Ivan Carl - The Equation (Q&A) > Likes and Comments
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I have sooo many questions for you, Ivan. Can I ask them here (I am new to the platform)? How long did it take you to complete? How many revisions? What was the most difficult part? What is more important to you, the quality of the writing or the quality of the story/plot? Could write a hundred more questions, but I won't...
Hi Richard, great questions. Here you go:How long did it take you to complete?
Three years. The first two were spent working through different iterations of the story arc. Once I landed on the right story, the final year was when it really took off.
How many revisions?
That one is hard to answer, because each section took on a life of its own. I revised portions of the book whenever I felt they needed to be stronger, so the revision count was never really a single number.
What was the most difficult part?
My book blends the thriller genre (think Dan Brown) with the philosophical (think Paulo Coelho). The most difficult part was walking the tightrope to deliver on both. The rule I kept was that the philosophical idea can never stop the chase and momentum of the thriller. Every philosophical beat had to be earned by tension in the chase, a revelation while running, not a lecture in a quiet room. If a passage got too heady, I asked whether a reader on a plane would keep turning pages. The thriller is the delivery system. The idea is the payload.
What is more important to you, the quality of the writing or the quality of the story and plot?
The story and the message are what matter most to me.
Thanks for the great questions!
My first novel, The Equation, launched on September 1, and the reviews have been really positive!
The book combines the suspense and intrigue of a Dan Brown thriller with the thought-provoking journey of a Paulo Coelho novel. If you enjoy either of those styles, I think you'll love The Equation.
I'm open to ongoing Q/A about the book, so feel free to reach out. I hope you enjoy the journey!
Ivan Carl
The Equation: The Secret They Don't Want You to Know