The Faerie Queene Robert Parker Analysis

Robert B. Parker’s protagonist, Spenser, was a cop ahead of his time. Articulate, well-spoken, and well-read, Spenser had a college degree. He often quoted famous literary figures including his namesake, Edmund Spenser (“with an S like the poet”), author of the epic poem, The Faerie Queene. Today, more and more police agencies require at least some post-secondary education to qualify for a job on the force. The reason is simple: cable TV and Hollywood stereotypes aside today’s cops need solid, reliable writing skills. Yes, you read that right. Cops know how to write more than tickets. Here are seven strategies you can use to become a better writer:
1. Spend the time. A lot of it. Most street officers spend an average of 30% of their shift writing which equates to 3 or 4 hours a day. As a general rule, like anything else we
Have a goal. Cops consider what their reports need to accomplish before they start writing. A police report has two primary functions: to record data (“just the facts, ma’am”) and to create a detailed narrative for the prosecutor. The goal of every officer is to write detailed, concise, specific, and chronological reports that put bad guys behind bars. Fiction, journalism, creative non-fiction all have exactly the same goal. Your goal need not be as lofty as that, but it wouldn’t hurt to feel like it
Recruit others. Cops are trained from the academy and post-academy through promotion and job assignments in various methods designed to improve their writing skills. They use specialized software for expediency and consistency. Agencies and departments continually work to improve writing skills. Many people from sergeants and lieutenants and prosecutors and council members, records department personnel read their work and provide feedback before it’s released to the public. In an atmosphere with so many eyes and so many willing critics, it’s hard to imagine an officer spending a career as a lightweight in the writing