Writing a novel is a big undertaking, especially at first. It took me years before I discovery-drafted my first novel. Three more novels followed, all written by the seat-of-my-pants.
However, it wasn’t until I began studying the craft of novel writing and getting feedback on my novels, as I had done earlier for short fiction, that I began to make actual progress. Learning how to write a novel took time, as did learning how to write a fantasy novel which worked, and later still, how to write a mystery novel that spun a convincing mystery.
Today’s Words of Wisdom looks at three diverse aspects of writing novels. First, James Scott Bell gives us the three rules of writing a novel. Then, Elaine Viets shares succinct advice on how-to-write a mystery, given by a fictional detective. Finally, Robert Gregory Browne looks at the idea of knowing how to write a best-selling novel.
RULE # 1 – DON’T BORE THE READER
Can anyone disagree with that? Doesn’t it make sense that this should be emblazoned across the writer’s creative consciousness as the most foundational of all rules?
If you bore the reader, you don’t sell the book. Or, at least, if the reader does manage to make it to the end, you don’t sell your next book.
It’s a rule. In fact, it’s a law, just like gravity.
Which leads to:
RULE #2 – PUT CHARACTERS IN CRISIS
Novels that sell are about people in some kind of trouble. Conflict is the engine of story. You can create “interesting” or “quirky” characters all day long, but unless they are tested by trial they wear out quickly (here I will issue a confession: I’ve never been able to get past the first 50 or 60 pages of A Confederacy of Dunces, and I’ve tried. Believe me, I’ve tried).
Now, trouble can be generated in many ways. The narrator of Nicholson Baker’s The Mezzanine is simply trying to get from the lobby of his office building to the next level via an escalator. That’s the whole story, and the trouble is inside his head.
At the other end of the spectrum are the commandos in The Guns of Navarone.
The point is, every novel must have some fire, not just a layout of kindling and logs. That’s a rule.
RULE #3 – WRITE WITH HEART
I admit this rule is somewhat difficult to define. It’s a bit like what a Supreme Court justice once said about obscenity: “I can’t define it, but I know it when I see it.”
The novels that not only sell, but endure, have something of the author’s beating heart in them. We could run off a list of such novels, from To Kill A Mockingbirdby Harper Lee to the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly.
In my seminars, when we work on voice and style, I mention two novels that were publishing in 1957. They were as different from each other as Arbuckle and Keaton, and challenges for the publishers. Yet they both became bestsellers and, more to the point, continue to sell thousands and thousands of copies today.
They are Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand and On the Road by Jack Kerouac. No matter how you ultimately come out on the merits of either book, what can’t be denied is that every page pulsates with the author’s voice and vision.
So put your heart in every scene of your novel. It’s a good rule.
Now, when a writer says, “There are no rules,” I suspect what he’s really saying is there is no one way to do the things we’ve been talking about here. And that is mostly correct.
I say mostly because, over time, it has been demonstrated that there are fiction techniques that generally work better than others. A good teacher (or editor) is able to help students learn the things that tend to work and avoid the things that tend not to.
And then it’s up to the writer to make choices. If a writer decides not to follow a tried and true method, at least she should know why.
For example, we talk a lot about starting a novel off with a hook (or, as I like to put it, a “disturbance.”) But what if you want to start your historical with ten pages of setting and description? Well, you’re certainly allowed to. And maybe you’ll manage to make those ten pages so interesting that readers will wish they’d go on and on.
But the odds are you’ll bore them, as they keep on asking Who is this story supposed to be about? Why should I care about any of this?
You might then decide it’s better to use the technique of starting with a disturbance and dropping in details within the action. A technique you can learn and practice.
James Scott Bell—September 23, 2012
How do you write a mystery?
There are whole books on this subject.
But the best short advice is in Grafton’s new Kinsey Millhone novel, “W Is for Wasted.”
Private eye Kinsey Millhone talks about how she started investigating two mysterious deaths. One victim was a sleazy PI and the other was a homeless man.
Kinsey was drawn into the mystery by a call from the coroner’s office. The coroner was “asking if I could ID a John Doe who had my name and phone number on a slip of paper in his pocket,” Grafton wrote. “How could I resist?”
That had me hooked. But then Kinsey explained how to write a mystery:
“Every good mystery takes place on three planes – what really happened; what appears to have happened; and how the sleuth, amateur or professional (yours truly in this case) figures out which is which.”
There it is. The art of mystery writing in one succinct sentence. We writers are supposed to set up the story for the readers, help them find out what really happened, and tell it, giving enough clues to play fair but not give away the ending.
Grafton gives us another dollop of advice in Kinsey’s next sentence:
“I suppose I could put everything in perspective if I explained how it all turned out and then doubled back to that phone call,” she wrote, “but it’s better if you experience it just as I did, one strange step at a time.”
New writers and experienced ones need to remember Kinsey’s advice: Tell the story, one strange step at a time.
Many newbies try to be too clever. They don’t have the skills to deliver a twisted tale. They get lost in the maze they created.
Experienced writers get bored with the format after writing book after book. We try to start in the middle, or start at the end, or switch narrators, often to amuse ourselves. Too often, it simply confuses our readers.
Following the straight path, in Grafton’s footsteps, can be far more difficult. But she kept me interested for 496 pages. She also made me care about two people society considers worthless: a crooked PI and a homeless man who doesn’t even have a name.
Elaine Viets—January 16, 2014
But here’s the thing…
EVERYONE WANTS TO WRITE A BESTSELLER,
BUT MOST AUTHORS NEVER WILL
Because it’s completely out of your control.
If you sit down to write a “bestseller,” you are taking a wrong-headed approach to writing. Writing great fiction has nothing to do with writing bestsellers. Bestsellers are, by and large, flukes. Right place, right time. And not all bestsellers are created equal.
I can name a dozen of my friends who do everything right and should be on the bestseller lists, and authors who are and don’t belong there.
When I wrote Trial Junkies, I just wanted to write a great book. I had no idea it would go on to be an indie bestseller. Sure, it was something I hoped for, but I certainly wasn’t rubbing my hands together in anticipation of mega-sales. I just wrote the book I wanted to read and decided to let fate take care of the rest.
So don’t put all your energy into trying to write a bestseller. You should simply write the best book you can possibly write. A book you’re so excited about that you don’t care if you ever make a dime off of it.
I spent many years writing stuff that I knew would never sell. In fact, I didn’t even try to sell it, because I knew it wasn’t good enough. But I kept at it for several years. I wrote story fragments and screenplays and teleplays and partial novels and while I knew what I was producing was not quite there yet, I also knew, with great certainty, that it would be one day.
Sure, I had dreams of being Stephen King or Dean Koontz. We all do. But the reality is that most writers never make it to the lists, yet they still manage to have wonderful careers.
Should you forget about your dreams?
No. Sometimes they’re all you have.
But any thoughts of bestsellerdom should be relegated to the back part of the brain. You have a story to write. And that’s all you should be thinking about.
If you publish it and it manages to reach one of the bestseller lists, that’s just gravy.
So there is no How to write a bestseller.
Robert Gregory Browne—May 4, 2016
***
There you have it, three pieces of advice on different aspects writing novels. Now we’d like to hear from you.
- Do you have any “rules” to share for writing a novel?
- What do you think about Kinsey Mallone’s advice for writing a mystery? What advice would you add?
- Do you have dreams of bestsellerdom? What keeps you writing your novel?
- What is the most challenging part of writing a novel, for you? What is the most enjoyable?
After publishing my first novel and thinking I was finally on the ladder of success, I became waylaid in a YA Fantasy Adventure series I decided to write for my grandsons. I went into this knowing there was no market for it, but you go where the muse leads. What the ensuring ten years taught me was this: writing a novel does not teach you how to write a novel; it teaches you how to write that novel. It became a joke between my wife and I that, after finishing one of the books and leaving the accompanying angst and despair behind, I would tell her the next one would be easier. It never was.
Excellent point, Michael, about each novel teaching us how to write it, because each novel has its own challenges and trials, as well as enjoyments. I also believe your statement is true because it’s important to keep raising the bar, and there’s always something new to learn.
Among the ones I stick to:
Don’t CONFUSE the reader (unless you mean to, and are going to deal with it). Confusion means you make the reader anxious and possibly not stay with it.
I’m a plotter – so I know a lot about what is connected to what, and why – before I start. So another rule for me is to know where I’m going, make sure everything contributes to that, and know when I’ve arrived.
For myself: the fewest number possible of dialogue tags is best. ‘He said’ and ‘she said’ take up a lot of words, space I can use better. (Except when it contradicts the previous rule.)
For myself: no narrator (so no narrator intrusions), no info dumps, no exposition per se. And if a character doesn’t have a good reason to say or think something, they don’t; motivation is required. Everything the reader comes across is from the pov of the current character, which I channel while I’m writing.
Great points, Alicia. I especially like your point about the necessity of character motivation for an action or a thought.
“Because I said so” doesn’t even work very well on small children. Too many characters seem like robots, doing things because, well, that’s what they do.
Michael Harling, I also say the next book will be easier and my husband gets that look on his face… All this advice seems brilliant to me. I wonder though if the straight forward approach is always best. I expect its best for me, as I still find it a challenge to execute, being a beginner at writing mysteries. But as a mystery reader, some of the more formulaic offerings become predictable. I get excited when an author throws me something really unexpected. Provided its done well of course.
My wife will remind me that each book challenges me, and doesn’t get easier in part because I’m pushing myself.
Writing mysteries in particular is definitely a balancing act. Not only is it a three-level affair, as Mallone described, but while a straight-forward narrative may seem more prosaic, the real heart of writing one is creating that “one strange step at a time” aspect.
1. Don’t publish too soon. It’s okay to have multiple trunk novels.
2. Just by Mallone pointing out that there is an appearance of what happened vs what actually happened, we know we’ve got to write two stories when writing a mystery. I think that’s excellent advice.
3. Bestsellerdom? Nah, I’m just having fun, and I get the satisfaction of an intellectual pursuit. Writing 3, 4, or 20 novels is way more satisfying than watching TV night after night.
4. The most challenging part is overcoming perfectionism while drafting. The most enjoyable is editing (because the most challenging part is already done).
Love your takeaways, Priscilla. I surprised a writer who attended my self-publishing presentation in January when I mentioned having five trunk novels which would ever see the light of day. While they didn’t work, each helped me learn how to write a novel that worked.
I’m still in awe of Mallone’s insightful summation of a mystery.
The joy of the writing process is the only part of this challenging endeavor of writing and publishing which we truly control. I’m so glad you are having as much fun as you can with yours.
Perfectionism is first draft scourge for many of us, I appreciate you highlighting that.
Do you have any “rules” to share for writing a novel?
Yes, I have several rules: two are conscious:
1. Don’t be boring.
2. Shoot the sheriff on the first page.
Those bear a strange resemblance to JSB’s rules, above. The other rules are unconscious. Since the conscious me is writing this, I’m not sure what they are.
What do you think about Kinsey Mallone’s advice for writing a mystery? What advice would you add?
Grafton has nailed it, but I’d add the Why? and the How? dimensions. There’s a real-life mystery contained in my thriller, In the Mouth of the Lion. My detective, Carl Jung, has to answer these questions: Who killed Geli Raubal? Why did he do it? How did he get away with it? The Raubal case is still on the books of the Munich Police Department as a suicide, but since Hitler was involved, we don’t have to look far for a suspect. This may have been his first murder, making what followed easier for him. The MPD didn’t stumble on the fact train that Jung unearths. They probably didn’t try too hard.
Do you have dreams of bestsellerdom? What keeps you writing your novel?
I used to. Not so much, now. Especially knowing that the NYT swore in court that their “Best Seller List” is not fact, but editorial content. [Blatty v. New York Times Co., 1986]
What is the most challenging part of writing a novel, for you? What is the most enjoyable?
They are the same: constructing the plot. This often involves brainstorming, an opportunity for my “unconscious” creative engine, the Guardienne, to strut his stuff.
Great comments, JG. Why and how are helpful additions to Grafton’s points.
Good point, too, about constructing the plot being the most challenging and, at the same time the most enjoyable. I agree. I find, also, whenever I run aground in the drafting, that going up to the 30K foot view of my story and brainstorming as needed gets the narrative working again.
JSB says: “I’ve never been able to get past the first 50 or 60 pages of A Confederacy of Dunces, and I’ve tried. Believe me, I’ve tried.”
A reviewer compared one of my books to Confederacy of Dunces. I thought that was a compliment until I actually tried to read the thing. James Scott Bell must have reading neurons of steel to get 50+ pages into it. Still sitting in the library parking lot, I got all the way to Page 2, then flipped through it, seeking some redeeming features of the MC. There were none. The author gave birth to an MC, then proceeded to disrespect this child of his own psyche mercilessly. The psychological implications of this are better left unexplored. Suffice it that I was about as unamused as it’s possible to be. I had it back in the return slot in minutes.
Perhaps it was because it was spring, I was in college, and Confederacy of Dunces was required reading, but I did manage to read the whole book. Maybe the satire clicks for me, or perhaps Toole’s descriptive style swept me up. I honestly don’t know at this late date.
Perhaps telling though that I’ve never re-read it.
Great collection from the archives, once again, Dale.
1. I don’t have any personal rules for writing a novel. I keep JSB’s Plot and Structure and Larry Brook’s Great Stories Don’t Write Themselves at my side while I’m brainstorming and outlining. (It’s easy to create a handy outline from Brook’s book for quicker reference). I’m reviewing Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake Method.
2. I think Sue Grafton’s Lindsey Millhone’s advice is interesting, a three dimensional puzzle.
3. I have no dreams of writing a best seller. I write because I love to write (create) and I want to leave a legacy for my grandchildren.
4. The most challenging part of writing for me is editing. The most enjoyable is brainstorming and planning the story.
Great post, Dale. Thanks!
Thanks, Steve! Those are excellent resources–JSB and Larry Books both helped me a great deal with learning how to write a novel.
Three-dimensional puzzle is an excellent description of writing a mystery. I add the fourth dimension, time (timelines in particular are vital in many mysteries) which makes it true four-dimensional chess, for me.
Loving to write is my motivation as well.
Thanks, Dale! Once again, a post of gold for us newbies.
The hardest part for me? Killing the darlings…but I’m getting better.
The most enjoyable? Writing dialogue. There’s just something in my soul that likes to talk, and likes to make others talk. Go figure…
Happy weekend!
You’re welcome, Deb!
I’m with you killing my own darlings in my writing being hard. I had to cut a scene I really liked in Book Drop Dead, but the novel was all the better for doing so, and that gave me room to put in a scene that worked far better and were just as fun as the excised one was.
I’m “shocked, shocked” that you enjoy writing dialogue 🙂
Seriously though, your love of conversation shines through in your comments and makes TKZ even more enjoyable a place to visit.
Have a wonderful weekend, too!
HEDWAR Per for me? The first draft. I have to keep telling myself I can’t edit what I haven’t written.
The best part for me? The first draft. I love discovering what the story is about and seeing it finally come together.
As for advice: study the craft. Three great books have already been mentioned. I’d ad Donald Maass’ book on emotion.
Study craft is excellent advice, Patricia. It’s advice I wished I’d followed sooner than I did, but I’m glad that I eventually took “the path of writing craft.”
Excellent WOW, Dale! I esp. liked Kinsey’s/Grafton’s advice. What appears on the surface is never what’s really going on, which makes for great tension. Yes, her books got a bit formulaic, as did Perry Mason, and Columbo, but they stand the test of time.
Lots of excellent advice already suggested.
My addition: find a good mentor. You want someone who understands what you are trying to do and will help you get there even if you don’t know how to do it yourself.
Bestsellerdom is overrated. Been there briefly in the teeny-tiny category of women’s adventure. Life didn’t change. Money didn’t pour in. The cursor still winked at me each morning, waiting for new words.
But I LOVE writing. That’s the reward.
Hardest is getting the first draft done. Once it’s done, editing is the most enjoyable b/c with each pass I can see the improvement.
Thanks, Debbie! Excellent advice to find a mentor. I was blessed to have had several. I consider JSB, through his books on craft and posts here, to be one. The other two I took classes and workshops from, and received one-on-one advice and help. Mentors can make all the difference.
I agree about bestsellerdom–I’ve had a boxed set rank briefly in the top 100 in Amazon’s Kindle store, thanks to a BookBub Featured deal sending the sales ranks into the stratosphere. All glory is fleeing, especially the bestseller tag on Amazon 🙂
Another great selection from the archives, Dale!
1. Do you have any “rules” to share for writing a novel? My main rule is to make my mystery novels entertaining and thought-provoking. I also like to drop the reader into the action right away.
2. What do you think about Kinsey Mallone’s advice for writing a mystery? What advice would you add? I love that advice from Grafton/Mallone. (I have not read that particular Grafton book, but just added it to my TBR list.) I would add that the ending of a good mystery should knock the socks off the reader. It should be something that makes sense from everything that happened during the story but was disguised in such a way the reader didn’t see it coming.
3. Do you have dreams of bestsellerdom? What keeps you writing your novel? I have no expectations of bestsellerdom, but I’m motivated to write the best books I can. Whatever happens, happens.
4. What is the most challenging part of writing a novel, for you? What is the most enjoyable? The most challenging part for me is coming up with a really good mystery. All of my stories are puzzles that have to be put together by the sleuths (and readers), and it’s hard to make up good puzzles. The most enjoyable part is after the first draft is done and I think I’ve solved all the plot problems. Then I can polish each scene before sending the book out into the world.