Writing, My Way

Writing, My Way #1 begins my series of posts about writing, especially writing novels.

Before I begin, I have a whole list of caveats:

This is meant to be anecdotal not educational. I am not an expert. I own bunches of books on how to write. I’m sure that the authors have made excellent points but I wouldn’t know since I’ve only read a few chapters here and there. To reiterate, these entries will not be a substitute for a good writing teacher or even a decent book on writing.

Yes, I am an experienced writer. However…
I have been “officially” writing since 1979, but I have only one novel and two short stories in publication. (And a filk song!) None of these are best sellers, or even on the same planet as best sellers.

These strategies for writing will be what works for me. Something entirely different—the exact opposite of my methods—may work for you.

I have an ulterior motive in beginning this. I hope that fellow authors will pitch in with their own counterexamples--their daily habits, anecdotes and personal writing foibles. Seriously, please post comments and ask friends who write to add comments as well. Pass on the URL! I have a fair amount to say but I welcome other voices.

Non-authors, you are not off the hook! If you have ever loved or loathed a book, I hope that you will write and tell us why. (examples: Hated/loved the main character, gripping or too slow, fascinating setting, awful dialogue, etc.)

Okay, Part 1

Characters

Plot

Setting

You need them.

End of Part 1

(Not so fast, huh? I suspected you would say that.)

C/h/a/r/a/c/t/e/r/s  The Premise

I tell people that I begin a writing project by creating and getting to know my characters. I lie. The first thing I do is decide what I’m going to write. Since I write long, I usually choose to begin a novel. Since I like to invent worlds and explore mystical subjects—and since I have never gotten a handle on the real world anyway--I write fantasy.

My next step is visualizing a premise for my story. Premise, to me, is a proto-plot that will suffer many alterations before it achieves its final form. That being the case, I avoid writing down great and gloriously detailed plot points when I begin. Scribbling down all that meticulous detail would be wasted effort given the way I work.

What do I call a premise? It begins with a character and a conflict—something with enough potential to carry me to the end of the story as I envision it. Here’s a couple of examples.

A soldier—or a group of soldiers—are tasked with finding one of their comrades and bringing him home. Since this takes place during a war, there’s plenty of one kind of conflict already built in but the conflict or tension I’m thinking about involves the individual characters’ goals and what stands in the way of them achieving those goals.

Since “Saving Private Ryan” has already been written, I probably won’t pursue this idea.

A fisherman is sitting on a boat mending a net. He’s young but he’s already vaguely dissatisfied with his life. On the other hand, his dad owns the business and his brother seems to be perfectly content to keep doing what their doing. His thoughts are interrupted by a young rabbi… The character begins with one kind of conflict and is plunged into another—one of such vast ramifications that he can’t even guess all of the experiences he will face before his death.

(Premise for an historical novel using the thread of the life of either James or John, the sons of Zebedee)

Okay, something that someone hasn’t already written. A master thief is obsessed with possession of the Hope Diamond, currently residing in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. We follow him or her as they prepare for the biggest caper of their lives—making plans, finding suitable partners, practicing each move, timing everything. I don’t know how I would do the middle but I foresee the final scene. The crew has reached the room in which the diamond is secured. Our main character reaches for the gem, and it tumbles to the floor, smashing into a dozen shards of –glass-.  The museum alarms begin to sound.

Or, start at the end of that story and twist it one. Once a year, a curator removes the Hope Diamond from its display case at the Smithsonian, inspects it and cleans it. The new person in the post left his previous position under a cloud involving irregularities of some kind. (Not his fault. Details to be filled in later.) He prepares examine and clean the diamond and discovers to his horror than it is a clever duplicate. Terrified that someone will think he was involved in the switch, he chooses to replace the ersatz gem and say nothing about it. As soon as he finishes for the day, he begins trying to discover what happened to the real Hope Diamond.

Next, Characters