Many of us are fascinated with criminals and what makes them tick. However, we often forget those they have affected - their victims. This includes not just the person(s) who was affected by the criminal act, but those present at the scene of a crime or those dependent on the primary victim. What happens to them?

Here is where victimology comes in.

Victimology, a subset of criminology, looks at the relationship between the victim and the offender by studying the causes and the specific aspects of the criminal act. For example, victimology can focus on whether the victim and offender were strangers, acquaintances, friends, family, or intimate partners. It also goes into why a particular person or place was targeted. Victimologists are studying the dynamic between the two.

But let me be clear - despite what many think, victimology is not about understanding the motives of the criminal. That's criminology. Victimology is about helping victims after a crime is committed. Victimologists generally focus on recovery though some may focus on research (i.e. rape, abuse, workplace violence, etc.).

You may be asking what this has to do with you. In all honesty, this article may not apply to you. However, if you are writing a book where someone manages to survive a horrific criminal act, this is something to keep in mind because, unfortunately, people do not always consider victimology when writing. 

Hundreds, if not thousands, of crime fiction books are published every year. This doesn't include romance, thriller, or even true crime books that all have some sort of murder or crime involved in the storyline. This also doesn't include the hundreds of thousands that have already been published. At any rate, we can safely say that there are millions of books with some type of crime published throughout the world.

For a moment, forget the millions of real victims (though they are important so don't forget them entirely). What about the millions of fictional ones? What happens to them?

Sadly, you can see a lot of trends that reflect the world as we know it. In some stories, the victim receives adequate assistance following the crime and they go on to heal in some form. This can be in various ways such as assistance in filing compensation claims, counseling or therapy, domestic violence shelters, or crisis hotlines. Yet, many authors seem to gloss over the aftermath. Sometimes they gloss over the victim entirely. Some even have the victim recovering and "bouncing back" without a second thought.

Don't get me wrong, people are resilient. But after almost being murdered? You're not likely to just walk down the street normally. 

Remember as you are writing to consider your victim, what they need, and what they have access to. Don't forget them. 

Instead of ending a book after the crime is resolved, considering writing an epilogue for your victim. Perhaps they'll go on to create a new law helping stalking victims or help other victims.

Don't let your victim be another one silenced and forgotten. Maybe you can be the one to inspire real victims to get the help they need.