Formula

Books generally have a formula - tried, trusted and often over-used. The notable exception would be Catch 22 which has a very unusual structure. Alistair Maclean definitely had a formula in his books. His secret agent would, at some point, realise he'd been barking up the wrong metaphorical tree and spend some time castigating himself before re-setting and getting to the root of the matter.

The same happens in TV: the good guy tied to a chair, the underground carpark shoot out, the rooftop chase, the mystery in the basement, the person left for dead who actually returns to save the day... All of these I can cope with even if they do elicit a groan of weary recognition from me.

What I hate is the trend in British TV police dramas for unremitting anger from the protagonists. The world weary DCI shouts at the inspector who is dragging his feet, who in turn shout at the sergeant with the troubled past (gambling debts, bereavement, divorce - take your pick) and so on down the line.

The thing is, life just isn't like that. There is humour, compassion, stillness in most situations. I try to incorporate that into my writing but perhaps I need to use the formula instead.

'More anger please.'