The new novel is now coming along. Thank god. I had forgotten that I need to write the book, scene by scene, not in order, and not try to plan every scene and twist and everything else that goes into making a book. Maybe that process works for Elizabeth George, but it sure doesn’t work for me.
This is what works for me: there is a wife and a husband. Yes. Definitely those two people. And I know the husband is ambitious, but I also know that the spark of his genius always comes from his wife. And at some point she is going to loose it with him because he’s really screwed up.
It is going to be an all-out fight. Something big. A smash up. Yes. Smash. He’ll be in the kitchen pretending to be deep and successful. And she will confront him. She’s a thrower: when she is angry she throws things. I like that about her. At first she throws a few glass ornaments that were sitting on the credenza in the dining room. That’s when she tells him that he is stupid, even though the words had never once passed her lips before.
The man is surprised. Sure, his wife throws things, and he grovels & agrees, and then they’re fine again. That’s how it goes. But she’s never insulted him before. He is unprepared for this. But he sticks to his plan: grovel & agree.
Only grovel & agree isn’t working. Why not? The man wonders. A wine decanter smashes against the cupboard. He has taken cover behind the kitchen island. He is starting to think he may not be safe. His wife is still yelling: her words are important to the plot. The man knows he messed up. His actions are relevant to his character development.
And once the punch bowl has been thrown, the scene is done.
This is how I write a novel.
Hey Linda,
ReplyDeleteI see you don't have a ton of comments. This one is actually more in response to your previous post, about self-doubt. I have not met an author who isn't full of doubt (and often loathing, but also humour, self-deprecation, and unbelievable intelligence).
Just wanted to say
(a) I'm reading your blog and enjoying it,
(b) as a librarian I am fascinated by your journey as an author, and
(c) don't give up. Even if you get a gazillion rejections, self-publication is always an option. Our recent One-Book-One-Community selection for Kitchener (well, Waterloo Region, in fact) was a self-published author [Best Laid Plans, by Terry Fallis]. The self-pub route is becoming increasingly legitimate, so if you find that publishers won't take a chance on you, book lovers often will.
Still, it only takes one publisher to recognize talent, so keep at it.
And keep blogging. I suspect it is cathartic for you, and it's interesting for those of us who know you.
Can't wait to see what you come up with next.
Cheers,
Barb