Revisions: Part Three

Parting thoughts:

The Meat in the Middle:

For most authors, the middle of a book is the hardest to write. But here’s something interesting: the middle of the book is the part readers love best. In the beginning, you’re dipping your toe in and deciding whether or not to stay with the protagonist. At the end, the climax of the book is exciting, but by then everything’s pretty much inevitable. It’s the middle where it gets interesting. The middle is for deepening the story, and for piling it on. You add more trouble, more obstacles, more complications. This is where the real ride is. So pay extra attention to making the middle as good as it can be.

Just like at the dentist’s: open, close:

I see a novel this way: up to the halfway point, you open the story up. You add more possibilities, more characters, more complications, more things happening; open, open, open. A little after halfway, you begin to start closing the story back down to something manageable. You answer some questions (always asking more). At the same time, though, as you narrow in on the true answer, the reader’s anticipation will grow. The forward motion continues to critical mass. Think of it as a big wave, building, building, building, and just when you can’t stand it, the wave crashes over—and quickly evens out. The End. That is the relief your reader has been seeking all along.

Dialogue:

You should know this, but I’ll say it anyway. Which is better?

“What do you want from me?”
She wouldn’t look at him. “Nothing.”
“I know you’re mad.”
“Damn straight I’m mad.”
“But why? What did I do?”
“I had the damn miscarriage, didn’t I?”
“I can’t believe you’re blaming me,” he said.

“What do you want from me?” he demanded.
“Nothing,” she replied angrily.
“I know you’re mad,” he sputtered.
“Damn straight I’m mad,” she said grimly.
“But why?” he queried. “What did I do?”
“I had the damn miscarriage, didn’t I?”
“I can’t believe you’re blaming me,” he said morosely.

Should be self-evident. “Said” is invisible. You can use it all you want, so go ahead and knock yourself out.

The Wrap-up:

If a book is like sex, the good part is in the doing. You have your climax and then it’s pretty much over. Sure, you’d like to hold each other for a while, but you’re probably not going to give a blow-by-blow replay of what happened (pun not intended). I hate to reach what seems like the end of the book, only to see that there are fifteen pages ahead of me. By then I’ve lost interest. Wrap it up, don’t leave any egregious loose ends, and get out.

The Sand Ruby:

I call this a “reflexive”, kind of like in a foreign language. If you can, try this. Somewhere early in the story, the main character does something that will come back to bite him. Because of who she is, the main character will generate a series of events that will culminate in unforeseen ramifications.

Here’s one by the great Michael Connelly: Harry Bosch goes to visit this former cop who is involved in one of Bosch’s cases. The guy is paralyzed and bitter. He says his wife is torturing him. Bosch doesn’t know whether or not to believe him, but being the practical sort, he gives the guy a clock as a gift. Without telling him, Bosch has had a video camera installed in the clock. Now he will see once and for all if the wife is abusing him. Agents with the FBI come in and threaten this guy and, as I recall, physically hurt him. Later on, Bosch is in a position where the FBI agents have all the cards. Only they don’t, because he has this tape.

He set out to learn what was going on with the wife, but a completely unforseen ramification ended up giving him leverage with the FBI. That is what I call a sand ruby!

Here are some books and articles that have helped me.

IMMEDIATE FICTION, by Jerry Cleaver
ON WRITING, by Stephen King
WRITE AWAY, by Elizabeth George
LESSONS FROM A LIFETIME OF WRITING, David Morrell
WRITING MYSTERIES, edited by Sue Grafton—in particular, Michael Connelly’s article on characterization
THE COMPLETE HANDBOOK OF NOVEL WRITING, specifically: “The Plot Thickens” by Monica Wood and “Find your Novel’s Missing Links” by Elizabeth Lyon
45 MASTER CHARACTERS, Victoria Lyn Schmidt

Some of these books contradict each other. All have their truths to give. It’s up to us to sort it out.