Writing a Novel: The Duel with Ideas

Inspired by a post Chuck Wendig wrote earlier this week on his approach to writing a novel, I thought a little more about my own method of writing a book. Wendig is prodigious in his output (a 10,000 word day...one day?!) and has become a rising star thanks to his excellent blog and wise use of his Twitter account (as long as you can embrace his "Wendigian language," which I suppose isn't for everyone).

So, how do I go about writing a novel?

It starts with ideas. I have them and I don't know where they come from. I only know that sometimes I'm sitting around and something pops into my head that must absolutely come out. Sometimes I fight with these ideas. These fights include swords or lightsabers and dramatic music.

I never win.

Instead, the music reaches a crescendo. The idea stands over me, taunting me. Telling me this is it, this is the end.

In this moment, I realize I'm not the epic hero I imagined myself to be. I'm an inadequate swordsman.

A coward.

The idea makes ready the killing blow. Before delivering the strike, it offers me a deal: "Write me and live."

Uncomfortable with the alternative, I cave. I make promises I hope I can keep knowing full well that this idea--the one that stands with the self-assured smile of a triumphant opponent--will absolutely own my soul until it burrows its way out of my mind and surges through my very blood. The story pours forth through a series of days. A 500 word day. A 1,000 word day. A 2,000 word day. Occasionally, I reach the heights of 3,000 words or (gasp!) 5,000+ words.

The story owns me.

That's what it feels like. That's why, non-writer friends, we can never answer the question "Where do you get your ideas?" The answer takes us to a dark place where we have met our weak, corrupted, cowardly soul--a place we do not wish to revisit unnecessarily.

Okay, okay. That's a little dramatic. Plus, it leaves out a lot of the other things you need to do in order to fulfill that blood contract with an idea. Trust me, if the act of writing simply boiled down to exorcising mind demons on the page without any additional work, writers would have it easy.

Here are a few more things I do while writing a novel:

Logline/Pitch. I tend to work well with concepts so I like to come up with a logline or pitch. It could be a simple book comparison (it's Watchmen meets The Firm) or something more conceptual (the new girl at a superhero-for-hire business teams up with a masked vigilante to uncover a conspiracy involving ray gun-toting squirrels). This helps me refine the tone of the book.

Outline. I'm not a detailed outline guy. I don't go chapter by chapter outlining key events and every single plot point. Some writers do this--that's fine. Instead, I try to figure out the progression of my story. This helps me find my themes and character beats. If I have an idea for a big "moment," it'll have its roots in the outline.

Choose an ending. I don't start a book without knowing how I'll end it. Is that ending set in stone? Of course it's not. As the book progresses, characters will start to take things over and shape the course of the narrative. The intended ending could get some tweaks or may get thrown out all together. I think of this as a road trip; I know where I'm starting and the ending tells me where I'm going. Anything can happen in between. As in an actual road trip, you have to stop to fuel up. You see a great outlet mall. You decide to stay an extra night in that quaint bed and breakfast. That's all part of the journey.

Daily writing plan. Nothing writes itself. What separates authors from people who like to write is that authors sit down and do what they need to do. Can I write 5,000 words every single day? No...I don't have time for that. Can I get 800? A thousand? As long as I have about 45 minutes or so, the answer to that is yes. Everyone's mileage will vary here, but the key is to sit down and write the darn thing.

Word count projection. I ballpark all my novels in terms of word count, but I'm not beholden to a specific one. If I plan on 80,000 words and the story ends at 79,999, no big deal. If it ends at 83,000 words, no big deal. I like to set a goal because it gives me something to aspire to.

Character sketches and world building. I can't draw worth a lick, so when I "sketch" a character out, I mean I do it in words. I often write bios of key characters and map out important events. In the case of the Crimsonstreak series, these have become part of the book in the form of appendices. These things are extras, but they help everything feel more tangible to me.

First draft, then drawer. Once the first draft is complete, I pop open a bottle of bubbly because I'm finished and never have to worry about writing more. Oh wait...it's the exact opposite. When the story reaches its conclusion, the first draft concludes. I take that draft and put it away for a week or two and try not to think about it. I don't literally throw it in a drawer (I write on a PC!), of course.

Make it suck less. First drafts stink. They're terrible. The problem is that most writers don't think that's the case. It's our "baby," right? After keeping the draft in a figurative drawer, I go back and read the whole thing. I use a Kindle keyboard for this, making notes I sometimes don't understand because the Kindle keyboard is terrible. Still, I go through and look for inconsistencies, weak characterization, and poor plot points. I may do this two or three times before I feel like I've wrangled the book.

Let others make it suck less. After I go through the book, I send it to some readers who make notes and tell me why I'm a terrible person. They ferret out inconsistencies that I didn't catch, identify points where the writing is unclear or weak, and analyze the plot structure. With their notes, I go through another draft.

Last pass. This is a bit of a misnomer because I will definitely have to do more revisions. However, I'll go through the book "one last time" (again while making clumsy notes on the Kindle keyboard) and try to strike out any typographical errors or other mistakes.

Submission. After a few drafts, I'm ready to submit. More revisions will likely be ahead from an agent or editor. I don't have an agent, so I can't really comment on what goes into that...I can only say that I imagine the agent will request some revisions before sending it to an editor. The editor will also likely request additional revisions. The hope is that the novel won't need significant changes, but I'm sure it varies by case.

So there you go...my individual take on tackling a book from start to finish.

Colts Observations, Week 12

It ain't pretty...but it counts. The Colts pushed their record to 7-4 by beating the Bills. The team went into a complete second half coma on offense and defense, but had just enough to win it. The Bills had more to gain than the Colts had to lose in this game...but Indy came out on top.

Just call him "T.D." Hilton. I thought T.Y. Hilton would take a punt back one of these days. He finally did it...and added a receiving touchdown that sealed the game.

The agony and the ecstasy. Good: Tom Zbikowski getting an interception! Bad: Tom Zbikowski fighting for extra yards and fumbling during the return, said fumble recovered by Buffalo.

Stick with the run, darn it. The Colts weren't super-successful with the running game, but they gave up on it way too early against a Buffalo defense known for struggling against the run. I'd like to see Indy stay more committed especially when it appears Luck is a little "off" for the afternoon.

Insert weekly Reggie Wayne comment. That is all.

Good to see you, coach. In a nice moment at Lucas Oil Stadium, Chuck Pagano and Jim Irsay came out to wave to the crowd. The coach is set for another round of chemotherapy, and the crowd gave him a standing ovation. A really, really cool moment.

Bald is beautiful. Two Colts cheerleaders shaved their heads after fans donated more than $22,000 to leukemia research. Not only were they good sports about it, they looked great.

Target acquired. This isn't about Andrew Luck's passing...this is about Luck himself. The Bills beat and battered Luck again and again. He kept getting back up, but it seemed like the protection wasn't as solid as in weeks past. The Bills had four sacks.

Pass rush returns. The Colts showed some signs of a pass rush on the defensive side of the ball. They were disruptive and hit Ryan Fitzpatrick multiple times. The Bills had a few receivers open, but pressure forced early, off-target throws.

In the buttocks, sir. The funniest moment of the game came after one of the scariest. T.Y. Hilton got clobbered during a punt return and coughed up the ball (he had to be helped off the field). On replay, it looked like he was down before the ball came out. Referee Ed "Hercules" Hochuli reviewed the play, telling the crowd, "After review, the runner's buttocks touched the ground before he lost control of the ball." Hochuli + buttocks = comedy gold.

Lucas Oil nap time. I don't know what it was, but the crowd didn't seem that enthusiastic about the game. Aside from a few cheers during the punt return and some sacks, the stadium never felt overwhelmingly loud. I couldn't tell if that's because Big Oil swallows the sound or because the crowd was suffering from post-holiday letdown.

Fleener, Davis out. Again, no Coby Fleener and no Vontae Davis. You hate to knock guys for being hurt, but Fleener was a high draft pick and Davis was a high-profile trade to fill a "need" area for the team. It's no fun when guys you expect to contribute can't help out.

C.J. Spiller. I don't want to tell Chan Gailey how to coach, but he should consider giving the ball to Spiller more steadily. The guy can ball.

Oh, and more for Chan. Again, I don't want to tell Chan Gailey how to coach, but forgoing that 51-yard field goal late in the game was stupid given the time situation. Trying to force the ball downfield before halftime was also not very smart...it basically gifted some points to the Colts.

Just a second, please. I'm not sure if Luck spiked the ball before time ran out in the first half, but I don't care. See above.

Colts Observations, Week 11

Trial by Foxborough. It's tough to win in New England unless you play for the Patriots. The Colts had to play a nearly flawless game just to stay competitive. They did not.

The turnover bug. Four turnovers led to 21 points for the Patriots, including two "pick six" returns. Another turnover--a fumble in Colts territory--resulted in an easy, one-play drive for the score.

That's quite a turnaround. It's 14-7, the Pats just missed a field goal. The Colts do nothing with the ball and punt. The gunner gets whistled for a false start. Julian Edelman returns a punt 68 yards for a score on the next punt. After the kickoff, Andrew Luck throws an interception to Aqib Talib, who returns it for another score. In the span of a minute, the score goes from a 14-7 Colts lead to a 21-14 deficit. BOOM. That just happened.

Gronked. No answers for the Rob Gronkowski, although apparently late-game extra point blocking is Kryptonite for his forearm.

We're in no rush. The Colts were supposed to unveil the Jerry Hughes-Dwight Freeney-Robert Mathis pass rushing package this week. It didn't matter.

Just Brady bein' Brady. It was one of those games where it was a victory when the Colts didn't give up a touchdown after Brady let loose a pass. Third and long was no challenge.

"I coulda been a contenda." The Colts came out firing on all cylinders to start the game. After the missed field goal, I thought maybe the Patriots would have to sweat a little before winning this one. That's not exactly how it played out. Still, the Colts control their own destiny with some winnable games ahead.

Reggie Wayne. He's over the 1,000-yard mark. That is all.

T.Y. Hilton. The explosive wide receiver had a big catch...and also nearly Triple Lindied his way into fumbling a punt return. Secure and advance, kid. Secure and advance.

Staying grounded. When the Colts could afford to run the ball, they ran it effectively. Unfortunately, they got down real quick-like and had to throw it almost every play.

An exercise in head scratching. Not sure about the Colts' time management at the end of the first half; seemed like a wasted opportunity to score some points. Also, with the game out of hand and the Colts unable to stop New England, the Colts punted on a fourth and four. I was shocked they didn't go for it.

Still some positives. It was miserable to watch--particularly in the second half--but the Colts showed a few things. They finally got off to a good start on the road, something they've failed to do. The offensive line opened up holes in the running game and protected Luck early. The offense also had several big-play opportunities.