How to write a character that knows a lot about explosives?
I'm writing a story where the main character makes and detonates bombs. The character could be considered a terrorist. I want to portray the character as an expert, but I don't know a way to obtain more information in the art of explosives without it ending up with the FBI or something monitoring my searching.
Pairing terrorist, bomb, and how to, or instructions in the search bar seems to be a bad idea.
Any help on where to get info would be appreciated.
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Get cozy at your local library.
Before the internet, this is where we all did our research. As long as it's a well-stocked library, there should be plenty of books on the basics of explosives. Use the central library where you live, not a branch. If your central library (or only library) isn't very good, go to a larger city if there's one within an easy commute. A college library also works.
Remember, terrorism is only one use of explosives. A very small percentage of uses. They are also used in warfare (read up on how WWII troops destroyed bridges), mining, creating tunnels for cars or trains through mountains, and bringing down outdated buildings.
If you search for those uses online, you should be good. In the library, no one will even notice. If they do, tell them you're doing research for a novel. Because you are. And focus on the uses that involve military history or infrastructure. You can also befriend the librarians and they'll help you find better resources.
In the US, the Patriot Act allows the government to request your library records. Yes, this is as oppressive as it sounds (us Americans are used to it; I hope you non-Americans are properly horrified). So my county's library system dumps all trace of records for any books that have been returned. They do this on purpose for this reason. If you don't check the books out, there's no record. But if you need to take some home, find out what your library does. I found out when I found someone's family snapshot in a book I checked out and took it to the library to encourage them to contact the last person who checked the book out (they couldn't do it).
Interview war buffs.
Go to a Civil War reenactment and ask questions. If someone seems knowledgable and open to it, ask if you can take them to lunch and pick their brain for your novel. You can also try WWII and other vets, or history buffs from all modern(ish) eras.
Do you live somewhere with a railroad museum? Especially in a mountainous area, there will be info on how explosives were used. No great details but sometimes even the broad strokes are enough to help you form a picture and know what questions you need to ask next.
Museums of many kinds might be helpful. Along with local history societies. Poke around, there's likely to be something local to you (or perhaps worth a short trip).
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The easiest way to make your character an expert is to make all your other characters fear him, respect him, or be defeated by him, in his field.
You characterize your Chief of the Bomb Squad as having won national honors for teaching Bomb disarmament, multiple medals for courage in the line of duty, a front line dude known to have risked his life to save children --- He encounters a bomb made by your MC Fred and says into his radio, "Jeezus Bill, Fred made this bomb, there is no way to disarm it. Evacuate the building!" Some kickback on the radio from Bill, and your Chief tells him "We've lost ten of our best trying ten ways to do it and I'm out of ideas. Evacuate the goddam building, and do it now!"
You don't have to say a thing about how Fred made this bomb: The reader knows Fred is better than his best opponent (the Chief you built up). Also, the Chief's explanation requires no special knowledge, he has to explain this to a layman (Bill).
If you need to reinforce this later, have some other Bomb Squad cowboy try to disarm one of Fred's bombs, in consultation with your Chief. The Chief says, "That isn't going to work, Bobby tried it and the second the capacitance changes it blows! Don't be an idiot!"
Cowboy says, "I know that chief, but I see the detector Bobby missed, and I can disarm it like ... this ... There!" KABOOM! End of Cowboy.
The reader can believe your MC is the best just because all the characters believe your MC is the best, and your MC keeps outwitting them. It is kind of grudging endorsement of your MC.
I should note you need to write other geniuses this way, too. For example if you are not a bona fide world class chess champion, you cannot come up with an actual chess strategy to defeat the world champion. You would need scenes where the best chess players in the world admire him and are defeated by him, without getting into the details of how exactly that was done. If the world champion is portrayed as uncertain and cautious facing him, the world champion has effectively endorsed the character.
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You don't need to be able to build homemade explosive to describe a character who does.
You just need to give the reader the impression that the character knows what he/she's up to. Most of the reader won't know how to make or detonate bombs anyway, so you can probably impress them without turning your story into the Anarchist Guide to Explosives.
So, your goal is to add just a little detail to give the impression of competence. Surely your main character will use a garage or a basement as laboratory. Depending on how he puts up his bomb, he could be knowledgeable about chemicals, electronics, etc. But again, you don't have to be specific in your descriptions. Most bombs have "switches"; some may detonate with a timer or with a short-distance remote; this is all common knowledge. I frankly doubt the FBI will show up at your door if you search this stuff up - and if you are worried about being monitored, you should research the topic of internet privacy, anyway.
But again: go watch some crime movie or some TV series to get a "hint" of the topic. Most of the people who write screenplays aren't serial bombers too.
For example, if you want to add "flavour" and the illusion of competence, you could point out that Anarchist Cookbook was written by a 'former' FBI agent who might have had the agenda of getting anarchist wannabees to self-execute, like a common detonator explosive you can readily buy (ain't telling you which) needs to be mixed OUTSIDE and away from people including yourself because the fumes are toxic. Maybe snark it up a little by having Dude say "amateurs ruin everything"
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