Some of my students told me that a man riding a bus through Canada inexplicably turned to his seatmate, stabbed him repeatedly, and then decapitated him and started cutting him up. He later displayed the head to the other passengers who had since fled and trapped him in the bus. You can’t make this stuff up, folks.

Out here in the world of the sane, we do better things with our murderous thoughts, such as writing them really small in thousands of identical journals. For today’s story starter, access your craziness. Look back at old journals, or just consider what your thoughts when that guy in traffic cut you off. I think most of us have a wealth of crazy, but if you can’t, try to figure out this guy. He was apparently calm throughout the whole thing, as it though it was the most normal thing in the world.

When you’re done, voila! Serial killer character profile for your murder mystery, ready to go.

Make sure you clearly label this thing a writing exercise. I’d hate to have the FBI investigate you (or me).