Write Crime Right: Common Pitfalls in Writing About Police Work

Description

March 4-29 Murder One

Write Crime Right: Common Pitfalls in Writing About Police Work

Instructor: Wesley Harris

 Avoiding the common pitfalls in writing about cops and crime

Workshop Description: Former police chief Wesley Harris created “Write Crime Right” ten years ago to help writers create realistic, plausible crime fiction in any genre. He has helped dozens of writers avoid the common pitfalls in writing about law enforcement officers and the crimes they investigate. If you want to write credibly about cops and crimes, this is the course for you.

Among the topics we will discuss are:

• Who are the cops? – These aren’t your grandfather’s cops.
• Cop Talk – How do cops talk? What do they talk about?
• The Tortuous Trail through the Legal System – What do I need to know about the “system”?
• Local, State, Feds – Who’s responsible? Can’t I just call the FBI?
• Procedures – How do I write about a search warrant? A live lineup?
• Weapons – Can I just call it a gun?
• Ranks & Duties – Should my character be a sergeant, commander, general?
• Internal Affairs – Every agency has an internal affairs unit that goes after cops, right?

Plenty of time will be devoted to addressing your cop and crime questions.

Instructor’s Bio: In addition to a law enforcement career spanning over 40 years, Wesley Harris has written professionally for over three decades, authoring several books and many articles on police procedure and American history. His work has appeared in national magazines like POLICE, Law Officer, Law & Order, Wild West and America’s Civil War. He serves on the criminal justice faculty of the University of Phoenix. In addition to providing consulting and editing services to writers, Harris is an experienced online instructor. His police career included many death investigations and successful murder prosecutions.