Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Lessons from a former Detroit Police Officer

Mostly I wanted to know the dynamics of an interview in a homicide case. But one of the cop's observations about cop protocol wreaks havoic with how I want a scene to play out. How authentic to an actual interview does it have to be if it's not a police procedural? I guess at this point I would call it a suspense novel. Anyway the nice Police Guy is taking the relevant chapter home and going over it with a red pencil. Here I go again, letting someone read it before I'm done. Only my husband should read it because he always says, "Great job, honey." He's such an enabler.

Re: The Sopranos. I commented on it on a million blogs. I loved the ending. I love ambiquity though. I will miss that show even though I never completely got all the mob machinations. I have no instinct for it, I guess.

My troll story is sailing along. I think it's way too complicated for a five-year old though. Maybe my husband will like it.

Please go see "Once" if it comes your way. What a lovely movie.

6 comments:

Sandra Ruttan said...

You never know Patti. Reality might work better for your scene if you think it through. I'd written one scene, and believed I knew how it should be done. I'd (ahem) based the use of police dogs on what I know of searched south of the border. Unfortunately, this search was happening north of the border, with the RCMP. The RCMP's top national canine trainer read my scene and then told me why it would never happen here that way. At first, I was stumped, but I listened as he explained how they did do searches, rewrote the scene, and it was actually better for the accuracy.

Of course, it could completely screw things up for you, but maybe some creative energy can come up with a solution? Fingers crossed.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Until they hurt. Thanks for weighing in.

Christa M. Miller said...

You found someone to go over it with a red pencil?? You're lucky. I had one police reader who sort of glossed through it as a favor, but not with a red pencil. I have yet to find a cop willing to read it with that kind of eagle eye.

pattinase (abbott) said...

He's now a graduate student in the department where I work (and my husband's a professor) so I think I had an in with him.

Maria said...

Good luck!

Christa M. Miller said...

Wow. Rain Dog and I are definitely in the wrong field!