by Rogenna Brewer
I recently had the privilege of being called to jury duty. No, that's not tongue in cheek; I really do consider jury service an honor, if not a research opportunity. As luck would have it I drew a low number and was seated in the jury box for voir dire.
In voir dire an attorney can challenge a prospective juror "for cause" if that person expresses bias against the attorney's case. In this instance each side had six challenges to seat the jury.
The Prosecution asked me one simple question and a follow up.
“Have you ever seen your profession portrayed on television?”
Even though I’d put both data entry and published romance novelist on the questionnaire, I knew which occupation she was referring to.
“Castle.”
Mystery writer. Romance writer.
Close enough for what the District Attorney wanted out of me. Let’s face it being able to say I'm published is much more interesting than admitting I’m a regular Joe/Jolene with a regular job. Besides, I just blurted out my answer and it was good for a laugh in an otherwise tense situation.
At least I didn't spout Californication. I might have had them rolling in the aisles.
Then she asked, “Is Castle an accurate portrayal of your job? Your day to day life?”
“Don’t I wish!”
Bestselling mystery author Michael Connelly told TVGuide.com, “It’s a fantasy version of what I do!”
I've been on one police ride-along, does that count?
Never mind the DA using the question as a lead in to demystify all those CSI dramas on TV (she asked the same question of an attorney and a doctor). She got me thinking. Was there a better answer? Have you ever seen a romance novelists portrayed on television? Authors of any kind that I haven't mentioned? Enough for a top ten list?
Afterwards I thought of Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile, but those were movies. Joan Wilder typing the end at the beginning of Romancing the Stone, with the sticky notes all over the place and no toilet paper, is a pretty accurate picture of my life.
Truth be told I day dream all day long. Even at my day job.
Usually about the characters in whatever story I'm working on.
Truth be told I day dream all day long. Even at my day job.
Usually about the characters in whatever story I'm working on.
The fantasy version of my life isn't that much different from my real life. I'm younger, thinner, richer and everything around me is self-cleaning, not just the oven. But the one thing I want most is more time to write. More time for research. Time for family and friends. More good times.
Yes, even time for civic responsibilities. I did wind up on that jury.To Stephen Cannel, creator of Castle, I have this idea for an episode about a romance novelist, past love interest of Rick's (Nathan Fillion), accused of committing murder while serving on a jury...
I'm even available to play the part. Okay, probably not. But if you ever need a fill in at the poker table for Michael Connelly I'm your gal!
I mean who wouldn't want to sit across from Nathan Fillion.
To all of you:
Have you ever seen your profession portrayed on televison? Was it more fiction than fact?
What would your fantasy life be like?
I'm giving away (your choice) the first season of Castle on DVD or copies of
Heat Wave and Naked Heat by Richard Castle (there's rumors of a Nicki Heat movie).
And a copy of my upcoming releaseMitzi's Marine.
35 comments:
Yup, every TV show has a secretary or a mom in it. Some fantasy, some pretty real life. I guess I'm too old for a fantasy life, but I'll think about it!!! Have my copy of Mitzi's Marine and I love it.
Morning all,
I have to be at that day job, but I'll be popping in and out when I can.
Morning, Mom. You have to say that about my book :)
Rogenna
I don’t need to be a lawyer, police officer or doctor to know their jobs are ridiculously represented on television on a daily basis!
I work in the theatre, and I’ve never seen even a remotely realistic depiction of that world. There was a repeat of a Murder She Wrote episode on the other day and I was in hysterics at their ‘Soviet ballet stars’ storyline – seriously, couldn’t they find a couple of dancers to do the dancing, instead of relying on actors? No wonder first-timers backstage are always so surprised by reality!
When it comes to fantasy, well, the real version is crazy enough most of the time!
How many times have I seen a teacher portrayed on TV? Let me count the times. Accurate??? Rarely. Some of the actions would have gotten me fired and probably sued!!!
Although I am now retired I have had my share of being dismissed from jury duty because of my teaching but I haven't figured out why defenders and prosecutors don't really like teachers....Although on one jury duty case I was dismissed because an ex-student of mine was the one on trial :) And once because I had had the prosecutor's son in class and had had a meeting with him concerning his son's misbehavior:)
PS. Because I have a copy of Mitzi's Marine on the top of my TBR pile and don't have a DVD player don't enter my name in the drawing.
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Well said, Sonya :)
Ellen, a former student on trial, yikes, I bet that was a bit too much reality.
I have been a sales clerk for a department store, and I have seen TV characters with that profession. Now, I am a Customer Service Rep. Don't see that one as much! It never bothered me whether my profession was accurately portrayed, it's just TV.
I don't remember ever seeing a veterinarian portayed on a TV show - certainly not as the star. I'm sure there have been vets as parts of story lines, but I can't remember any of those, either. Either my memory is gone, or my TV viewing is pathetically limited.
The one time I was on jury duty, I wasn't accepted for a trial involving a car accident and personal injury. I guess they didn't want anyone with medical knowledge. I was disappointed, too - being on a jury would have been great research.
I was a bank teller for a number of years and I haven't seen that portrayed on TV or movies.
I've only been called for jury duty once and then I got a phone call saying the trail had been moved to a different location. It didn't take much figuring out to realize that if the trail had gone on here in my city, I might have been sitting on a jury for murder of an 18 year old woman working late at night. I was happy I missed out. However jury duty is a privilege just like voting is and not to be taken lightly.
Kalee, be glad you didn't sit on that jury. In the movie Town with Ben Aflack the heroine is a bank teller.
Margaret, I'm sure you have better things to do than watch TV. Like write
Tammy, good point!
Nobody has a fantasy version of their job they want to share?
I can't say I have ever scene my profession shown on TV except the mom part of it. I have been called for jury duty and few times but never had to serve.
I don't think I've ever seen the Registar's Office of a University portrayed on tv, but I have certainly seen my function (writing computer programs to pull information from the student database) portrayed in different professions, most of them crime-fighting (like Penelope Garcia from Criminal Minds and any number of others from the CSIs and NCISs.) Those portrayals are definitely "enhanced" if not glamorized. With a few clicks, they can tap into any database anywhere without breaking a sweat. In an instant, they can tell you that the chemical found in the sand under the dead body is only manufactured in one factory in Miami or the brand of tire that left a particular tread mark and where it was manufactured. Before the first commercial break, they can access multiple databases, pulling up pictures and spreadsheets and specifications, and can compare them against one another to narrow down the field of suspects. In my experience, while the internet has certainly made data easier to find and while crime-fighters would definitely have access to more privileged information than most of the rest of us, getting into private manufacturer's databases and doing instant comparisons are definitely fiction.
As for jury duty, I've only been called once. However, unlike my friends who frequently only had to show up once and then could call in for the remainder of their jury pool time period, I got called for one of the biggest trials in my area where two police detectives were charged with over 200 felony counts. I tried my best to avoid being selected during voir dire by conspicuously reading Runaway Jury, but without success. So, I spent several weeks listening to the testimony of drug dealers and confidential informants, including my birthday. A civic responsibility, yes, but fun? Definitely not.
Kate Jackson and I had identical roles and looks when she played a nurse on The Rookies. Oh, wait, part of that is fantasy, maybe almost all of it.
I think many jobs, nurse included, are way too personal and out there and mixed with too much drudgery to play accurately on TV.
I would, however, like my own body armor that says WRITER.
I'm a teacher and so, yes I've seen my profession portrayed on television. But most of the time it's pretty horrible. It sometimes makes me wish to be a teacher in one of these series and sometimes I would just like to change profession. :)
Claudi and Ellen Too, I greatly admire teachers. But I'm also a fan of Glee :)
Sign me up from some of that body armor, Mary.
JV, sounds like an ulgy trial all the way around. This one was a little less ugly by comparison. So glad it didn't go on any longer or I would have been serving over my birthday as well. The CSI stuff was interesting, but pretty inconclusive as far as that went.
Virginia, you gotta love those TV moms.
I type from home (for an insurance investigator, an occupational therapist, a play therapist, a psychologist, a pediatrician, and/or people looking for jobs) and can't recall anyone doing that in a starring role. Perhaps on a CSI or NCIS show there was someone found dead at their computer? (I don't want to think about the implications or similarities, LOL!)
I too think jury duty is not to be taken lightly and is our civil responsibility. My job in not portrayed, but parts of my job are portrayed a lot. I hardly watch TV, but some of the things I do watch crack me up. There's no way they can get answers so quickly. The time it takes to run the instruments and the quality control procedures that go with the analysis sometimes takes days even with a rush work order!
I was on a jury about a yr ago. It was an "abuse of a household member" case. I was asked the same question regarding TV and what kinds of books I read. My lawyer friend told me that they are concerned because of all the CSI, Criminal Minds, Cops type shows on TV. Their concern with books is similar. Some people think they are real and some people think they can solve crimes and know the answeres because of things they've seen on TV or read in a book. These TV shows solve crimes withing 40 minutes of programming time. Real life sometimes takes years!!!
Rogenna, never been on a jury but one of my favourite movies is Runaway Jury, does that count?
Don't forget dear old Jack Nicolson as a romance novelist in As Good As It Gets. Must watch that again.
Karina
Interesting post, Ro! I've never been on a jury. I think I would quail at the responsibility, especially at a murder trial.
Before I turned to writing I was a marine biologist. The marine biologists on TV are usually glamorous types who study killer whales or dolphins. No one wants to watch someone suck the stomach juices out of a clam or count the hairs on each segment of a marine worm or scuba dive at a sewage outfall to look at the changes in marine life... Goodness knows why not, I mean it's all so fascinating. :) One time I started to write a book featuring a marine biologist as a hero. Write what you know, right? When I realized I'd written three pages describing the stomach contents of a salmon I quickly switched my hero to a killer whale biologist. (That book became Spencer's Child). Even I found it more interesting than clam guts. So while I like my entertainment to be realistic, some aspects of a job are definitely more palatable for public viewing.
Nice post, Ro. I love you posts. You always have something so fascinating.
I was a teacher and I think that's pretty much well done...except on Glee. You know they wouldn't get away with any of that on there :)
I remember a clever professor from Gilligan's Island. Most professors are minor characters in a series. The Nanny had one for a bit. And most profs are men. Maybe an idealized one would make a good hero?
I'm going to put on my TV writer hat for this one. As a storyliner/story editor, I have seen my profession portrayed a number of times, most recently in 30Rock. The writers' room in that show - the food, the childishness, the boredom, the instant seizing onto anything that isn't work... yeah, that's all true. There's even a line where Tina Fey says to the story team that "as a group, we may not smell that great". That's accurate, too - or certainly the story room gets a little funky sometimes. Too many old coffee cups sitting around and take away food containers etc.
Fun post, Rogenna. I love the way you always think outside the square.
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LOL-Laney, neither do I. Most of us here would be in trouble.
Good point, Snookie and the one the DA was trying to make.
Oh, yes, Karina! Jack Nicholson as a romance novelist. That was a good movie. And Misery, poor James Caan. And I think Johnny Depp played a novelist in another Stephen King movie.
We're on a roll now
Well, I'm not able to work anymore so my fantasy life would be having a place on the beach and a lot of cold drinks while watching the sunset on the water. Or maybe one of the travel shows where I could travel to many different places and try out their cuisine. I'd definitely enjoy that.
I've seen nursing portrayed on TV too many times, never realistically. Just like romance writing, the reality rarely makes a good story!
My fantasy nursing job would be being practice nurse to George Clooney playing the family doctor. We only ever see nice happy grateful patients who do the right thing for us by getting better and never ever losing control of bodily functions. And of course I am slimmer, prettier, better paid and Gorgeous George is madly in love with me.
Sounds all right to me!
Joan, I didn't know that about you. You had my dream job I should have been born a mermaid. I love being around water, on the water, in the water, under the water.
Liz, I have news for you, I think I'm boring with nothing to write about. I find everyone else's posts fascinating. But thank you so much for saying so!
Ah, Laura, you're taking me back. Sing it with me now... "The Professor and Mary Anne"... Do you remember the version in which they were just...the Movie Star and "the rest" ? I always thought the Professor and Mary Anne should have gotten together.
Sarah, you do look a little like Tina Fey.
Linda, your fantasy sounds absolutely wonderful to me too.
And Autumn, now there's a fantasy I can sink my teeth into--yummy, George Clooney!
These comments have been so much fun to read! I agree with the teaching profession not being accurately portrayed. They even talked about it in my ed classes back in the day.
Ellen, Too--I've been on two juries, even though I'm a teacher, and both times the defendant got life. My husband and I seved together on the second jury--and we didn't talk about the case until it was over. We were very disciplined.
My fantasy life...I would make enough as a writer for us to live close to water so my husband could fish while I write. And there'd be a place for my ponies.
I used to be a computer programmer (until my job was outsourced & offshored), and yes I have seen it portrayed in TV shows & movies. But it usually has someone madly typing on the screen, hitting a button, and getting the answer needed to solve the problem. Never seemed realistic to me!
My fantasy: having enough money to travel & not worry about time or money. Not that I need fancy places, just to get around & stay in decent places.
ps - so glad I just found this site!
sallans d at yahoo dot com
Welcome, Di! We're glad you found us too :) Stick around we give away a lot of books.
A reminder to everyone we have the Super Stimulus package coming up! A $50 Visa gift card to spend anyway you like.
Jeannie, I can see you being disciplined enough to serve on a jury with your husband. How hard was that not to talk to your husband about the case! I'm just amazed the attorneys allowed it.
Another comment by me ~~ I actually have served on a couple of juries but I can remember a time (back in the dark ages) when being a teacher actually could be used as an excuse not to serve because of the cost of having a teacher out for an extended period of time.
We know that wasn't your excuse, Ellen.
Good night, all! Thanks for stopping by today.
I work in Early Childhood. What immediately comes to mind is THE NANNY. I never dressed like that for work.
As to the fantasy life - not too sure about that.
marypres@gmail.com
As a secretary, I see the profession portrayed on tv alot. Most of the time I think they stereotype the profession.
My fantasy life would be to be independently wealthy so I could do anything I wanted without worrying about money.
I work in the credit card industry. Doubt that will ever be on a TV show - unless someone who worked for a company is a victim on a crime drama.
Ah to live the life of Castle - a writer who never seems to write anymore.
Marcie - anonymous again - google issues.
I haven't seen my profession on TV. My fantasy would probably involve Eric Bana and me on a tropical island.
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