I'm reading Don Winslow's City on Fire. I'm a huge fan of his writing style. And after reading that Dennis Lehane inspired you to write crime fiction, I opened up my Kindle Unlimited app and downloaded his latest novel, Small Mercies. I'm ashamed to say I've never read any of his fiction.
I think the better you know your characters, the easier the writing will come. I write a series but if I were starting all over with a new series or a standalone novel, I'd probably write a few stories about them and maybe not even plan it out and feel them out. I suppose we all have our own process. Cool post.
Absolutely. My most recent novel not only stemmed from the characters from the novel living in my head for a while, but from the original short story I wrote in 2015. So it was about a decade of marinating before the characters and the story burst out.
For a novel I do a vague outline, then work on the characters and let them try to tell the story, then I write a bigger, more detailed outline. Then I write a synopsis from all major characters' points of view. Then I make the necessary changes and make a final outline down to what each scene is. Now I finally feel like I can write. But there are weeks (sometimes months and years) between each of those processes because it takes time to live with the characters.
I'm reading Don Winslow's City on Fire. I'm a huge fan of his writing style. And after reading that Dennis Lehane inspired you to write crime fiction, I opened up my Kindle Unlimited app and downloaded his latest novel, Small Mercies. I'm ashamed to say I've never read any of his fiction.
Don Winslow is great! I'd say Lehane skews a little more literary, but his writing is plenty gritty and violent.
I loved Small Mercies. I think he said it's the last novel he will write since he's so focused on TV and film these days, which is sad.
If you want old school detective fiction, his Kenzie & Genarro series where he got his start is great. But his master piece is Mystic River, imo.
I just found A Drink Before the War on my library’s ebook portal.
I think the better you know your characters, the easier the writing will come. I write a series but if I were starting all over with a new series or a standalone novel, I'd probably write a few stories about them and maybe not even plan it out and feel them out. I suppose we all have our own process. Cool post.
Absolutely. My most recent novel not only stemmed from the characters from the novel living in my head for a while, but from the original short story I wrote in 2015. So it was about a decade of marinating before the characters and the story burst out.
I do not recommend waiting a decade though lol
For a novel I do a vague outline, then work on the characters and let them try to tell the story, then I write a bigger, more detailed outline. Then I write a synopsis from all major characters' points of view. Then I make the necessary changes and make a final outline down to what each scene is. Now I finally feel like I can write. But there are weeks (sometimes months and years) between each of those processes because it takes time to live with the characters.
It sounds like we're crazy people, having these characters live in our heads. But it's totally sane. I swear.
But in all seriousness, I don't think anyone can write well if their characters don't spend time in their head.