Crime commentary can wear on a writer's soul April A to Z challenge April 4th, 2011 “C”

Crime commentary can prove to be a difficult topic to write on, in short time. Wanting an established career as a crime commentary news writer for a major news outlet, and actually doing it, are two completely different things for any hopeful writer. While the obvious benefit of highly newsworthy links being published is obvious, sometimes the topics covered are disturbing, to say the least. Enduring a non-stop feed of bad news – even if only part-time – is an unimaginably tiresome burden. Before setting off into a career of writing on crime commentary, readers would be wise to focus on remaining emotionally detached from the news feeds.

Normally, the rational adult human mind powering the actions of an ambitious writer can be stunned by haunting images from reading a few too many stories of parents hurting their own children, strangers stealing and murdering entire families, and atrocities on foreign shores costing the lives of thousands sometimes.

Can an ambitious writer hope to publish along the lines of crime commentary, without growing a jaded outer candy shell? Well, sure, but then, why would anyone want to? It's good to mature, and to learn to only share what's been confirmed, relay the details, and avoid the emotional scarring that can be brought on. The safest and surest way a news writer can avoid emotional impact from the constant feed of bad news is to remain emotionally distant to the words on the screen.

Writing news with the twists necessary for a crime writing career requires reading the topics with an emotional distance. If it's at all possible, a purging of the mind of the news making names will best help workers to keep their private minds separate from their work minds.

In particular, a news writer going through any sort of personal trauma such as divorce, recent death, illness should refrain from covering news topics similar to the contributor's private life. Eventually, the topic will be easily covered. But, for the time being, keep a private life and work topics separate.

Originally published on the Y! Contributor Network

"Smarter" by Mike Hatz...just in time for Halloween!

Smarter
The fading light of the setting sun barely illuminated the filthy little motel room on the outskirts of town. Occasionally, the throbbing orange light from the annoying neon sign in the parking lot would lend a intermittent splash of fiery glow on the dingy bedclothes. The old,
tarnished doorknob rattled and turned with difficulty until the door finally forced open. A trio of rural south Georgia cockroaches fled the harsh yellow rays of the naked 75 watt bulb as a hairy, simian hand flicked the switch by the door.

Possum and Fish-head walked in with the monstrous sack of greenbacks of varying denomination, and spilled them out on the lopsided queen bed before closing the door behind them. They both stared at their stolen booty with great satisfaction. Possum was the mastermind of the plot to knock off the ol' widow Jenkins and take her hoard of cash. It was actually quite easy, though, since the old woman had no living relatives or any close neighbors; just the 25 cats that made her house smell like the world's biggest litter box.

"Lock th' damn door, ya dipshit!" Possum yelled to Fish-head, "Jesus Christ, do I have to think of everything?" Clearly, Possum was the brains of the outfit, with his six-foot-eleven, three-hundred pound, mildly retarded younger brother Fish-head doing the muscle-work during their almost lifelong career in petty crime. After a few successful armed robberies, they gained enough confidence to pull their biggest
...Go here for the rest! Happy Halloween!