Pauline Rowson's Blog - Posts Tagged "sub-plots"
Generating ideas for crime novels
People are genuinely fascinated to learn where writers get their ideas from and many people tell me they'd never be able to come up with an idea for a book let alone enough ideas for a series of novels. But ideas really are the easy part of writing - once you have trained your mind to openly look for them, or spot them when they miraculously occur - it is turning the ideas into a novel of 80,000-100,000 words that is the tricky bit.
Ideas for novels come from a variety of sources: overheard conversations, stories relayed by others, personal experience, locations and the news, which pops up in my Google Reader: for example a Windsurfing Festival on Hayling Island could serve as a potential investigation for an Inspector Andy Horton marine mystery crime novel. Or the first steam passenger train returning to Hayling Island since 1963 could lead to Murder on the Hayling Seaside Express
There was an unexploded bomb trawled up by fishermen in the Solent, which sparked an idea or two, and an article in the Isle of Wight County Press asking for witnesses to come forward in a suspected arson case involving toilet rolls, a young man walking on stilts, a woman with pink hair and a group dressed as Goths made the mind boggle. I kid you not.
Then there was the time when I was in London and a cab driver told me of a fare he’d just picked up from a hotel and dropped only fifty yards further down the road to a house. The man was of a swarthy complexion carrying a suitcase, Murder And The Suitcase Man.
And the surf’s up with twenty foot waves at Freshwater Bay on the Isle of Wight in January, and suddenly you’ve got a body rolling in with the waves.
As to my novels, well the idea for In Cold Daylight came from an overheard conversation in the fire station where my husband was a fire-fighter. The fire fighters were talking about the high number of men from one watch who had all contracted cancer. No one knew why and no one had investigated the cause. I picked that up and turned it into a thriller.
In For The Kill was sparked by a visit to the Isle of Wight and seeing the signs for the prisons. Suddenly I imagined a man standing outside the gates and I wondered who he was? What crime had he committed? Was he innocent or guilty? What would he do next? Already the plot was forming.
And my marine mystery crime novels featuring my detective, Inspector Horton, are all originally inspired by locations around the coast of Portsmouth, Hayling Island and the Solent: the marina in The Suffocating Sea; Southsea beach in Tide of Death Kendals Wharf in Dead Man's Wharf; the mulberry in Langstone Harbour in Deadly Waters, and St Helens Duver on the Isle of Wight in Blood on the Sand. The ancient remains of Portchester Castle is the inspiration behind the Inspector Horton novel I am currently writing.
Every idea is written down and kept in an A4 folder, alphabetically indexed for that day when I start a new novel. So far so good but how do you turn these ideas into a novel?
I usually start by taking the idea and putting it in a spider gram and then asking myself a series of questions around it, for example: what could happen when the steam train comes to Hayling? Could there be a body found on it? If so whose? How did it get there? Or was someone pushed under the steam train and no one saw it happen? How did the bomb get into the Solent? How old was it? What type is it? Is there a story behind it? Or perhaps there's a story around the fishermen finding it? And we all know what we can make of the swarthy man with the suitcase.
It's only by continually asking open questions such as who, what, where, when, how and why can I begin to flesh out the characters, the theme, the plot and sub plots. Sometimes I run down blind alleys, sometimes one idea or question sparks another. It's all ifs, buts and maybes until some months later and much hard graft I have something that resembles a crime novel.
Ideas for novels come from a variety of sources: overheard conversations, stories relayed by others, personal experience, locations and the news, which pops up in my Google Reader: for example a Windsurfing Festival on Hayling Island could serve as a potential investigation for an Inspector Andy Horton marine mystery crime novel. Or the first steam passenger train returning to Hayling Island since 1963 could lead to Murder on the Hayling Seaside Express
There was an unexploded bomb trawled up by fishermen in the Solent, which sparked an idea or two, and an article in the Isle of Wight County Press asking for witnesses to come forward in a suspected arson case involving toilet rolls, a young man walking on stilts, a woman with pink hair and a group dressed as Goths made the mind boggle. I kid you not.
Then there was the time when I was in London and a cab driver told me of a fare he’d just picked up from a hotel and dropped only fifty yards further down the road to a house. The man was of a swarthy complexion carrying a suitcase, Murder And The Suitcase Man.
And the surf’s up with twenty foot waves at Freshwater Bay on the Isle of Wight in January, and suddenly you’ve got a body rolling in with the waves.
As to my novels, well the idea for In Cold Daylight came from an overheard conversation in the fire station where my husband was a fire-fighter. The fire fighters were talking about the high number of men from one watch who had all contracted cancer. No one knew why and no one had investigated the cause. I picked that up and turned it into a thriller.
In For The Kill was sparked by a visit to the Isle of Wight and seeing the signs for the prisons. Suddenly I imagined a man standing outside the gates and I wondered who he was? What crime had he committed? Was he innocent or guilty? What would he do next? Already the plot was forming.
And my marine mystery crime novels featuring my detective, Inspector Horton, are all originally inspired by locations around the coast of Portsmouth, Hayling Island and the Solent: the marina in The Suffocating Sea; Southsea beach in Tide of Death Kendals Wharf in Dead Man's Wharf; the mulberry in Langstone Harbour in Deadly Waters, and St Helens Duver on the Isle of Wight in Blood on the Sand. The ancient remains of Portchester Castle is the inspiration behind the Inspector Horton novel I am currently writing.
Every idea is written down and kept in an A4 folder, alphabetically indexed for that day when I start a new novel. So far so good but how do you turn these ideas into a novel?
I usually start by taking the idea and putting it in a spider gram and then asking myself a series of questions around it, for example: what could happen when the steam train comes to Hayling? Could there be a body found on it? If so whose? How did it get there? Or was someone pushed under the steam train and no one saw it happen? How did the bomb get into the Solent? How old was it? What type is it? Is there a story behind it? Or perhaps there's a story around the fishermen finding it? And we all know what we can make of the swarthy man with the suitcase.
It's only by continually asking open questions such as who, what, where, when, how and why can I begin to flesh out the characters, the theme, the plot and sub plots. Sometimes I run down blind alleys, sometimes one idea or question sparks another. It's all ifs, buts and maybes until some months later and much hard graft I have something that resembles a crime novel.
Planning and Structuring a Crime Novel- started working on next DI Andy Horton
I've started planning the next DI Andy Horton marine mystery crime novel, number eight in the series, which is set against the backdrop of the sea on the South Coast of England. How much planning is required when structuring a crime novel?
The answer to that question varies with the author. Some crime writers spend a very long time at the planning stage, up to a year, maybe more, others have only a rough outline before beginning the creative writing, and some will have an in depth synopsis written.
When I begin a new crime novel or thriller I don't have a clue who did it or why? I start with an idea, and a body and then Andy Horton, accompanied by Sergeant Cantelli and often in conflict with his boss DCI Lorraine Bliss and the head of the Major Crime Team, Detective Superintendent Uckfield, set out to discover who killed her/him and why.
The first draft creates the characters, their motivations and personalities. It explores the relationships and determines the setting. At this stage I'm not sure where the story is going or how many twists and turns it will take and that's what excites me. The structure will change, new ideas will spring up, research will sometimes take me in a completely different direction to the one I thought I was heading. Sub plots will begin to develop, which could tie in with the main plot or go their own way, and sometimes I might remove them completely because they are worthy of developing into a novel of their own.
It's unchartered waters and I'm off with Andy Horton to explore what gruesome crime we'll find within them.
For more about the DI Andy Horton series and my other books visit: http://www.rowmark.co.uk
Blood on the Sand
The answer to that question varies with the author. Some crime writers spend a very long time at the planning stage, up to a year, maybe more, others have only a rough outline before beginning the creative writing, and some will have an in depth synopsis written.
When I begin a new crime novel or thriller I don't have a clue who did it or why? I start with an idea, and a body and then Andy Horton, accompanied by Sergeant Cantelli and often in conflict with his boss DCI Lorraine Bliss and the head of the Major Crime Team, Detective Superintendent Uckfield, set out to discover who killed her/him and why.
The first draft creates the characters, their motivations and personalities. It explores the relationships and determines the setting. At this stage I'm not sure where the story is going or how many twists and turns it will take and that's what excites me. The structure will change, new ideas will spring up, research will sometimes take me in a completely different direction to the one I thought I was heading. Sub plots will begin to develop, which could tie in with the main plot or go their own way, and sometimes I might remove them completely because they are worthy of developing into a novel of their own.
It's unchartered waters and I'm off with Andy Horton to explore what gruesome crime we'll find within them.
For more about the DI Andy Horton series and my other books visit: http://www.rowmark.co.uk
Blood on the Sand
My writing routine, crime author Pauline Rowson explains hers
There are a writers who write the same time every day come what may; others will write a certain number of words every day and say, 'when I've done my quota, I'll knock off writing.' Me? I have no routine and I don't count the number of words. Some days the words will flow and I can spend up to eight hours, maybe more writing. Other days I will struggle to find the correct words. If the latter happens I will usually pick up my knitting, do some sewing or go for a walk. My mind is constantly working though, thinking through the plots or sub plots, developing characters. I do, however, try to write or 'think' my novels every day. And if I can, I usually work on my crime novels every late afternoon and early evening, knocking off about 7.30pm.
I'm currently working in pencil on my outline plot, working up ideas for the new DI Andy Horton, which will be number eight in the series. Then I'll start to put down some character sketches before starting on the first draft of what I call the creative writing bit which goes direct onto the computer. When I will begin this creative writing stage I'm not quite sure yet, but it shouldn't be long.
Read more about my writing and my books on http://www.rowmark.co.uk or on my blog http://www.paulinerowson.com
Dead Man's Wharf
I'm currently working in pencil on my outline plot, working up ideas for the new DI Andy Horton, which will be number eight in the series. Then I'll start to put down some character sketches before starting on the first draft of what I call the creative writing bit which goes direct onto the computer. When I will begin this creative writing stage I'm not quite sure yet, but it shouldn't be long.
Read more about my writing and my books on http://www.rowmark.co.uk or on my blog http://www.paulinerowson.com
Dead Man's Wharf
I've nearly finished writing the first draft of the next in the DI Andy Horton marine mystery crime series
I've now written 70,000 words of the next DI Andy Horton marine mystery crime novel which will be number eight in the series. Number seven, A Killing Coast, is scheduled for publication in hardcover early in 2012. As soon as I have the jacket image and more information on the publication details of A Killing Coast I will obviously post them on my official web site. Meanwhile there is the paperback and e book version of the sixth in the DI Horton series, Footsteps on the Shore, to come, more about that on my web site next week.
I was looking back on my blog to last year's entries when I was writing A Killing Coast and saw that on July 2 2010 I had written 10,000 words so I'm pleased that I am so far ahead with this new Horton novel, which I have promised to get to the publisher in January 2012. So far, so good.
Writing a first draft is always exciting but it is also irritating because I am so keen to get everything on to my PC as quickly as possible, while my head is swimming with the plot and sub plots.
I try to resist editing too much as I write the first draft because this slows down the creative process and it is very easy to get hooked on editing and therefore postpone finishing the novel. However, because I research as I go along some editing is inevitable.
Now, on this new Horton novel, I am at the stage when I am eager to bash out the final few chapters as quickly as possible, which I should be able to do over the next week, or couple of weeks at the outside. Then I can have the wonderful pleasure of going back through the novel, adding character details, refining plot and sub plot, adding colour and depth, inserting clues and red herrings, and making sure that everything ties up and Andy Horton lives to fight another crime in DI Horton marine mystery crime novel number nine!
I was looking back on my blog to last year's entries when I was writing A Killing Coast and saw that on July 2 2010 I had written 10,000 words so I'm pleased that I am so far ahead with this new Horton novel, which I have promised to get to the publisher in January 2012. So far, so good.
Writing a first draft is always exciting but it is also irritating because I am so keen to get everything on to my PC as quickly as possible, while my head is swimming with the plot and sub plots.
I try to resist editing too much as I write the first draft because this slows down the creative process and it is very easy to get hooked on editing and therefore postpone finishing the novel. However, because I research as I go along some editing is inevitable.
Now, on this new Horton novel, I am at the stage when I am eager to bash out the final few chapters as quickly as possible, which I should be able to do over the next week, or couple of weeks at the outside. Then I can have the wonderful pleasure of going back through the novel, adding character details, refining plot and sub plot, adding colour and depth, inserting clues and red herrings, and making sure that everything ties up and Andy Horton lives to fight another crime in DI Horton marine mystery crime novel number nine!
