The Process

How do you write a novel? Wait, don't tell me. This is about how I do it. Your mileage will vary wildly.

I'm a genre writer. That doesn't mean what you think it means, to me. I write books in all genres. So far, I have a thriller, a romance, sci-fi, adventure, fantasy, erotica, a mystery, and, well, other stuff. I'm starting to lose track.

So the first thing I start with is what genre I'm going to approach. That, I find, makes the rest a lot easier. Having a defined genre actually gives you the freedom to mix and match. If your structure is that of a thriller, say, you can work in subplots and themes from other genres with the confidence that when you're done, it will be easy to categorize, but can actually satisfy readers of different tastes.

My biggest tip? If you don't have a romantic element in your books, try again. That doesn't apply to every book, of course, but it's sort of a rule-of-thumb of mine that has worked well for me so far.

Here's the thing: I don't read romance books. From a clinical standpoint, I don't even like them. I would say I've never even read any. However, I have read a lot of Jackie Collins, Sidney Sheldon, and things like that. But there's a big difference between those sort of books and the romance mill novels that are consumed in bulk monthly by my Aunt Rochelle.

Even writers like Robert Heinlein and Stephen King taught me a bit about romance, which is really just good character development. The real challenge, to me, is to write romantic subplots that will appeal to both men and women. I can't tell you how to do this. In some books, the sex is emphasized over the romantic aspect. That's sort of a cheat, I suppose.

Men, almost instinctually, seem to want to be identified as heroes. But in these modern times, women don't necessarily want to be tagged as hapless victims, ragdolls, or plastic cut-outs of characters. Again, perhaps someone can explain how you actually achieve this, but I'm not sure I can, at least not in this essay. Maybe I can expand on this theme in a future column.

Honestly, the best way to acquire this sort of skill is probably to study how others do it, and trial and error. I daresay you as a writer could probably benefit from reading my novels. And this is not a sales pitch. It's bragging. I'll email anyone any or all of my ebooks, at any time. All you have to do is ask.

Anyway, genre, check. Sub-genres. check. Not that you necessarily need to rush in with a totally predefined list of things you want to hit on. That almost never works. I will admit that if one really plotted and planned an entire novel in advance in detail, and then stuck with it, you could probably write something really compelling. I just don't happen to work that way.

It's pretty hard to start writing a novel without at least one character.  Then that character needs another character. But most of my books start off about a single person.

If I don't have a compelling opening, I don't have a book. And I must say, my openings are probably the weak point in the entire text. That's just how I feel, true or not. But the funny thing is, I really like the way my books start, or I wouldn't have written them. I don't know. You'll never stop criticizing your writing. If you don't question your work, you're probably writing poorly and just don't know it.

By the time I've written the first 2-4 pages, I usually have an idea of where the bigger story is headed, and who else will be involved. At that point, I start brainstorming a bit about what's to come. This usually leads to a character list. I like to name the major characters, develop them a little, and have them in reserve when it's time for their debut.

Then I usually misplace the character list, and don't look at it again until the book's done. Which can lead to abandonment. My latest, Army of Me, has a few characters who appear in the first third or so, never to be heard from again. Of course, that book's not done yet, but it's something to be aware of. Not that every character has to hang in there until you write "The End".

But one piece of advice I found myself following before I actually heard it was that you should reuse characters whenever possible. Don't invent a new person for a scene when someone you've already introduced and developed could easily substitute. I am no Thomas Pynchon. Too many characters spoil the plot, I feel. Unless you're writing the sequel to The Gulag Archipelago.

Somewhere before I get to the halfway point of a novel, around there, I figure out how it's going to end. I don't write the ending, but I know what it will be, in most cases. And like the beginning of a story, the ending has to be great. Better than the beginning, I feel. Bad first impressions are one thing. Bad last impressions are forever.

In between, try and write a great middle.