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Crazy Way to Write Novels
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You’ve got to be a little crazy to write novels the way I wrote Bicycle Shop Murder, Hideaway Hospital Murders, Illusion of Luck, and Fly the Rain (a novella). Every novelist has his own method, which usually includes preparing an outline of the plot, creating characters, writing a draft of the book, and then rewriting as many times as it takes. Some authors like to rewrite and edit each chapter as they go, and then do further editing after the entire book is written. And, of course, if the writer has a publishing deal for the book a professional editor works with the author to further correct and polish the book.
What I did was unusual. I started with just a few thoughts for a story—not anything close to a complete plot. Then I wrote the first chapter, rewrote it, edited it several times, and then posted it. Did I know at that point what was going to happen in Chapter 5 or 14 or 36? No. I wasn’t even sure what was going to happen in Chapter 2—until I finished writing it.
You might say that this is a lazy way of writing. But it was also exciting, challenging, and a little scary. What if I got to Chapter 12 and realized I had written myself into a corner and had no way out of it? I know that some of you think that is what happened with Fly the Rain, and that it’s the reason I turned it into a novella. But the truth is that I had almost no time to write for several weeks, and that by the time I was able to get back to it I had just about run out of steam. And since I didn’t have much more story plotted out anyway, I felt it was better to go ahead and end it. So, I did—and I ended it with a bang, I think.
What did my initial plot ideas look like for each book? If you’ve already read the books, you might find this surprising:
Bicycle Shop Murder – A music minister of a small Baptist church gets a visit from a beautiful redhead. She tells him about her abusive husband and asks for advice. Then she makes a pass at him, which freaks him out. He is selected as a juror on a murder trial. The woman is somehow involved in the trial, and he is not sure whether she is friend or foe.
That’s all I knew about the story when I wrote the first chapter. I had no idea about Buford or John X at that point. I didn’t even know Sam Spokane’s name yet. How scary is that?
Hideaway Hospital Murders – A wealthy doctor and his mother live in a big, old home hidden in the woods. There is a secret basement that was or is being used as a hospital or clinic. One or more persons died down there. There are two sisters. One is about to marry the doctor. The other one is a murderer.
I hadn’t even created Macy yet. Once she came to life, she nearly stole the whole show. In fact, as you know if you’ve read it, the relationship between Macy and Elmo became the prime story. Greg and Cynthia were more like supporting characters in this one.
Illusion of Luck – A novelist wannabe believes he has a supernatural power of luck. It has always worked for him. Only exception: he just can’t get a publishing deal. His frustration leads him to push his luck to the limit. From now on he will take whatever he wants, and nobody will stop him. His luck will protect him. And one of the things he has wanted since high school is Cynthia Blockerman.
I was intrigued with the idea of what would happen if someone truly believed in luck—as though it were a god, and decided to test his faith in it by daring it to fail.
Fly the Rain – Greg reluctantly goes back to his hometown for his father’s 75th birthday party. He will enjoy spending some time with his favorite uncle. But his uncle will end up in the hospital, possibly in a coma, and Greg and Cynthia will discover the poem his uncle wrote while in high school, Fly the Rain. The poem will be about making the most of life. The murderer will be a woman who is in a rock band. She and her band will begin to shake down local club owners. She will not hesitate to murder anyone who gets in her way.
This one was about going home, and making the most of your family relationships and of the life you’ve been given. And about the fact that, unfortunately, some people learn the wrong lessons growing up, and never overcome the problems of their childhood.
Future Novels
In my next post I will talk about my next book. It will not be written the way I wrote the first four. Please check back in a few days for details. Or, better yet, sign up for my email list, and I will send you an email every time I make a new post.
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