2009-Aug-25 - Crime Writing - Ten Cliches to Avoid Replica Watch

Crime Writing - Ten Cliches to Avoid

Crime fiction is big business at the moment. but there are certain situations that have been overplayed so much that they have become genre cliches and everybody knows what to expect next. Here are ten cliches you should try to avoid and thoughts on how to subvert the cliches if you do decide to use them.

Cops and Doctors

You can find this perennial favourite in both crime and historical fiction. You'll see it in ER. NYPD Blue and in cross -genre shows like the X Files. The doctor says "OK but only for a minute" or "It's touch and go. The next few hours will be crucial" or "It could be minutes. it could be days... you never know with coma cases" The policemen usually say nothing. They just stand around and chew the scenery in frustration.

Mulder and Scully actually spend a lot of their time hanging around in hospitals but you don't notice so much because the patients aren't your run of the mill criminals or witnesses.

And that's the way to get around this one. Get a new twist and add some tension. Maybe the patient is related to either the cop or the doctor. Or maybe the doctor is an amateur detective and knows better than the cop? But beware of the "Dick Van Dyke" syndrome... that leads you into a whole new area of cliche

The New Partner

In this scenario a veteran cop has to get a new partner after the death of his old one. The rookie is either keen as mustard and eager to please. or burned out from personal problems. It's probably best known in modern times from the Lethal Weapon movies. Screenwriters tried to add some tension early in the series by having Mel Gibson as a borderline suicide case(Tissot Replica Watch). and that gave the first film an edge; but it was lost in later instalments. By the time the fourth movie came came along they had fallen so deeply into a buddy movie relationship that all drama was lost in favour of light comedy.

You need to do some serious subverting if you want to use this situation. People have tried having a dog as the buddy in K9. having their Mom as the buddy in Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. and having foreigners as the buddy in big Arnie's Red Heat.

Outside the strictly police procedural we've also had the robot buddy in Robocop. the ghost buddy in Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)(Fake Bvlgari Watches). the alien buddy in Alien Nation. the magician buddy in Jonathan Creek. the ex-serviceman buddy in both Sherlock Holmes and Poirot. The list just goes on and on.

However you do it. filling in the blanks is easy in this scenario. What you need is something new. How about having the cop being given a politician doing a meet-the-people stint. Or. on a completely tasteless but might be funny level. how about the schizophrenic cop who is his own buddy?

The Rookie in the Morgue

Once only the province of young students in Quincy. this one now turns up on TV in the CSI franchise or Crossing Jordan and in print in the Kay Scarpetta books. There are usually two ways this one can proceed. Either the young cop rushes out Watches Replica. hand at mouth. or he stands still. icily cold and detached(Franck Muller Wristwatch). as the autopsy proceeds.

Inspector Morse tried to subvert this situation by having the old timer as the squeamish one Gucci Luxury Watches. but how about having the rookie as the pathologist?

Whatever you do. try not to give the pathologist a chance to be smug and patronizing while explaining large chunks of the plot. In the UK. this is overdone in Silent Witness and Waking the Dead. and is just a lazy way to advance the story.

The Cantankerous Lieutenant Chews Out The Cop

In films and television shows this happens to every protagonist. and Clint Eastwood for one must be tired of it. In the Dirty Harry series he was rarely out of his boss's office.

It usually ends up with the lieutenant and the cop snarling at each other Replica Watch. so how about having one of them being completely calm and laid back? Or how about having one of them being deaf?

And if you must write this scene. please don't use lines like "I'll have your badge for that". or "I'm not covering for you this time"

The Slimy Defence Lawyer

This one was a hot favourite on NYPD Blue and was guaranteed to get right up Sipowitz's nose. Once you've introduced the sharp suit Gerald Genta Watches. the slick hairstyle and the briefcase Blancpain Replica Watch. this guy will inevitably say. "My client has no further comment." or "You had no right to talk to him without me there." Everybody knows the rest.

Again Replica . serious though is needed to bring a new twist to this situation. Your lawyer could be an ex-cop who knows all the moves. or a relative or lover of one of the cops? How about a lawyer defending himself? Or a counter-culture lawyer covered with tattoos and piercings?

Whatever you do try to come up with some creative invective. Slimeball. sleazeball(Chopard Luxury Watches). reptile and shyster have all been overused.

The Car Chase

Bullit and The French Connection set the standard Omgea Wristwatch. and Gone in 60 Seconds brought it into the 21st Century Luxury Watches. but this situation has mostly become tired. There are only so many little old ladies to avoid. so many road signs to hit. and so many police cars to trash before your audience becomes jaded.

Over the years the Bond movies have used up just about all the possible permutations. so you'll struggle to come up with something new. It would be better to add tension in another way.

In a bid to appear fresh. the chase element has sometimes been dropped altogether in favour of the race against time as in Speed or Die Hard With a Vengeance. To succeed you'll need a good reason for the journey to take place. a disastrous outcome if it's not successful. and some good near misses on the way.

But beware. Too much carnage and your readers will start thinking of The Blues Brothers. And please. don't have your protagonist drive the wrong way down a one-way street.. it's been done far too often.

The Shoot Out

Raymond Chandler's advice to crime writers still holds. "If your plot is flagging. have a man come in with a gun." You've got to be careful though. Too many people still transfer scenes from old cowboy movies almost verbatim into modern cop scenes.

Probably the best recent shoot out was in Michael Mann's Heat. You cared who lived or died Corum Replica Watches. and there was excitement and tension. Therein lies the trick. Make your readers have an opinion(IWC Watches Replica). not just about your hero. but about the other characters as well. At the end of LA Confidential. we knew all of the people involved in the climax. and it made it more satisfying to watch who lived or died. Lining one-dimensional people up just as cannon fodder might work in a Saturday night popcorn movie Parmigiani Watches. but we should be aiming higher than that.

Shoot outs work well on film. but they can be a drag in print. Some writers tend to slow things down(Chopard Replica Watch). especially to have a close look at the wounds. Unless you're careful it can read like a medical textbook.

And Watches Replica. please. don't have heads "exploding like ripe watermelons."

The Cop in The Cafe

This was used in Chips in every episode Watches Replica. giving them an excuse to show a motorbike speeding from a car park with loose gravel flying.

It's also a favourite in most of the aforementioned buddy movies. and especially in Starsky and Hutch. They'll be in a cafe. musing over the chewing out they've had from their boss Wristwatch. when a call comes through. The radio buzzes Wholesale Jewelry. giving them a chance to attach a flashing light to the roof of their car and head off to a car chase. closely followed by a shoot out. See how it's possible to run one cliche into another? Pretty soon you'd have a whole plot. but would anybody buy it?

One way of changing this scene might be to have an alternative means of the cops getting the message. You could have them hearing something on the Television? Or how about on a cell-phone or laptop... there are multiple opportunities for foul ups. misunderstandings or criminal actions there. and they haven't been overdone... yet.

Good Cop / Bad Cop

The good cop / bad cop interview became a cliche almost as soon as crime fiction began. A fine example. nearly seventy years old. can be seen in The Maltese Falcon. By now everybody knows the moves. and your readers will be bored long before the interview is over. Unless you're being self-referential and ironic. as in LA Confidential you'll never pull it off.

Cracker tried to subvert the interview situation altogether by having it performed by a psychiatrist who played both cops in one. In The Rock. Sean Connery as the prisoner told Nicholas Cage which questions he should be asking. You'll need to find something similarly innovative if you're going to make it work.

How about having two good cops? Or two bad cops? Or maybe there is a new computer system designed by psychologists to ask the right questions in the right order? How would your cops and your prisoner handle that?

The Estranged Wife

Why do all fictional cops have relationship problems? This scene always goes the same way. The wife says. "You never see the children anymore." The cop doesn't say anything. because his mobile phone interrupts. You know the rest.

Cracker is again a good case in point as he went through this scene in almost every episode. Pacino played a variation of it with his girlfriend in Heat.

Not only does Cracker have a failed marriage Fake Gucci Watches. but he's also a gambler and a drinker. In recent years people have been giving cops more and more problems to overcome(Fake Chopard Watches). culminating in Denzel Washington's paraplegic investigator in The Bone Collector. I wouldn't even try to top that.

Why not be original. Make your cop a healthy. stable. happily married man. Now there's a challenge.

Conclusion

The next time you read or watch a police drama. notice how many of the above are still in use. All of them can occur in any one story. and frequently do... just shuffle the paragraphs Replica Watches. add a murder or two and you have an instant plot.

But unless you can subvert some of the cliches. don't expect anybody to buy it.

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2009-Aug-25 - Benefits of Martial Arts Training For Kids Watches

Benefits of Martial Arts Training For Kids

Admit it. When the going gets tough at home. we’ve all plopped the kids in front of the television and breathed a sigh of relief. Finally. we can get started on dinner Fake Hamilton Watch. maybe check email or sort that massive pile of laundry.

But when your five-year old yells at you “Mom. Kids Rule!?or your ten-year old horrifies you with language that would make a sailor blush Luxury Watches. you realize there must be something amiss with what these “family programs?really teach our kids. And sadly. its happening all over the media today. from sports to cartoons. and our children are learning things that we Tissot Watches Replica. as parents. vowed we would never teach them. Old fashioned values like respect and self-discipline. seems to have been forgotten. replaced by the dreaded “bling bling?pop culture of today.

Just the thought of your angelic three-year old morphing into a designer-clad. smart-mouthed. money-worshipping. me-obsessed Longines Replica Watch. lay-about is enough to make any parent consider that threatening military school brochure. but there is a solution out there to consider.

Martial Arts training.
From Ninja Turtles to The Karate Kid

You and your kids have all seen the flying kicks(Replica Cartier). battle cries and mighty chops of their favorite TV characters. as they beat the bad guys to submission ?but. you may ask Replica Watch. how on earth can these acts of violence teach my child anything worthwhile?

First. know that what you see on television (save perhaps the Karate Kid) is a far cry from what real martial arts are all about. The fact is Corum Watches. martial arts training is based on non-violence.

Originating in Asia (mainly Japan Replica Watch. China and Korea. although Thailand and Vietnam have their own practices as well). martial arts range from a variety of types and styles. all of which are based on well-rounded(Replica Vacheron Constantin Watch). moral teachings. The beauty of learning martial arts is that it encompasses not just the physical aspect of the “sport? but mental and emotional lessons as well.

Comparing that to other kid’s activities and sports. where fierce competitiveness and “winning at all costs?seems to be the order of the day. it’s not surprising that many children grapple with issues of self-esteem and misplaced aggression.

Now imagine your child actually learning valuable life lessons. skills that he will take throughout life. laying the foundation for a happy. well-adjusted and fulfilled adult life. If only karate for kids was popular in the 70’s. when I was growing up!

The Advantages

?Karate. and other martial arts for kids Piaget Replica Watch. builds confidence and self-esteem as well as self-discipline. respect Replica Handbags. concentration and courtesy.

?Many martial arts schools also offer leadership courses for kids. in conjunction with their karate for kids programs. or similar lessons.

?Martial Arts is ideal for children who do not do well in team sports. giving them the ability to flourish this activity. while combining physical and mental practices.

?Many do not realize this. but it is a fact that martial arts training are safer than most school sports.

?Children with special needs(Replica Baume & Mercier Watches). such as ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). learning difficulties and hyperactivity are often recommended to participate in martial arts for kids because of the clear benefits in its structured training techniques.
Kung-Fu Master or Ninja Warrior?

Before you sign up Junior for the first martial arts class you see Replica Corum Watches. take some time to check out the different methods available. and match it with what you know would suit your child best. This is a good way to avoid any problems that may sprout from a conflict of your child’s personality and the training techniques.

Is your little Zach a sensitive soul? Then maybe a class that doesn’t center on sparring (full-on kicks and punches training) but rather. slower(Vacheron Constantin Luxury Watches). defensive maneuvers would fare better for him. Kids with an aggressive streak. however. may prefer the more forceful moves and thrive in competitive sparring.

Here’s a quick primer on the kid-friendly martial arts training you’re likely to find:

Martial Arts From Japan

Karate
?Uses defensive and aggressive moves
?Centers on building strength and endurance
?Involves chops. punches(Replica Patek Philippe). kicks. strikes Replica Rolex Watch. blocking and sparring
?May use weapons

Jujitsu
?Uses defensive and aggressive moves
?Involves lots of sparring
?Teaches a fair amount of weapons training

Aikido
?Uses a more “spiritual?and harmonious style in redirecting the aggression of the attacker as the form of defense Fake Watch. using throws(Rado Replica Watches). pins. rolls etc.
?Taught on the premise of disabling an aggressor without attacking. through your individual inner energy
?Does not involve sparring or competitions

Judo
?Uses gentle. “wrestling-like?movements
?Considered one of the safest methods of martial arts
?Emphasizes physical control as well as mental development
?Engages in competitions
Martial Arts From China

Kung-Fu
?The generic term referring to Chinese martial arts with a variety of styles
?Involves attack movements as well as defensive techniques
?Teaches kicks. punches Replica . chops Replica Watches. throws Fake Swiss Rolex Watch. falls. grappling. katas. leg sweeps and blows among others.
?Engages in sparring competitions
Martial Arts From Korea
Taekwondo
?Competitive in nature. involves techniques using elaborate footwork and unique high kicks.
?Emphasizes strength. force and attack methods.
?Engages in lots of sparring and competitions.
Choosing The Right Instruction

If you have an idea of the type of martial arts class you’d like your child to participate in. the next step would be to find the right school. Finding the right class that not only matches your child’s and your needs. in terms of teachers you feel comfortable with. the price Replica Watches. facilities and so on. are all important factors.

Say you’ve found a local place that specializes in Karate for Kids. What are the things you should look for?

1. Good Instructors: Check out their qualifications. teaching methods and watch carefully how they interact with the other children. It should be a fun learning experience!

2. Space and Safety: Obviously you would want to entrust your child in as establishment that is safe. well-maintained(Breitling Replica Watches). and clean with ample space as well as decent facilities and equipment.

3. School Values: Different martial arts schools inevitably go by different values. for instance. one kid’s karate class may handle aggression in one way Watches Price. while a judo class would have a different approach. Take some time to observe which school’s ideals match your family’s principles.

4. Prices and Schedules: Prices for martial arts training can vary according to school and location(Fake Baume & Mercier Watch). so make sure you the instruction you choose represents fair value. Finding the most effective way to fit martial arts training into your family’s lifestyle is also essential Fake Watches. knowing what works best with your schedule and other activities.
Baby Blackbelts

Starting your child young in karate training is ideal (children as young as the age of four are usually accepted. as it is also a good way to hone fine motor skills). and lots of parents have found that in as little as a year. their children who were involved in martial arts had noticeably gained positive traits such as increased self-esteem Oris Replica Watch. respect and overall physical fitness.

Many parents also opt to join a martial arts training program themselves. making it a great bonding experience for the entire family.

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