Between The Lines with David Baldacci
Most people might describe David Baldacci is a "lawyer turned novelist" (and one of the most successful, too). But that is not entirely accurate. It's more like Baldacci is a reader who wanted to write, and kept up that dream during law school and after.
"I was a library rat as a kid and I loved books that captured me for days in the wonderful world of words," Baldacci explains. "I wanted to do that for others. Then all through law school and after becoming a practicing attorney, I was writing. So the leap from lawyer to full time writer didn¹t need much motivation."Nor did he need much of a leap to get to the top of the bestseller lists. It didn't hurt that his first novel, Absolute Power, was turned into a hit Clint Eastwood movie. But it also helped that Baldacci is a craftsman who takes his writing seriously.
"Building characters with depth and dialogue that 'rings true' are the keys to what I consider a great novel. Also I¹ve gotten smarter about research and knowing what to leave in and what to cut. I don¹t write textbooks and a writer has to fight the impulse to leave all his hard research work in the book. It invariably kills the narrative drive of the story."
No problem with narrative drive in Baldacci's body of work. His latest hardcover, First Family, debuted at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list, and the paperback of The Whole Truth has spent thirteen weeks on the Times extended Mass Market list.
I asked Baldacci if he is an "outliner" or "seat of the pantser" when it comes to plotting.
"Really, a bit of both. I do mini-outlines at the beginning of a project. Once I get about 150 pages into the novel, I have a good feel to where the characters are taking me. I may have a plot twist or two sketched out but at this point in the book, I am letting the story take me for the ride."
So what would you guess Baldacci's typical writing day is like? Highly structured, as one might expect from a former DC power lawyer?
"No, it's completely atypical. And honestly, I think as a writer, it has to be that way, at least for me. Routine can be the kiss of death for the creative process. And then it becomes too much like a job instead of a passion."
James Scott Bell is the author of the Ty Buchanan series, Try Dying, Try Darkness and Try Fear (July), all from Hachette/Center Street. www.jamesscottbell.com
"Really, a bit of both. I do mini-outlines at the beginning of a project. Once I get about 150 pages into the novel, I have a good feel to where the characters are taking me. I may have a plot twist or two sketched out but at this point in the book, I am letting the story take me for the ride."
So what would you guess Baldacci's typical writing day is like? Highly structured, as one might expect from a former DC power lawyer?
"No, it's completely atypical. And honestly, I think as a writer, it has to be that way, at least for me. Routine can be the kiss of death for the creative process. And then it becomes too much like a job instead of a passion."
James Scott Bell is the author of the Ty Buchanan series, Try Dying, Try Darkness and Try Fear (July), all from Hachette/Center Street. www.jamesscottbell.com
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For 2010, we’ll be back in the heart of New York in July with the ThrillerFest conference including CraftFest and AgentFest.
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