Wednesday, February 24, 2010

So, you want to write the next great American novel?

Having just finished a novel, I'm in the midst of coming up with a new idea for another book...something interesting, different, timely, controversial, perhaps, or focused on an issue of the day. I write fiction, but with my background and interest in history, politics, and military themes, you can bet this next book will be addressed at one, if not all three of those.

I don't know if it will be of interest, but I thought as sort of a diary for my own curiosity, and perhaps as a tool that would be of use to those who have an interest in writing a novel, but have yet to lift fingers to keyboard, that this particular blog would be dedicated to the process that I use. While I can't say that I'm any sort of super-writer, I've certainly learned a lot from the transition from newspaper articles and very short stories, to a full length novel.

I learned a whole lot this first time out, and I'm certainly willing to share that experience and answer questions from anyone who has an interest in following this next book...which right now looks like a political/thriller/murder-mystery novel.

Top Down, then Bottom Up:
In my military, teaching, and business years, the approach to problem solving was always top-down first: get the big picture out in the open. Then, bottom-up, disect and solve the problem in managable chunks. Book writing is not much different, in my humble opinion.

Decide On A Basic Theme:
So, where do I start? Using the top-down approach, it's a murder-mystery (always interesting). It involves politics (a hot topic at this particular time), and it involves (full disclosure: my personal interests will show now) some aspect of how government is affecting our lives, for better or worse. OK, I'll admit it...my personal opinions will come into play here, but my aim is to leave the "spin" out of it, and base as much of the aside narrative of the book on the data and dot-connecting that I can find; not just ideology. My goal is not to convince, but to entertain. This is not commentary, but observation. Am I always successful? Probably not. And, there will always be some who will take an opposing view. That's fine. If you, as a new writer, start out assuming that 100% of the readers will agree with your view, then you will be disappointed.

Why Should This Story Be Told?:
The Story Premise: So, the topmost part of the problem has been addressed. Knowing that it's a political murder mystery, then, just like a detective, I begin asking myself the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY questions to come up with a framework that is going to guide me for the rest of the novel.

1. Who got murdered? A Senator? The President? Some political big-wig?
2. Why did they wind up dead? They found out something big? They got involved with the baddies?
3. What did they know or stumble across that got them killed?
4. Where did it happen? Who stands to benefit or suffer from their murder? What bit of information did they find out that I can realistically build a believable story around?
5. Who wants to dig into this murder, and why? What happens if the culprit is discovered?

There are just so many questions to ask before you touch the keyboard. If you do this part right and well, then you will make your task of actually writing the story that much easier.

Storyboard Your Ideas:
I use a big dry erase board for this planning part. As I work, I use sticky notes with character IDs on them: "Senator X, President X, Wife X, Detective X", and I move those around while making notes and lines to clearly create the overall story in my mind before I begin writing. When I sit down at the keyboard, I'll have already become quite familiar with these characters and even have a feel for what they look like and sound like. I'll have motivations and intentions written on my dry-erase board, or clearly etched in my mind. Storyboarding can take a day, or it can take a month. However long it takes, you will be forever thankful that you did it. When I wrote "For All The Marbles", I had the framework done in about an hour. I knew the beginning, the motivation, and the ending. (I actually wrote the ending chapter first - more on that next time) However, I spent about a month storyboarding, really trying to get the nuances of my character's actions and the interplay between them honed fine. There were some philosophical discussions with my wife to (no plot spoiler here) because of some of the things I was going to have the main character say and do after the terrorist attack on America. We spent hours discussing the motivation and morality of what I was planning for the "President Jim Anderson" character. At first, she couldn't buy my premise. But now, with some of my readers weeping at the ending, she's convinced that his actions were right, for duty...for country.

The point here is that all of that time spent working on characters and story thread from beginning to end paid off "big time". The writing just seemed to flow most of the time, with only a little of the so-called "writer's block"..another topic we'll visit during the course of this blog. And, I was feeling the story so intently at times, that I could hardly see the keyboard for my own tears and emotions. It was an intensely personal feeling when I typed our the words, "The End". My hope is that through this little simple blog, you will feel the same emotions.

FOR NEXT TIME: Write The Movie Trailer First

OK...not exactly a movie trailer. But as part of that clear definition of what your novel is going to be about, we'll look at the synopsis and why it's critical to successfully finishing your novel. In the meantime, check out my website at http://www.jackriston.com/. You can even download an eBook version of For All The Marbles there and read the first two chapters. You can do the same at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1198345, where I have the book posted. You can read about 45 pages or so there, also. You can also read a bit more of the synopsis information at http://www.forallthemarbles.net/. And feel free to post thoughts, questions, or comments here. I plan to check back often and keep this...er...book diary up to date as I work on my next novel.

Keep writing!
JR

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