In the ongoing debate between outliners and seat-of-the pants writers, New York Times bestselling author Jeffery Deaver comes down strongly on the outline side.
"The debate is termed in phrases of outlining," Deaver says, "but in fact the real issue is structure. You cannot write an intricate plot-driven novel with multiple, intersection plots without having an iron-clad structure for the book before you start writing, otherwise you'll be wasting a lot of time and computer space figuring things out as you go."Even though there are thriller writers who do indeed make it up as they go along, they have to impose a structure somewhere along the line.
"Some people are able to create a structure in their minds and keep it there, but I can't, and I suspect most writers can't. You have to do the work at some point--coming up with pacing and twists and the climactic ending where it all comes together. It's much more efficient to do that first, without the prose getting in the way. Please understand that I'm speaking of purely plot-driven thrillers, like mine. More character oriented, or situation oriented, writers can let the floodgates open and go where the story takes them."
Deaver's legal background also shaped his approach to fiction. "Law school was very helpful in learning to structure a project. No one goes to court or closes a business deal without knowing exactly what will happen ahead of time. A book should be the same. I think the one thing in my background that helped me is more genetic: I have a great curiosity and a very vivid imagination."
That imagination has delivered not just one, but two popular series characters. In Deaver's latest title, Roadside Crosses, Kathryn Dance (the series character he's doing on alternate years, with Lincoln Rhyme) makes her second appearance. The keys to a successful series, says Deaver, are "an appealing (though not sentimental) protagonist, somebody who has flaws yet is ultimately morally courageous, a coterie of appealing sidekicks, and some specialty that gives the readers some interesting insights into an aspect of life that they might not be familiar with: Forensics in the case of Lincoln and kinesics (body language) in the case of Kathryn."The incredibly prolific Deaver is also a master of the short-story-with-a-twist, which is why he has two collections titled Twisted and More Twisted.
"Short stories are fun to write. But in general they require different sets of skills. Short stories exist (my short stories, that is) exclusively for the twist or surprise; there's no other emotional payoff than that. Novels require the author to load the book with many layers of emotion and come up with plots that will drive the story continuously forward. Like sprinting and marathons: you run in each but the strategy and physiology are very different."
A typical writing day for Deaver is "pretty boring. I work about 8-10 hours day, usually on two books at once. Outlining one, writing the other. Then, as you get a certain level of success, there's a lot of business stuff to do. Interviews, planning tours, making decision on the cover for the Bulgarian large-type edition of the book. You have to do all of that, but the real fun is getting your butt in a chair and writing."
James Scott Bell is the author of TRY DYING (Center Street) and WRITE GREAT FICTION: PLOT & STRUCTURE (Writers Digest Books). James contributes the monthly Between The Lines features.
