Ban submitted a new blog post:
A Primer on Organized Crime for Writers
by Ban
Organized crime has become a mainstay in modern fiction. From suited-up dons to street thugs struggling to survive, criminal networks make for interesting stories. As writers and worldbuilders, how do we make organized criminal groups believable?
Buckle up, because in this article I'll tell you how.
1.Mafias and Gangs
In the golden olden days, the word mafia exclusively referred to the criminal organizations born in Sicily around the time of the Italian unification. Language, however, is an ever-changing entity and now the word mafia is synonymous with highly sophisticated criminal networks. Within this article, mafia will be the word I shall use for describing highly organized criminal networks. They are organizations that have managed to infiltrate their national and even global economic and political system through various means. To put it simply, if your group is powerful and resourceful enough to speak one to one with the local mayor, they’re probably a mafia.
Gangs on the other hand are those groups who have not reached this mark. Unlike the highly organized culture of the mafias, gangs rely on largely informal and individual relations. Its members swear allegiance to the organization, but earnings and status is up to the individual to earn for themselves. That being said, gangs can still be highly lucrative organizations through the combined efforts of...
Continue reading the Original Blog Post.
A Primer on Organized Crime for Writers
by Ban
Organized crime has become a mainstay in modern fiction. From suited-up dons to street thugs struggling to survive, criminal networks make for interesting stories. As writers and worldbuilders, how do we make organized criminal groups believable?
Buckle up, because in this article I'll tell you how.
1.Mafias and Gangs
In the golden olden days, the word mafia exclusively referred to the criminal organizations born in Sicily around the time of the Italian unification. Language, however, is an ever-changing entity and now the word mafia is synonymous with highly sophisticated criminal networks. Within this article, mafia will be the word I shall use for describing highly organized criminal networks. They are organizations that have managed to infiltrate their national and even global economic and political system through various means. To put it simply, if your group is powerful and resourceful enough to speak one to one with the local mayor, they’re probably a mafia.
Gangs on the other hand are those groups who have not reached this mark. Unlike the highly organized culture of the mafias, gangs rely on largely informal and individual relations. Its members swear allegiance to the organization, but earnings and status is up to the individual to earn for themselves. That being said, gangs can still be highly lucrative organizations through the combined efforts of...
Continue reading the Original Blog Post.