Progress Report (5) A Death in Spring: 1968
Hi,
It's been a while since I last wrote a blog. But I've got a really good excuse. You see I'm closing in on finishing A Death in Spring: 1968.
I'm on 82,000 words at the moment which means that I've got about 8,000 more to write. Further good news is that I know how the book ends. The bad news is I haven't yet figured out how to get all the relevant people to where they need to be for the climax. But it will come to me.
When writing non-fiction I always have a very clear idea of the structure of the book from early on. I never really believed fiction writers when they said that they often found that their characters took over the writing process and 'dictated' how the plot would develop. Well I can conform that it does happen.
Several events have occurred in the latest book that I didn't plan for. But they seemed right in the context of the story and the characters, even when it meant rewriting earlier sections to set the action up. I probably would have finished the book by now if such an event hadn't occurred a couple of weeks ago.
Do these changes make the book better or not? I don't know. All I can do is listen to my gut instincts and follow my feelings.
Ultimately, what you and I want as readers are characters that we believe in and have feelings for. To achieve that the writer has to have those feelings for his/her characters. Feelings of love or loathing are essential if the characters are to come alive. Therefore a writer has to let them 'live their life' and make their 'own decisions'. The problem with that is that they invariably make choices that are unexpected and that means rewrites.
Let's hope my characters have no more surprises for me.
Best wishes,
Jim
It's been a while since I last wrote a blog. But I've got a really good excuse. You see I'm closing in on finishing A Death in Spring: 1968.
I'm on 82,000 words at the moment which means that I've got about 8,000 more to write. Further good news is that I know how the book ends. The bad news is I haven't yet figured out how to get all the relevant people to where they need to be for the climax. But it will come to me.
When writing non-fiction I always have a very clear idea of the structure of the book from early on. I never really believed fiction writers when they said that they often found that their characters took over the writing process and 'dictated' how the plot would develop. Well I can conform that it does happen.
Several events have occurred in the latest book that I didn't plan for. But they seemed right in the context of the story and the characters, even when it meant rewriting earlier sections to set the action up. I probably would have finished the book by now if such an event hadn't occurred a couple of weeks ago.
Do these changes make the book better or not? I don't know. All I can do is listen to my gut instincts and follow my feelings.
Ultimately, what you and I want as readers are characters that we believe in and have feelings for. To achieve that the writer has to have those feelings for his/her characters. Feelings of love or loathing are essential if the characters are to come alive. Therefore a writer has to let them 'live their life' and make their 'own decisions'. The problem with that is that they invariably make choices that are unexpected and that means rewrites.
Let's hope my characters have no more surprises for me.
Best wishes,
Jim
No comments have been added yet.
