Tackling the Novel
An orderly moment!
Before I attempted to write a novel myself, I always imagined that authors wrote their books an orderly fashion, meditatively gazing into the distance as they search for the perfect word and tapping out polished prose. Finally delivering a finished manuscript like a neatly clipped topiary of words.
There may be writers who work like that but unfortunately I’m not one of them. My methodology (if you could call it that) is somewhat chaotic, more like raking up leaves in a high wind and sorting them into a pile.
Each novel starts with a single idea that I instinctively know has the potential for a multi-dimensional story because it intrigues me. Then I fill an exercise book (or two) with free-ranging thoughts and possibilities riffing on that idea. I may not actually use any of that material, but I’ll most likely have settled on the main characters, setting and era once it’s done.
I often set out with a really organised system like index card chapters but invariably get stuck trying to get ahead of myself with the plot and give up.
I’ll read lots of books about the period and subject matter and make notes in half a dozen different notebooks (I’m addicted to buying nice notebooks) and on bits of paper. While this part is very disorganised, it’s somehow necessary. I often come across cryptic notes that I don’t remember writing or even know what they mean.
When the characters, setting and maybe a couple of plot points are in place, I make some technical decisions about which character/s offer the best point of view, in first or third person, and which tense. That done, I work out a compelling entry point to the story, one that will take the reader into a scene.
Finally, I have to start writing.
I usually work to a rough chapter length (around 3000 words that will expand to 5000 in the next draft) and begin each chapter in a new Word document. This curbs the compulsion to start revising that first draft and it keeps the manuscript in smaller chunks of chapters which could end up in a different order in the next draft.
That first draft is the worst, it’s badly constructed and littered with lame dialogue and clunky descriptions. I feel hot with shame reading it but keep reminding myself that it’s a pencil sketch. The detail, colour and polish will come in a few drafts time. Onward and upward – it can only get better!
I try to write every day, ideally 1000+ words but absolute minimum 500 words. The focus is on surging forward, staying in the story and sparking new ideas. I write in a visual way, putting the reader into a scene to hear the characters and ‘see’ the story. Scenes generally run to around 500 to 1000 words, so it’s a bit like a jigsaw with individual scenes that ideally lead naturally from one to next. Occasionally there might be summary or a character’s inner dialogue, but that would take place in a particular setting that lends itself to reflection.
When I start, I have no idea where it’s all going but experience has taught me that I must be patient and wait for the plot to be revealed to me as the story unfolds. It can’t be forced or it becomes too contrived. It’s an uncomfortable feeling not knowing, but exciting as well.
Once I’ve completed the basic story (around 60-70,000 words) that’s the first draft done. Second draft is fleshing out those chapters, adding detail to descriptions, changing stuff earlier in the story that’s become redundant.
Third draft will be tidying up the second draft, sharpening up the dialogue and descriptions. Expanding and contracting.
By now, the manuscript will be around 85-90,000 words and I’m ready to drop those individual chapters into a single Word document and start work on the flow of the story.
Around this time, I’ll ask my invaluable Beta readers to give me their feedback. Some of these readers have expertise in a relevant area, for example one reader (and special advisor) for The Tea Ladies, is an ex-police detective who worked in that area of Sydney. Some readers might remember the era and others might have a forensic eye for plot holes and inconsistencies. It’s not unusual for me to have eight or nine of these readers drawn from different areas. I’m incredibly grateful for their feedback because I know the manuscript has had a thorough road test before it goes to the publisher for editing.
The next three or four drafts will be tightening up and polishing, making sure every paragraph naturally leads into the next, looking at the timing of dialogue to make sure conversations sound natural and getting rid of anything that’s slowing down the action.
Then it’s done and goes off to my publisher. Now the editing process starts!
Initially my editor will come back with a few thoughts on the structure, she may suggest a new scene to explain something better or query elements of the plot. Once those bits are fixed up it goes off for a line by line edit, galley proofs (that look like the page of a book) proof reading, checking and finally printing.
In between all that, we’ll work on the ‘blurb’ text on the back of the book and have discussions about the title, tag and cover design.
Finally, a year after I have delivered that manuscript to the publisher, it goes out into the world as an actual book and by then (if I’ve overcome all procrastinations) I’m hopefully underway with the next book.
If you are working on your own book, I hope this has been a helpful insight into one writer’s process. There’s no single way to do it, you will find your own way. It just takes time, patience and persistence. Just keep going.
The Tea Ladies
by Amanda Hampson
A wickedly witty cosy crime novel set in Sydney in the swinging sixties, ideal for fans of Richard Osman and Bonnie Garmus.