 For Authors: August 11, 2021 Issue [#10916] |
This week: Espionage for writers Edited by: Vivian  
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Several years ago, I took part in the Muse Online Writers Conference, and D.S. Kane (http://swiftshadow.com/) had a workshop on how to write about espionage realistically. The information I gained from that workshop will be helpful in some of my upcoming work, and I hope you'll find some of what I share will aid you, too.
I miss the Muse Online Writers Conference, but I still often use some of the information gained in my writing to this day.
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Getting Started with Intelligence Agencies
To begin writing a military or spy thriller, an author needs to have some knowledge of intelligence agencies.
D.S. Kane listed ten intelligence agencies in the United States: CIA, NSA,FBI, DIA, NCIS, ATF, DEA, NRO, ONI, U.S. Marshals. He said he knows of sixteen, even though he didn't list that many. One that he didn't know about, and that I do because of my research for my work-in-progress (WIP), is the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), the Air Force equivalent to NCIS.
Of course other nations have their intelligence agencies, too, such as AFI (intelligence branch of the Israeli Air Force), The Mossad (Israel's "secret" service), MI-6 (Great Britain), and the former KGB (former Soviet Union).
The more one knows about the intelligence agencies used in writing fiction, the more believable the writing is. Research is vital. I would suggest to begin with D.S. Kane (http://swiftshadow.com/) before going to some of the following works, just a short list of possibilites:
John Perkins, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
John LeCarre, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Thomas Gordon, Gideon's Spies: The Secret History of the Mossad
Peter Wright, Spy Catcher: The Candid Autobiography of a Senior Intelligence Officer
Thank you, D.S. Kane for information to help writers be better writers.
I don't often recommend TV shows as sources of information, but the shows about many military shows and government agencies gives a fictional glimpse into espionage and intelligence agencies. Those glimpses can give starting ideas for research. Never be afraid of research to make writing believable. |
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