In fairness, they are in good company. On 1st September 1995 a relatively unknown Granada Television employee was suddenly laid off, plunging him into the abyss of unemployment. The next day, “to keep a roof over my head,” he sat down and started writing a thriller featuring a West Point graduate and former military police officer who roams America making a living as a “problem-solver.” It spawned a thirty-year series, selling over 100 million copies, film and games franchises and possibly the best known anti-hero of our time. In a nod to his unexpected redundancy, he starts each of those books on the 1st September each year (so will be writing “Chapter One” on his 31st today) and it seems to be working. The author? Lee Child. The Mr Fixit? Jack Reacher.
Of course, success didn’t just land on Lee Child’s plate. He has an extraordinary work ethic and talent, as well as being unusually accessible for such a global phenomenon. Crucially though, he possesses the essential trinity that all authors need – storytelling, world/ character building and writing skills. Ok that might be four but stay with me.
Whether it’s the end of the summer, the kids going back to school or other equally valid reasons, several people will email me over the next few days asking for help on the book they are about to start writing. To each I will wish them well and see what I can do. I will also explain that they need to have more than a great plot, they must be able to place it somewhere intriguing, fill it with enticing characters and to write it in a gripping and engaging way.
The good news is that the best, in fact the only way, to write a book is to glue your seat to your chair and start typing. No first draft is perfect and in writing mine, all I am doing is telling myself the story. It’s only in future edits that I finesse the setting and characters and address the writing style.
So, what’s the difference between the three? Essentially storytelling is the content and structure, world/ character building is bringing it all to life and writing is the quality of expression and polish.
In more detail, storytelling is the ability to invent, shape and convey a compelling narrative; the plot, conflict, pacing and suspense. It relies on the teller’s creativity, sense of drama and their ability to structure. We’ve all heard people recount gripping stories with twists, tension and pay offs, even though their grammar and vocabulary might need work.
World and character building draws deep on the imagination, adding colour and depth to the story. Both rely on vivid detail, a blend of the ordinary and extraordinary and essences that the reader can immediately engage. Great stories can be killed by flat or cliched characters or bland settings.
Writing skills rely on the ability to express ideas in clear, effective and stylistically appropriate language. They depend on spot-on vocabulary, correct grammar, rhythm, clarity and elegant prose. I’ve read thousands of beautiful sentences that demonstrate all these factors yet the story is dull.
Rather like a painter must first sketch, then add colour and form before polishing through shadow, highlight and textures, so an author will build their novel stage by stage. Rarely can they perfect all three elements simultaneously, hence how much time and dedication it takes to write a book.
For those intent on emulating Mr Child, I have three pieces of advice: 1) Once you begin writing, make sure you finish (figures suggest only 0.3% of people complete a novel they have started.) 2) Consider the three traits I’ve discussed but don’t stress over them all at the same time. 3) Once finished, polish your novel until it shines. If you follow that guidance, you might not achieve the same success as Lee Child but you will have created something wonderful that few can even aspire to, so pat yourself on the back then get back to your desk and start on book two.
Former Brighton and Hove police chief Graham Bartlett’s Brighton-based Jo Howe crime novel series continues with City on Fire which is now available in paperback.
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