Lessons I’ve Learned From ‘The Wire’

a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://bp1.blogger.com/_dJEkdJdUM4w/R2H4VjoQqbI/AAAAAAAAAD0/WZA64PGYyzg/s1600-h/16564077_4317cde9ff.jpg”img style=”margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;” src=”http://bp1.blogger.com/_dJEkdJdUM4w/R2H4VjoQqbI/AAAAAAAAAD0/WZA64PGYyzg/s200/16564077_4317cde9ff.jpg” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143665298658863538″ border=”0″ //aspan style=”font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;” T/spanhe writing team of a href=”http://www.hbo.com/thewire/”The Wire/a was nominated for a a href=”http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1516″2008 WGA award/a on Wednesday for the quality of its writing. It’s well deserved. The show isn’t to everyone’s tastes. If you hate gritty crime drama, swearing or sweaty naked bodies, this isn’t the show for you.br /br /But if you like great storytelling, characterization and world-building, a href=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wire_%28TV_series%29″The Wire/a is a go-to show. So in honor of the nomination, here are three lessons I’ve learned from a href=”http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0306414/”The Wire/a.br /br /b1. Characters don’t always have to make the easy choices./b Over and over again, the drug dealers, cops, politicians and educators of this show make choices that are completely within their character, but are not the ones that first come to mind. By easy, I don’t necessarily mean easy for the character, but easy to the writer. Example: In Season Two, when Ziggy’s deal with Double-G goes bad, he doesn’t do what most writers would have him do and run away. Instead, he waits in the car for what he knows is coming. (Sorry to be vague, but I don’t want to ruin the episode for those who haven’t seen it.) It’s a brilliant piece of writing.br /br /b2. And, although it hasn’t been proven by science, they also insist that there’s something sildenafil online pharmacy else in it that naturally boosts the sex drive. Dosage pattern Dosage to viagra pfizer cialis is easy to use pumping method for ED issue. It is also reported to aid in excitement and increase sensation. generic viagra from india Kamagra viagra generic cheap is a pharmaceutical product, which is facilitated as Kamagra tablets, Kamagra jellies and Kamagra soft tablets. Details matter./b This is true in both the story world of uThe Wire/u, where a wire tap could make a case, and in the writing of uThe Wire/u. The small things tell so much about character. Example: When McNulty in Season Three starts watching a televised political show and then flips over moments later to a WWII documentary, you just know how his date’s going to go later that week.br /br /b3. Throw stereotypes out the window./b What comes to mind when you think of a drug dealer? I’m sure it isn’t Stringer Bell using Robert’s Rules of Order to run a meeting with his mid-level dealers. Or Prop Joe fixing a toaster, because he hates to see useful things wasted. The writers of uThe Wire/u break stereotypes time and time again, allowing us to see characters as three-dimensional, rather than villainous (or virtuous) cut outs.br /br /Watching uThe Wire/u challenges me to be a better writer.br /br /Congratulations to Season Four writers Ed Burns, Chris Collins, Dennis Lehane, David Mills, George Pelecanos, Richard Price, David Simon and William F. Zorzi. Kudos (both the chocolaty kind and the standing O variety). Now if only the Emmy people would wise up….br /br /span style=”font-size:85%;”Photo by a href=”http://flickr.com/photos/larachris/”Chris and Lara Pawluck/a/span