'The Truth Inside the Lie'

Advice for police officers thinking about writing

Joseph Wambaugh, an ex-LAPD detective, remains one of my favourite cops-turned-writers

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I was a police officer for 25 years. In 2013, while still serving, I registered a business interest as a writer and had three novels published (I’m not going to shill my writing too much, but the books were ‘The Ninth Circle’, ‘The Devil’s Work’ and ‘The Saint Jude Rules’). They were military / espionage thrillers, about a deadbeat ex-army officer called Cal Winter. You can find them on my Amazon page here if you’re interested. I went on to self-publish two other novels, a dystopian thriller and an almost-prize-winning fantasy, before Lume / Joffe Books published my sixth novel, ‘Red Labyrinth’ last year. I describe myself as a ‘thriller / speculative fiction writer.

I mention this because I think bona fides are important. I’ve done the writer-ish stuff authors are meant to do; I found an agent, had many manuscripts rejected and a few accepted. I’ve even made a modest but satisfying amount of money. I’ve sat atop quiet mountains, tapping away on my laptop. I’ve sat in pubs with my notebook, trying to unravel plot maps. I’ve interviewed SMEs over lunch to research how best to drop a speedboat from a helicopter. I’ve even gone to a few publishing parties with canapes and Prosecco.

This is possibly why I’m occasionally asked for advice by police officers, especially since I began this Substack a couple of years ago. I try my best to be as generous with my time as possible; writing’s a lonely job. It’s usually a welcome break from solitude to chat with other writers or aspiring writers.

Now, there’s no shortage of writing advice available. Some of it’s good. Some of it’s bait, luring you into paying for a service (there’s a cottage industry out there, designed to part aspiring writers from their money). So why read mine? Well, because you (like me), might be a police officer, or former police officer, who feels the itch to write. We’ve worn the same boots, right? Plus, my advice is genuinely free, gratis and for nothing.

So here we go, a few thoughts on writing for police officers, by a writer who used to be a copper.

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‘Fiction is the Truth inside the Lie’ wrote Stephen King, who among writers is respected as much for his writing about writing as he is for his novels. In fact, given the article is about advice for aspiring writers, let’s get Action #1 out of the way now; buy King’s book ‘On Writing’ immediately. It might well be the only thing you ever need to buy on the subject.

I’m a fiction writer. Non-fiction is a whole other area (I’ll mention it below). Obviously, many police officers are drawn to non-fiction as they have compelling personal stories to tell (although beware - there’s more money in fiction). However, going back to my Stephen King quote, sometimes you can tell more truth in a fictional story than a piece of legally-reviewed non-fiction!

With Stephen King in mind, my first point concerns the overwhelming amount of advice out there for new writers. So overwhelming, in fact, I meet people who’ve spent more time reading about how to write a novel than actually writing one.

So stop it. Now. Write something. Anything.

You were a police officer, right? You’ve spent your entire career writing. In fact, when you think about it, you’ve been paid and trained to… write stuff down;

• The five-part statement model is a decent way to describe an incident in a coherent way - it’s like flash fiction (well, hopefully not fiction but you know what I mean).

• So is an MG5 Summary of Evidence - this will come in really handy when you have to write Blurb for your book. Brevity is the soul of wit etc.

• Have you done your tier-two interviewing course? You have? Great, you’re equipped to coax an account out of someone using cognitive techniques. It’s a great exercise for a writer.

• Intelligence reports? Risk Assessments? Performance Reviews? Business Plans? RIPA authorities? All of these involve planning, structure and (yes) an element of style.

I’m not even joking. These are genuinely transferable skills. They still help me plan and draft story ideas (there are literary fiction writers who’d cry into their herbal tea if they read this, which is even more reason to try it). If you’re a complete newbie, try using these skills to sketch out the bones of your idea. You’ll be surprised, as muscle-memory kicks in, how much raw material you generate. You can go crazy and creative with it later, but if you’re stuck, give it a try.

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There’s something else you need to consider as a serving or former police officer - the legal and ethical dimension of your writing. Some people, especially if they’re blowing the whistle on wrongdoing, will write warts-and-all accounts. Be aware, though, these will usually be supported by publishers with legal teams who’ll review and okay / not-okay certain details. Fiction isn’t immune either - serving or ex-police authors who think they’re safe using the ‘roman a clef’ defence (i.e. thinly disguising a true incident with a fictional overlay) need to be mindful too. This isn’t necessarily for reasons of libel, but because revealing operational details might breach your obligations under any confidentiality agreements or the Official Secrets Act.

This is why serving officers are usually required to submit manuscripts for review prior to publication. I did this with my first three books, although the Met were fairly hostile to writers (they were perpetually worried someone might write something upsetting, or even worse, true about the organisation).

Here’s an anecdote which I think goes to show you how paranoid police forces can be versus other (more security-sensitive) organisations. My second novel, ‘The Devil’s Work’, is basically a modern-day mash-up of ‘Where Eagles Dare’ and ‘The Wild Geese.’ Part of the story involves a corrupt MI6 officer. When I submitted it, the SO15 security office sent it across to the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) for a view.

I know. I can hear you sighing from here.

As I explained to my employer, every piece of tradecraft and so-called ‘secret’ in the book was something already published on the Internet. Nonetheless, off it went, to the big Lego building on the Thames.

When not protecting the country from dire external threats, SIS enjoys nothing more than reviewing a Dominic Adler novel

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SIS replied! Their email was something along the lines of, well, we rather enjoyed that. Only one thing, old chap, you’ve managed to use one of our current operation names in the text. A complete coincidence, of course. Having said that, would you mind terribly changing it?

I changed it because they asked nicely and because they didn’t order me to. Police managers, take note.

Since I retired, I’ve submitted nothing to the police for review and have no plans to do so. Happily, to date, my books haven’t been police-centric (although the next one is). Nonetheless, I keep schtum about sensitive stuff - unless of course I can parallel source it on the Internet (i.e. it’s already out there). I still like to think of myself as, broadly speaking, one of the good guys; I’d hate my stuff to be used by the other side as a primer. I also worked with human sources. Telling tales out of school about that side of the business is, as far as I’m concerned, verboten.

In any case, and whatever you did in the police, as a serving or former officer who chooses to write, you’ll have to navigate your own legal and ethical decisions. Just be aware they exist and if in doubt take advice.

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The other questions I’m asked about writing are, as you might expect from police officers, no-nonsense. Here’s a few FAQs:

• Can I make a living writing? Unlikely, but not impossible. You need to get lucky, but you can’t win the lottery unless you buy a ticket, right? If you’re only writing for money, you’re genuinely in the wrong game. As I said to someone recently, treat it like a serious hobby or part-time job… until it isn’t.

• Then why should I bother telling my story? You shouldn’t. Nobody asked you to write. People paying money and giving up their time to read your stuff is a privilege. And if you don’t feel that itch? The need to write? If you’re an author-in-waiting you’ll feel it. You might only write one book, or you might write dozens. But you’ll know the compulsion when it finds you.

• How do I begin? I have two pieces of advice. The first is READ. Good writers are good readers too. Learn how to read actively. Learn how a story is structured then disassemble it. The second is WRITE. Buy a notebook. Write down ideas. Dreams. Descriptions of people in the pub. Anything. This is what kick starts the process. Trust me. I was a policeman.

• I’m no good at English grammar. Who is? Predominantly English teachers and people who speak English as a second language. Dialogue written in grammatically-correct English doesn’t exist (well, not since the 1950s). There are editors and software and easy-to-learn guides. The more you write, the better your understanding of grammar will develop. Don’t sweat it.

• How do I get an agent? Easy, tiger. Write a book first, right? You wouldn’t attend trials as Man United’s new striker if you couldn’t kick a ball.

• Should I self-publish? Situational. The money that used to exist in the self-pubbing game has dried up, unless you’re prepared to put in the hard-yards of marketing. On the other hand, advances for trad pubbed books are smaller (or don’t exist). It’s a tough call. I’ve tried both - a hybrid will work for many.

• There’s a service that will publish my book for two grand… STOP RIGHT THERE. Vanity publishing (which is what this is) seldom works. Money should flow one way (as Joe Konrath used to say) - towards the writer. Unless you’re self-pubbing, in which case you’ll pay for editing, covers, formatting (which is still much cheaper than the vanity vultures will charge).

  

  Seriously, keep a notebook

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The other piece of advice I have is about having ‘a platform’. What does this mean? Well, my Substack is one of my primary platforms (along with my website). It’s a way to get my name out there and generate interest in my stuff. Sure, my police content is slightly different from my writing, but if life gives you lemons you make lemonade. I might diversify my content into other areas eventually, like movies and TV reviews.

Find something you’re passionate about (anything) and write. You are now fulfilling two functions - creating a showcase for you and your content (I’m not snobby about using the word ‘content’ like some people) and you’re writing. Now publish it, for free, using whatever online platform suits you best. A thousand-plus people subscribe to this Substack and maybe only a hundred have bought my books, reviewed them and recommended them. That’s like a rocket booster for a new book. It was a solid idea and I’m glad I’ve done it.

You might be an authority on making cakes, interpretive dance, historic palaces, 15th Century siege artillery or the development of the offside rule. This is the internet - there will be people who are interested. Write with authority, humour and passion and the platform will grow. Slowly, but it will grow.

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Then there’s the craft of writing. Plotting. Story arcs. Characters. Dialogue. Mirroring and shadowing. First, second and third drafts. Developmental edits. These subjects are too big for an article like this, so please just fall down the rabbit hole and find out for yourself. It’s fun.

All I’ll say is this; if you’re serious about writing then for God’s sake… just write.