From the dark and twisted alleys of my unrecognizable brain ...

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So, I've concocted the idea for my third novel and I'm sorta afraid to write it. The working title is called MUTED and it's based on the short story I wrote for the Tiny Dancer Anthology. Sinking my teeth into this baby is going to be an experience I'll never forget. It's going to be one of the darkest, most twisted tales I've ever written.


Here's my current blurb:
It's illegal to wear clothes. In some streets, it's also illegal to sing without accompanying instruments. Concetta, a famous Italian a cappella singer from before “the change,” now living in Arles, France, breaks these laws. As punishment, her vocal chords are brutally slashed and her eardrums surgically perforated. Unable to cope living a life without song, she resolves to drown herself in the river clothed in a dress stained with performance memories. But Concetta's suicide attempt is cut short as someone grabs her by the throat and pulls her to the surface. Is it the busking harpist, who encouraged her to feel music through vibration, acting as savior? Or a street warden on the prowl for another offender to detain?

I have a ton of research to do for this, such as read up on totalitarianism, Arles, and Van Gogh, who cut off his ear there. I've been to Arles, but I was only 12 so can't remember much. Doing extensive research is quite new for me, because the previous two books I've written I've basically used the knowledge I already posses. I'm looking forward to making a trip to Arles when I can afford it. (Katie, wanna come? :o)

The first thing I did, though, research-wise, was ask Lydia, the blogoshere's most desired medical expert, how I would go about Concetta's punishment, for her to end up mute and deaf. Here is what she said:

I think you have a few choices on how you want this to happen (becoming mute). The cords are small and live within a protective, very strong cartilege. The perpetrator wouldn't necessarily be aiming for the cords, but to destroy the structure that surrounds it. To crush it,  a strong blow directed right at the larynx would work. You could use a knife too, but you'd risk causing paralysis or cutting through some major arteries. To maim but not kill, a crush injury would be better, I think. If you do that, you'd have to consider that her airway would be almost closed and she'd almost lose her ability to breath; this could be supported with a breathing tube or something until she recovers.

Another option would be this. The nerves that innervate the vocal cords (called the recurrent laryngeal nerves) run on each side of the trachea, or big breathing tube of the neck. One good slash to either side would do the trick (again, the perpetrator would have to be skilled--big slashes would hit the neck arteries--a well-directed few slashes would make her mute.). There might be injury to the esophagus and a lot of bleeding for this type of injury, but it would do the trick.. 

 ... any crush injury to that area will cause inflammation and injury to the esophagus. She'll have trouble breathing and wheeze a bit, swallowing (probably will only be able to do liquids for a while), and her whole neck would be really sore and stuff. If it's just the cuts, her swallowing probably wouldn't be affected.

As for the ears, a simple perforated ear drum could cause damage but they often heal; so you'd have to make it pretty traumatic, and not just perforate the ear drums, but maybe damage the inner ear structures (the bones) as well. Ouch, it makes me cringe just thinking about it. But it would do. Also, you could have them do it with a dirty instrument, so that she gets a horrible ear infection on both sides that takes out her hearing on top of the perforation. There's a lot more leeway here for hearing loss ...

She can be conscious when this all happens (you are so mean! just kidding) but the pain will be pretty bad if it's a crush injury; the knife slashes would definitely hurt but not as much as a blow to the neck. The ear stuff though--man, talk about torture! She'd be screaming her head off. And then she'd only be hearing the screams in her head, like she was underwater. OMG, how awful...


Wow. I kinda feel sick. I'm pretty nervous out about writing this scene ... what inspires us to be so cruel to our characters??? And on another note, what lengths have you gone to for research? Travel? Library books? Or just the good old internet?