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What It’s really Like Writing True Crime (Part 2): Kevin Sullivan on Regret and Remembering Victims of Violent Crime

Kevin Sullivan

The Author

In my last post we discussed the mechanics of writing true crime. They’re tried and true and for those wanting to write in this genre, it’s a road map to creating something worth selling. It’s a systematic way of doing things that will lead you on a road to success; provided, of course, that you know what you’re doing in the first place. But these are the mechanics of writing true crime. What follows are the unavoidable results of writing true crime.

The Psychological Toll of Writing:

Although true crime writers rarely ever mention it, there is a bit of a toll that comes along with writing true crime. I’m not talking about anything overwhelming, but levels of “toll”, if you will, where you can experience a general sadness and sense of regret as you write about the victims of crime, to waking up in a cold sweat and pounding heart (this actually happened to me), and you quickly realize you’re thinking about an especially nightmarish murder you’re working on.

This particular murder that I was writing about, and constructing again in a literary sense, was by far the most terrible murder I’ve encountered in all of my years of writing true crime. It was an extremely bloody murder. And while I’ve written about bloody murders before, nothing can compare with the ghastly killing of the pretty young cheerleader, Sarah Hanson, as detailed in my book, The Death of a Cheerleader. What made this particular murder so horrific and set apart from the others, was the time it took for the victim to die.

Now, as a writer, it was my duty to tell it like it happened! That’s my job. And if I’m not going to do it, then I need to be writing about something else; something sanitized and emotionally unmoving. But that’s not what I do. If I decide to write about a case, then I tell the truth. Not only that, but I paint a picture of the events as they happen, and without the reader knowing it, I present the facts of the case so that it will very easy for them to see where the weak links are often hiding in the story, that may have allowed the murder to occur in the first place; or perhaps made it easier for it to unfold.

So how does it usually work out with a writer of true crime? How do they react to cases they’ve covered? Or how does it affect them (if at all) as the years roll by? Well, I can only speak for myself, so my answers may not apply to my fellow true crime writers; that would be for them to say. That said, here’s my overall experience as a writer of true crime:

At the head of the list is this: Once I write about a murder, I’m forever linked in a special way to the case. I continue to carry the details of the murders as if it was a movie I saw long ago, and because this movie made such an impression upon me, I’ll always remember it. As to the victims, it’s like I’m connected to them in a special way, as if we’d met somewhere in the past. As such, I continue to occasionally think about them. Thankfully, the more egregious and emotionally draining murders I’ve put to print will fade a bit and those extreme negative affects do melt away. That said, I do carry an overall sense of regret that they were killed. There is also a small degree of sadness that always accompanies such times, and I suspect this is the way it will be whenever my mind drifts back to those days.

They all are a part of me in the sense that not only do I feel like I “know” them, but that if they suddenly came back from the dead, I would, after they greet their families, want to meet them, give each of them a big long hug, while telling them how glad I am they’re back!

But of course, this is just a fantasy. There will be no reunions, at least not in this life.

kentucky bloodbath bookRead WildBlue’s latest true crime release, KENTUCKY BLOODBATH by Kevin Sullivan. Now for just 99 cents on Kindle! But that price won’t last long so get it while it’s hot!

Filed Under: Blog, Kevin Sullivan Tagged With: crime cases, Kevin Sullivan, Kevin Sullivan Book, Murder, True Crime, true crime books, writing
June 4, 2015 By Kevin Sullivan 1 Comment

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Sullivan’s WBP Books

Bundy Expert Kevin Sullivan Adds To Series With THE ENIGMA OF TED BUNDY

In this 6th and final book on the Ted Bundy case, I wanted to tackle some questions and legitimate controversies that remain about Ted Bundy, the murders, and his victims. These questions and controversies cover such issues as Bundy’s hunting … [Read More...]

The Encyclopedia Of The Ted Bundy Murders

The Encyclopedia Of The Ted Bundy Murders

The Encyclopedia of the Ted Bundy Murders lists the names of hundreds of people involved in the case as well as dozens of locations where significant events occurred.  Being the final installment in a five-volume series, this veritable “Who’s Who” of … [Read More...]

New From Bundy Expert Kevin Sullivan TED BUNDY’S MURDEROUS MYSTERIES

Ted Bundy's Murderous Mysteries is a deep-dive into the archival record of the America’s most notorious serial killer. It’s a veritable goldmine of information on Bundy, his victims, and this very voluminous case. Written by the foremost authority … [Read More...]

THE BUNDY SECRETS: Third Book In Bundy Trilogy Brings Readers The Unedited Case Files

'Hidden Files on America's Worst Serial Killer' Completes Sullivan's Opus Rare Revelations Of A Murderous Rampage Within the pages of THE BUNDY SECRETS: Hidden Files Of America's Worst Serial Killer is a unique, never-before-published look at the … [Read More...]

Trail of Ted Bundy Cover

In THE TRAIL OF TED BUNDY, Kevin Sullivan Compiles Never Before Published Interviews and Clues from this Historic Case

THE TRAIL OF TED BUNDY: Digging Up the Untold Stories A look into the life of serial killer Ted Bundy, from those who knew him, to those who chased him, and from those who mourned his many victims... The Trail of Ted Bundy: Digging … [Read More...]

Kevin’s Other Books

Nonfiction

True Crime Classics

Buy Kevin Sullivan's The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive HistoryThe Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History
"Despite the multitude of books about Bundy, The Bundy Murders offers fresh material and ideas about Bundy's predatory movements. Well researched and highly recommended, for Bundy scholars and true crime fans alike."--Katherine Ramsland, author of The Human Predator and The Devil's Dozen.

Buy Kevin Sullivan's Death of a Cheerleader (coauthored with Gregg Olsen)Death of a Cheerleader (coauthored with Gregg Olsen)
In this Notorious USA collection, Death of a Cheerleader, New York Times bestselling author Gregg Olsen and true crime journalist Kevin M. Sullivan write about notorious crimes in the Bluegrass State. In a scene right out of Hitchcock’s “Rear Window,” a young woman vanishes from a beach on a summer day and a neighbor views the abduction through his telescope. A newlywed disposes of his bride but doesn’t know what to do with her head. Selling tickets at a drive-in movie theater proves deadly. And a parent’s worst nightmare becomes reality – their young daughter disappears from a sleepover.

Buy Kevin Sullivan's Custer’s Road to Disaster: The Path to Little BighornCuster’s Road to Disaster: The Path to Little Bighorn
"He rose to the Army's pinnacles at age 23, earning him the endearing title "boy general". But Mr. Sullivan says there's more to it than high rank at young age. George Armstrong Custer's boyhood - impetuous, rash, carefree, even rebellious - never disappeared, molding the icon's battle successes and failures, most notably his last hurrah at the Little Big Horn. Was it all foreordained? A provocative read, this road to disaster invites you to be the judge."
Richard Allan Fox, author, Archaeology, History, and Custer's Last Battle

Buy Kevin Sullivan's The Amish Schoolhouse Murders (coauthored with Gregg Olsen)The Amish Schoolhouse Murders (coauthored with Gregg Olsen)
New York Times bestselling author Gregg Olsen and true crime journalist Kevin M. Sullivan travel down a bizarre trail of murder into notorious Pennsylvania. A seemingly normal husband father of two decides to kill young girls after storming an Amish schoolhouse, and sex many have been the prime motivator. A young high school student has a secret desire for murder, and decides a middle of the night visit to his best friend’s house will do nicely to satiate his hunger to kill. A seedy individual living in an even seedier part of Philadelphia decides to populate his basement with kidnapped women for sex and the bearing of children, and it is death to those who do not submit.

Buy Kevin Sullivan's Unnatural Causes (coauthored with Gregg Olsen)Unnatural Causes (coauthored with Gregg Olsen)
From the dark and bloody ground of Kentucky, to the peaceful Amish communities of Pennsylvania, to the cities and towns crisscrossing Ohio, murder and mayhem has been a part of it all. Within the pages of this latest volume in Notorious USA's New York Times bestselling series you'll discover how the unsuspecting succumbed to the evil that caught them by surprise, and what the authorities had to do to stop the madness.

Buy Kevin Sullivan's Angel of Death (coauthored with Gregg Olsen)Angel of Death (coauthored with Gregg Olsen)
New York Times bestselling author Gregg Olsen and true crime journalist Kevin M. Sullivan travel down a bizarre trail of murder into notorious Pennsylvania. A seemingly normal husband father of two decides to kill young girls after storming an Amish schoolhouse, and sex many have been the prime motivator. A young high school student has a secret desire for murder, and decides a middle of the night visit to his best friend’s house will do nicely to satiate his hunger to kill. A seedy individual living in an even seedier part of Philadelphia decides to populate his basement with kidnapped women for sex and the bearing of children, and it is death to those who do not submit.

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What It’s really Like Writing True Crime (Part 2): Kevin Sullivan on Regret and Remembering Victims of Violent Crime