The rock stars of writing - part 4

​I always thought the coolest detective on TV was Columbo. With his self-effacing, unassuming approach, Columbo stayed under the radar of suspects, who underestimated him as a trifling annoyance. He rarely butted heads with suspects, avoided ego battles, and remained polite and cordial. Under the veil of being a disheveled, stumbling bumpkin, Columbo would doggedly dig, question and connect dots until he ensnared the unsuspecting murderer.
Writers can learn a lot from Columbo’s approach. Here are four ways how:

1. Let your work do the talking. Whether you’re a freelance writer on a gig or a full-timer churning out a report, remember that you will be measured by your written product. So don’t waste time spouting pre-writing preambles and platitudes. Instead, spend that time digging into as much information as you can for your writing assignment.
2. Scrap the attitude. Sure, there may be times when tight deadlines, inflated expectations and cantankerous clients can make you scream (been there, done that). Fight the urge to sound off. The last thing you want to do is build resistance and animosity in the people with the information you need.
3. Be fearlessly dumb. With his perennially wrinkled raincoat, half-chewed stogie and head-rubbing pose, Columbo never hesitated to ask any question, no matter how dumb it might have seemed. He’d weather the sighs and eye-rolls of suspects with superiority complexes to get the answers he needed. As a writer, your job is to write a smart piece, and asking dumb questions may be necessary to do that. And if you don’t get the information you need because you’re scared to ask dumb questions? That would be, well, dumb.
4. Be a nudge. If you’ve followed the Columbo-esque tips above, you have earned the right to persist, persevere and occasionally pester people who have the information and resources you need. Sure, you’ll get plenty of sighs and eye-rolls, but you'll also get what you need to nail your writing assignment. Just like Columbo always got his perp.

Watch the Columbo method in action: http://youtu.be/pZiv8vkxMac