Getting Started Telling Your Stories

By CAPT George Galdorisi, USN (Ret.)

Putting the Pieces Together

Over the last several writing columns, we have taken a deep dive into the basics of writing a novel, focusing on plot (things like the Log Line and Freytag Pyramid) and characterization (creating memorable characters your readers love to be with and don’t forget). In this column, we will put the pieces together and talk about other aspects of what makes a successful novel.

First, a reminder as to: “Why Should We Write?” In his best-seller, The Undoing Project, Michael Lewis quoted Daniel Kahneman, who said this: “No one ever made a decision because of a number. They need a story.” We all need stories.

That said, it takes courage to write. As the infamous Cardinal Armand Jean du Plesssis, Duke of Richelieu, said, "Give me six lines written by the most honorable of men, and I will find an excuse to hang him."

While most aspiring writers aren’t fearful of being hanged, most do fear rejection. Think of it this way. You tell your family, friends and co-workers that you are working on a novel. Then, month after month, and even year after year, they ask, “When is your novel coming out?” It takes courage to say: “Never.”

So let’s talk about how to avoid “never.” First, as you embark on writing 80,000 to 100,000 words to produce your novel, it’s worth remembering why many of us write. Here is how New York Times best-selling writer Dick Couch put it:

“For me, I gotta write, and it’s the adventure of it that’s hooked me. As the writer, I can do it all. I get to be the National Security Advisor who recommends the action to the President who must commit the forces. I’m the senior officer who sends his men into action and who feels the pain if they don’t make it back. I’m the enemy and the defender; logistician and staff planner. But most of all, I’m a young man again, that fresh lieutenant who must lead his men into battle.”

Dick Couch has produced twenty-three books and he makes writing look easy. For most of us, it’s not that easy. At the risk of dampening anyone’s enthusiasm, you should approach writing as you approach your profession as a naval aviator (current or past) – it is work and you are only successful if you work hard. Here is how an article about Tom Clancy put it:

“Mr. Clancy said none of his success came easily, and he would remind aspiring writers of that when he spoke to them. “I tell them you learn to write the same way you learn to play golf,” he once said. “You do it, and keep doing it until you get it right. A lot of people think something mystical happens to you, that maybe the muse kisses you on the ear. But writing isn’t divinely inspired — it’s hard work.

With that by way of background, it is important to decide what kind of novel you are setting out to write. This is hugely important, but a step many people skip over in their urge to put words on paper. Make this decision to pick one of these two before you pick up your pen:

• Literary Fiction: Literary fiction, also known as serious fiction, is a term principally used for fictional works that hold literary merit, that is to say, they are works that offer deliberate social commentary, political criticism, or focus on the individual to explore some part of the human condition.

• Trade Fiction: Trade books are published for general readership, and usually are headed for bookstores and libraries. They are not rare books or textbooks for small, specialized or niche readerships. A trade book can be paperback or hardback. It can occupy a wide range of genres.

For me, and most writers I talk with, we are firmly in the Trade Fiction camp. This isn’t to discourage you from taking on Literary Fiction, but just to say that most of what I know about writing novels is focused on Trade Fiction.

In our world of Trade Fiction, one of the most successful novelists is Dean Koontz, author of countless best-sellers. Unlike many writers who keep the secrets of their success… well…secret, Dean Koontz liberally shares his secrets. Here are some gems from the master:

On Generating New Story Ideas:

• Read! • Write! • Tickle the imagination and generate story ideas by playing around with exotic titles • Type out a bunch of narrative hooks and find one that is intriguing • Prime the idea pump by building up a couple of characters in enormous detail • Whatever you write, you must begin your novel by plunging the hero or heroine into terrible trouble

What the Average Reader Demands of a Novel:

• A strong plot • A great deal of action • A hero, or heroine, or both • Colorful, imaginative, & convincing characterization • Clear, believable, character motivations • Well-drawn backgrounds • At least some familiarity with the English language • A style with lyrical language and striking images

While you cogitate on and internalize these attributes, I want to invite your attention to what is probably the most crucial bit of writing advice – perhaps ever. It comes from Ian Fleming, who wrote the fabulously successful James Bond books:

“There is only one recipe for a bestseller and it is a very simple one. If you look back on all the bestsellers you have read, you will find they all have one quality that makes you simply have to turn the page.”

This is hugely important and is where so many aspiring novelists go astray. If you write page after page describing a beautiful sunset, the reader will stop turning the page. Less is more, make them turn the page!

Finally, while there are many different ways to write a novel, for most first-timers my advice is to stay with what works, the tried and true, not the crazy, avant garde. Save that for your tenth novel. Here is what works for most of us in constructing a classic plot: • The writer introduces a hero or heroine who has just been or is about to be – plunged into terrible trouble

• The hero or heroine attempts to solve his or her problem but only slips deeper into trouble

• As they try to climb out of the hole they’re in, complications arise, each more terrible than the one before, until the situation could not become more hopeless, then one final unthinkable complication arises and makes matters worse.

• At last, deeply affected and changed by his awful experiences and intolerable circumstances, the hero learns something about himself and the human condition. He then understands what he must do to get out of the dangerous situation in which he has wound up. He takes the necessary actions and either succeeds or fails, succeeding more often than not.

Perhaps enough for now. If your curiosity has kicked in and you don’t want to wait for the next issue of Rotor Review, try this link to my website: https://www.georgegaldorisi. com/. Other than writing thrillers, I like nothing more than connecting with readers. You can follow me on Facebook and Twitter, and learn more about my books, blogs and other writing on my website. For those of you trying to up your game regarding any kind of writing, check out my “Writing Tips,” which offer useful advice for all writers, from established authors to future best-selling writers.

CAPT George Galdorisi, USN (Ret.) is a career naval aviator with thirty years of active duty service. For more on Get Started Telling Your Stories or other writing seminar information, visit CAPT Galdorisi's webpage: https://www. georgegaldorisi.com/

Trade Fiction: You could be here too