tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post8540739192344082825..comments2023-11-02T02:40:48.410-07:00Comments on Crime Fiction Collective: About That Creepy Guy I Met In The Woods...L.J. Sellershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10213491074676394406noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-6944905784745573952011-11-05T20:42:10.707-07:002011-11-05T20:42:10.707-07:00Hi f4f, this is a really good article. I think vic...Hi f4f, this is a really good article. I think victims of crime and their families train themselves to think this way too. Fooled me once, shame on you, fooled me twice...<br /><br />As you say, there is always a reason for the hairs to go up at the back of your neck. I blame the psychology/psychiatry profession for pathologizing caution as paranoia, and the media picking up on this.<br /><br />With increased risk (e.g. LE career, country or neighbourhood you live in, etc) or a known attacker who is targeting you, you will need to assess your risk, take appropriate defensive measures, and be on an appropriate state of alert. The average person regards this as paranoia.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-6692953644458252482011-10-12T14:17:33.570-07:002011-10-12T14:17:33.570-07:00Thanks so much for sharing. I'm glad you were ...Thanks so much for sharing. I'm glad you were safe! <br />I'm a pharmacist and get jaded on people lying to me about certain things to do with their pain meds. (stolen, lost, dog ate it, whatever) and that's just one aspect of criminal activity. I can only imagine what you deal with on a daily basis.<br />Thanks again!<br />JackieJackie Laytonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11921544145225306649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-75712121542438269632011-10-12T09:55:27.091-07:002011-10-12T09:55:27.091-07:00A lot of great comments, thanks everyone. Donnell,...A lot of great comments, thanks everyone. Donnell, I carry concealed in most situations so he had no idea (which is the way I like it). It is true that a lot of LE folks keep LE friends because we're usually on the same wavelength. I remember one time a neighbor came over to borrow something and he froze in his tracks upon entering the dining room. It startled me. He was reacting to my handgun laying on the table. I have no kids so it's not an uncommon sight in my house. When I come home I off-load (not unload) my gun in the same way I do my keys and wallet. There was nothing dangersous about it just laying there but you'd thought he saw a rattlesnake. Anyway, he just wasn't used to seeing something like that and I was way too familiar so it was an interesting collision of world views. He was very good spirited about it though.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-59355733259420454692011-10-12T07:56:22.496-07:002011-10-12T07:56:22.496-07:00I think part of the difference is that cops have l...I think part of the difference is that cops have learned to trust their intuition, whereas many of the rest of us dismiss those little subconscious warning bells as an overactive imagination.<br /><br />But, as Gavin de Becker says in "The Gift of Fear", that warning prickle of intuition should always trigger a careful examination of one's surroundings. Your intuition may be responding to the wrong thing, or it may be responding incorrectly to whatever stimulus triggered it, but it's NEVER responding to nothing. When those little alarm bells go off, stop to figure out why. <br /><br />People who work in a threat-rich environment -- cops, soldiers, bouncers in bars, etc. -- learn this lesson well. Too many of The rest of us don't learn it until we've been victimized.Tammy Cravithttp://www.tammycravit.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-17607935596861218302011-10-11T20:32:29.560-07:002011-10-11T20:32:29.560-07:00Hi, Tom: Great post. I'm from Colorado and I...Hi, Tom: Great post. I'm from Colorado and I can easily visualize what you and your wife went through. Wow. One question. Could that man see your gun, or did you keep it hidden. Very interesting and thanks for sharing!Donnell Ann Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07943037206984648849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-27762284934817846602011-10-11T16:21:30.996-07:002011-10-11T16:21:30.996-07:00See, and here I thought I was the only one who loo...See, and here I thought I was the only one who looked at the world through tarnished glasses. I've always been that way--but with me, I saw things in terms of plot action. The woman rolling a baby out of the store in a stroller was always kidnapping it. The old lady on the corner wasn't a lady at all....etc. If made for a good plot twist, my mind was all over it. (Drew's Party of One).ANDREW E. KAUFMANhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08835920472268730244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-20998006431758975532011-10-11T14:15:26.825-07:002011-10-11T14:15:26.825-07:00Good post, Tom. I was married to a Las Vegas Metr...Good post, Tom. I was married to a Las Vegas Metro PO for many years and I know exactly what you're saying. The wives (and husbands) get used to it and trust it but outsiders often don't seem to "get" it. Guess that one reason cops hang out with cops. <br />KathyeKathye Thorntonhttp://www.kathyethornton.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-36443251927148271162011-10-11T13:20:49.101-07:002011-10-11T13:20:49.101-07:00Loved your post! Glad that your senses were alert...Loved your post! Glad that your senses were alert. I think most of us have the neck hair rising alert, but sometimes brush it off because we like to give the benefit of the doubt to strangers, or we think we've watched one too many scary movies. But, I'm a firm believer in trusting your gut and even if you come off rude or aloof, better that than getting hurt, or worse. Thanks for the tips on writing men and women in law enforcement.Christine Warnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16004865226636460465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-29526443495285410622011-10-11T12:02:54.466-07:002011-10-11T12:02:54.466-07:00I'm a writer, but I think my heightened suspic...I'm a writer, but I think my heightened suspicions are from also being a victim of violent crime. I watch people, but I almost always have an escape plan.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-87325043262296671762011-10-11T11:32:55.356-07:002011-10-11T11:32:55.356-07:00Wow! What a story! Sure glad that, thanks to your ...Wow! What a story! Sure glad that, thanks to your heightened senses and street/woods savvy, it turned out well - at least for your family! Hope there were no later victims in that scenario.<br /><br />Excellent post, Tom!Jodie Rennerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17180607353893233389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-84923945710750077212011-10-11T08:12:33.482-07:002011-10-11T08:12:33.482-07:00I heard one time, only half-jokingly, that cops pr...I heard one time, only half-jokingly, that cops pretty much divide the world into two groups. If you're not a cop, you're a suspect.<br /><br />Having gone on a few ride-alongs I know for a fact I miss a lot of the details cops have been trained to see. But as a writer, I think I pick up a lot more than non-writers. The problem is that I often embellish and twist what I've seen into something unrecognizable.<br /><br />The nature of the biz.<br /><br />Terrific post, Tom!Peg Brantleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-40064402129274707782011-10-11T07:39:18.569-07:002011-10-11T07:39:18.569-07:00I thing the "see the worst" is an excell...I thing the "see the worst" is an excellent way to show your cop characters, and it creates conflict because most people aren't that negative. I'm working on a few chapters right now where that comes into play.<br /><br />(And Hubster is a mushroom person, so he'd probably have gone right up to the guy and tried to help him identify his find. Or at least asked if he could take its picture.)<br /><br />Terry <br /><a href="http://terryodell.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Terry's Place</a><br /><a href="http://www.terryodell.com" rel="nofollow">Romance with a Twist--of Mystery</a>Terry Odellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11610682530545306687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-26349941236831878902011-10-11T06:14:10.661-07:002011-10-11T06:14:10.661-07:00Intriguing post. It sounds like your senses served...Intriguing post. It sounds like your senses served you well. I pay attention to details too...and run mental scenarios. I think a lot of writers develop those patterns because of our tendency to see everyone as a potential character. And sometimes as a potential threat too. An active imagination can make you a little paranoid too.L.J. Sellershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10213491074676394406noreply@blogger.com