terrorists
trying to corral hundreds of toddlers and young children into a gymnasium. A
high school – well in America the terrorists may be outgunned depending on the
school district they descended on or at least would have to deal with older
teen attitude which is enough to drive a parent to drink which is a no-no for
these ideologues. So, what was left? A middle school where students are young
enough to be scared out of their minds but old enough to follow orders at the
end of a barrel.
Wilkins Middle School was created and housed with
bright faced and strutting 13 to 15 year olds. The smiles left when 21
terrorists arrived like locusts with Rocket Propelled Guns, AK47’s, grenades
and illegal cell phone jamming devices.
Now – the dilemma of the writer – who were the
protagonists? The antagonists had been written, described and put into motion
and it was time for a savior or saviors.
A school personnel or two would be a good read –
local law enforcement – perhaps federal officers who happened to be in the area
– maybe even an ex-special operations officer who witnessed firsthand the
terror at Beslan.
The Protagonists had been created and ready to roll.
Some writers spend days or even weeks with story
boards ensuring each chapter follows the previous chapter flawlessly and some
writers utilize 3 x 5 cards with all pertinent information to ensure their
characters remain the same throughout the writing process.
Me – the characters run the story. My spouse,
Laureen, thinks I’m crazy by stating this but I believe many times my
characters are real and tell me what is going to happen next.
It occurred in my first novel ‘Hunted’ where a
psychopath had gotten upset by an innocent comment by a police detective and
decided to make the hunter the prey. Zachary Marshall was funny, irreverent,
smart, brutally honest and a cold blooded killer. Jonas Peters (a character in
every on my works either as the protagonist or a cameo appearance) was
brooding, haunted and fearless. A great team to go against each other and who
ran the keyboard for me – their story their way.
That’s it – nothing fancy or earth shattering in my
writing process. I create the world in which my characters live and they are
the ones who advise me, sometimes rather forcefully, how that world will spin.
Sounds strange – but it works.
Bio:
John
Beyer has two doctorates - Ed.D. in Education and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
(though he is not licensed to practice and has no intention to do so).
He was in
law enforcement for nearly 10 years serving as a street cop, a training officer
and member of SWAT (entry team and sniper).
He
followed those experiences with education for 26 yrs. as a teacher and
administrator – on site and district office.
John has been
writing most of his life. He’s traveled to at least 23 countries (and was actually
shot in the head in Spain in 2000 during a march between Neo Nazis and
Communists two days after running with the bulls in Pamplona). He was caught in
a hurricane off the coast of east Baja (Bahia de los Angeles) while kayaking
and lived to tell about it. Essentially, it’s hard to tell where experience
leaves off and fiction takes over. You’ll want to read his books.
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