STORY vs WRITING

The two art forms you must master to write a great novel.

Welcome to the first installment of my new writing series! As promised, I am opening the door to my office and sharing the exact process I use to write a novel. I will be doing this in real time as I write my next book. It’s important to note here that there is no right process when it comes to writing novels. This is simply my process, the thing that works for me and has enabled me to consistently publish a book every two years. As you follow along, I encourage you to eat the fish and leave the bones. If one of my suggestions makes sense to you, then by all means adopt it. If it doesn’t, feel free to ignore me. The goal here is to give you some really practical tools that will help you finish your book. As we begin, I’d like to talk about the starting line, the thing I must remind myself of every time I begin a new project. And it is simply this: great novels are comprised of both good storytelling and good writing. These are two entirely different art forms and you must master both. But you cannot do so at the same time. Knowing that up front will make the entire process much easier.

Think of your favorite writer. The one whose new novel you pre-order. The one who entices you to venture out on a cold, rainy night to attend her book signing. The one whose next publication is such a personal event that you set aside the entire weekend to read. You know the one. Her name is floating in your head right now.

Why do you love her books so much?

Explain it to yourself as clearly and quickly as possible. In a sentence or two.

Because if I had to put money on it, that author has mastered two distinctly different art forms: Story and Writing.

That is what I mean when I say Diana Gabaldon / Stephen King / Diane Setterfield is “a great writer.” (Obviously I’m speaking of my own favorites here but you can fill in the blanks with names that matter to you). I am transfixed by the Story and I am moved by the Writing.