How to Write a Novel in 37 Easy Steps! Part One

In the winter of 2016-17, I had an idea in my head and it had to come out. That idea would become my American Revolution trilogy. American Revolution 2056: Snyder, Fred: 9781735896014: Amazon.com: Books What I know now (and wish I'd known then) was more about the process of writing a novel. Not that the AR books are bad, but they could have been so much better if I had known more at the time.

What have I learned about the process? Wow, how much time do we have?! 

First, writing a story and the act of getting it published are wildly different. And marketing is door number three. Saying they require different skill sets would be an understatement. Second, the writing process is different for every writer. This is mine...so far.

The biggest thing the AR books taught me is that I could actually do this. I hadn't written fiction anything since creative writing in college. A whole book and then a trilogy? C'mon! But once you believe you can do something, it becomes a lot easier. I know I can do it and that I'm getting better at writing.

I'm what's called a "plotter" in the writing world. A good portion of my work is dependent on proper preparation. For me, having things laid out in front of me and well-researched is essential. Pantsers, those who write by the seat of their pants, well, God bless 'em, I have no idea how to do that.

Stephen King wrote something (talking about hanging out with other authors) like, "We don't ask each other where we get our ideas. We know we don't know." He's right, you just don't know. A character can be the tattooed hippie dancing to their own beat in the park or the jerk of a boss you once had. A plot can come from reading a news story and saying "what if...?" Or seeing something happen and letting your mind go with it. Or it may come to you in a dream. The key idea is simply being open to the words, "what if...?"

OK, so I have an idea- now what? I write in the action-adventure genre, so I learned what people expect from a genre. You expect a hero who is maybe slightly broken but wants to do the right thing. The villain has to be at least their equal in smarts and power. The hero has to face challenges that beat them up and tear them down. And then they endear themselves to readers by overcoming the villain and the challenges. The cover should look a certain way and there are even standards for font and font size. 

I spend time imagining my story and what the key plot line is. Most importantly, I know the ending first. Then I make an outline, targeting 27 chapters. It may end up more or less, but I need structure. I also am an advocate of the "Three-Act Structure" model of storytelling. Three acts fit nicely into 27 chapters. The outline then helps guide me from my exciting beginning to my even more exciting conclusion. The story may end up with more or fewer than 27 chapters, but I'm a simple guy and like easy math.  

I also have to know my characters. Major ones get full, multi-page descriptions. It includes their physical appearance, background, flaws, redeeming features, and much more. Part of that is to help me flesh out the character, part is to remember that their eyes are blue, so I don't refer to them as brown later. Minor characters still get some fleshing out, but not as much. They can't be one-dimensional cookie-cutter stereotypes if they want to be great.

I had a neat e-mail discussion with one of my favorite authors, William Kent Krueger. I asked him about Cork O'Connor, the hero of his main series. "Did you know everything about Cork before you started writing?" He politely said, "No, I learn new things about him all the time." I understand that now. I know the hearts and minds of my main characters, but little details can't be known until they come up naturally.  

My new books are action-adventure stories based on historical events around the world. Sometimes they're ripped from the headlines (thanks, Law & Order!) and sometimes they're more loosely inspired by something. I read a lot of random internet pieces and did some neat research. If you search for "unsolved mysteries of Norway" for example, you can find all kinds of ideas. 

Once I have an idea in mind, I have to research it further. First, I research the story that inspired me. For example, I now know that one of Al Capone's companies was named ConExCo or Consolidated Export Company. That would seem like good information if one was writing a story based on some bootlegging. And the place they're going! Someday I hope to visit some of my places, but for now, it's the internet and people I know who have traveled. 

 Then some more details- What was fashion like in that period? What songs were on the radio? Gender and race concerns? If someone looked at my browser search, they'd be really disturbed. 

By now, I have spent days/weeks of work...and I haven't written a word of the story. That will come in another post. It makes me a little bit jealous of those who write by the seat of their pants.