Pack Up the Dead Body and Take It To New York City!

On June 27, 2011 by Lindsey Loucks With 6 Comments - Characters, Vacation

Hee-hee. This is just a bit of vacation humor. I recently took a trip to NYC, and on the beautifully wooded drive to tour West Point, I made the I’m-just-joking remark, “This would be a good place to dump a dead body.” Open mouth. Insert shoe. Someday I’ll learn that not all my thoughts need to be spoken aloud. That was my writerly brain working, as it always does, and I was thinking those deep woods would be a good place to dump a dead body fictionally. Not for real, yo.

Thankfully the people who were with me were able to laugh. Then they told me about the Harlem Suitcase Murder. Who needs a wooded area to dump a dead body when you can just stuff them in a suitcase?

More about stuffing things in suitcases later. Here’s a picture of West Point:

Pretttttty.
And since this is kind of a murderous post, here’s a picture of Napoleon’s guns and swords at West Point:
And to show you that I’m not all murdery, here’s a picture of the Peace Fountain:



Now back to stuffing things in suitcases. If your MC was going on a trip, what would they take with them? What would they pack it all in? This might be a good way to get to know your characters. My MC Leigh would pack her Ipod, Grrrl t-shirt, black eyeliner, leather studded wristbands her mom gave her, the family photo that still has a little bit of dirt on it, and some spare band-aids in case she gets bitten by a spider again. She’d throw it all in her backpack, then she’d be ready to go. No dead bodies – not for this MC.

Your turn!

6 Comments

  1. Mysti June 27, 2011

    I thought you were gonna say they kicked you off the tour 🙂 Glad you didn’t end up in a suitcase, either!

    Those are perfect for Leigh. She must feel like a little sister to you by now.

    Since I’m supposed to be focusing on Jayden and Serenya, I’ll pack Serenya’s bag for if and when she ever gets away from Sebastian.

    1. Paints, brushes, and palette
    2. Thick paper, of course
    3. Pencils
    4. Sheet music, in case there’s a piano where she’s going.
    5. Blank paper so she can write special songs with Jayden
    6. Comfortable clothing, suitable for long walks in the forest and horseback riding.
    7. The red rose (now dry) that Jayden gave her.
    8. A favorite book of poetry, perfect for reciting together for long hours on a rainy day with the man she loves.

  2. Stefanie J Pristavu June 28, 2011

    Interesting post! Lol, you should come here – you can give details on how to murder people and everyone laughs (including the police) because they don’t take you seriously. (except if you’re not joking – then they might :|)

    Pack my characters’ bags? That should be fun, since they all contain pretty much…

    1. Clothes – simple and comfortable, mostly in dark colors (jeans, t-shirts, in some case cargos)
    2. rope (there’s no way that doesn’t come in handy)
    3. Batteries and flashlights.
    4. ammunition (and more recently, grenades and smoke bombs)
    5. bulletproof vests
    6. grappling magnets
    7. fake ID
    8. paper and pencils

    All to be stuck in rucksacks. And they’re good to go 🙂

  3. Pam June 28, 2011

    Love the post. Leigh’s list is right on and I bet she’d be traveling via bike.

    My MC packs her carbine, glock, mags for both, spare daggers for her arm sheaths, cigarettes and, of course, her battery powered bullet.

  4. Lindsey June 28, 2011

    Mysti – Yay! I didn’t end up in a suitcase! We did think we heard gunshots, though, but it turned out to be fireworks. We were staying in Harlem, so we were a little paranoid. That’s a great list for Serenya – it fits her perfectly.

    Stefanie – Hmm, that’s not good. What if I was only pretending I was joking? 😉 Interesting list. I think everyone needs to carry grappling magnets with them because you just never know.

    Pam – Leigh would be lost without her bike! And Evie can’t forget extra batteries for her bullet because that would be a disaster! 🙂

  5. J Andrew Jansen June 29, 2011

    I almost feel like I’m cheating on this one, as Mirian has her bag packed and is carrying it with her.

    1. The statue of her goddess that Prophet Neijen gave her as a gift the last time she saw him.

    2. Candles. With the cool case / lighter combo things that Bofia gave her when they left Lothmurn.

    3. Her robes: Dress, work, and worship. Also, the hated pants and blouse.

    4. The small box containing the mysterious pendant.

    I think that’s all. I will have to peek in there next time I see her and make sure I didn’t miss anything.

    Also: Yes, I realize I am breaking some of the timeline rules with this list (the pendant isn’t quite as mysterious anymore by the time she gets the candle cases). Don’t care. I’m here for fun right now.

  6. Lindsey June 29, 2011

    Nah, you’re not cheating, Joe. Mirian just made it easy for you since her bags were already packed!

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