WARNING: UCOD Spoilers! The third book is done, and now I'm ready to start the fourth. Really, you know, no book is EVER done--when I read the first one now I find things I want to change--but there comes a time to move on and figure out what is going to happen to your character next. And that, I've found, is the fun part.
In book two, that 'figuring out' process was easy--book one ends with Apparite recovering from his mission in London with one thought on his mind: kill Viktor. So in book two, do you think I'm going to have Apparite go to Spain and hang out with flamenco dancers? Hell no! He's going to Europe and--maybe, possibly--meet up with Viktor. Basically, I had book two plotted out before even completing book one.
For book three, I looked back at books one and two, pulling things out here and there to reference later on and lend some continuity to Apparite's life-story--just as in our own lives, which are not lived in a present-day vacuum, as too often seems to happen in novels and film (people have a history, and it influences them coninuously). And in book three, to change things up, I thought I'd have Apparite fight the Russkies in the U.S. (it's set in Iowa City, Iowa, of all places).
And you know what? Writing about the US was a lot harder than writing about London--or Saverne--or Berlin--or Brussels. The familiar assumes a feeling of the mundane, the ordinary, and it is not easy to pull out the interesting from it without a lot of thought and work. The end of book three, though, is something I'm proud of--I think it's the best two-chapter arc in all of the Apparite works to date. And the end of the book sets up book four.
Which takes place, I will tell you, in Europe, mainly Prague. At this point, I've written the first AND last chapters of it--it's the stuff in-between that's going to be difficult! But the Apparite books have come quickly so far, and when I've got the time--probably in mid-2007--I'll tackle that one in its entirety. I have a preliminary outline with character ideas, but there's much to be done.
And this is how I'll write it, in case you're curious:
#1. Take notes on interesting plot devices, or ideas, or facts, or tid-bits of human nature that strike me as book-fodder. I have a whole drawer full of post-its, paper-scraps, and such on which are written hundreds of the above. Maybe I'll post some on the website some time so you can see how disorganized that process is. But it works for me.
#2. Research the areas in question. I need to read up quite bit more on Prague and the Czech Republic, and will probably take a trip to Prague at some point, too. As ideas come along, so does the research--I have a library of books at home and a long list of websites which explore many of the areas of interest in the books. And those areas are ever-expanding.
#3. Plot out the book. I make an outline with key events spaced throughout, thinking of pacing along the way. Action--thinking/reflection--serious discussion--action--discussion--humorous meeting--action--etc. with each chapter's tone guiding me. Sometimes I move them around; sometimes they work out as-is. Sometimes there's a blank space, which I fill in when I've started writing and reach that point (Apparite's escape in UCOD was like that--I wrote it when I reached it, thinking logically, if I was in his place, what would I do?)
#4. Start writing. I almost always write in chapter order, though occasionally, if a really great idea strikes me, then I skip ahead. The episode of Apparite finding J back at the safe house in the mews was a 'skip ahead' moment, as was the end of book two. Oddly, I always write the first chapter of the next book while revising the previous one--I think it's a way of being creative during an uncreative time.
#5. Continue research during all of the above. There's always more information to look up: foreign language people to consult (my big coup was finding a woman named Natalia to translate Russian for me); facts to check; details to expand. That process does not end until the book goes to the publisher (and even then, I'm still doing it).
#6 Complete the book. It has taken me about 6-8 months to write, start to finish, each Apparite book. The first was 103,000 words; the second, 94,000; the last, 85,000. I think 85,000 is now about the right length for me, given what I've planned for Mr. Apparite (really, UCOD could have been TWO 52,000 word books: book one in D.C., and book two in London). Any longer and I think they're harder to plot and pace; any shorter, and they're too light-weight.
#7. Publish the book. UCOD is done--it comes out in July (can be pre-ordered beginning in late April on www.Amazon.com). Book two will be shopped around when I get reviews and sales from book one. As for book three, and those few great chapters near the end of it--well, you might have to wait until 2008 to read them.
Unless you know me personally, in which case I might let you take a peek--but only if you promise to buy it in hardback when it finally comes out!
In book two, that 'figuring out' process was easy--book one ends with Apparite recovering from his mission in London with one thought on his mind: kill Viktor. So in book two, do you think I'm going to have Apparite go to Spain and hang out with flamenco dancers? Hell no! He's going to Europe and--maybe, possibly--meet up with Viktor. Basically, I had book two plotted out before even completing book one.
For book three, I looked back at books one and two, pulling things out here and there to reference later on and lend some continuity to Apparite's life-story--just as in our own lives, which are not lived in a present-day vacuum, as too often seems to happen in novels and film (people have a history, and it influences them coninuously). And in book three, to change things up, I thought I'd have Apparite fight the Russkies in the U.S. (it's set in Iowa City, Iowa, of all places).
And you know what? Writing about the US was a lot harder than writing about London--or Saverne--or Berlin--or Brussels. The familiar assumes a feeling of the mundane, the ordinary, and it is not easy to pull out the interesting from it without a lot of thought and work. The end of book three, though, is something I'm proud of--I think it's the best two-chapter arc in all of the Apparite works to date. And the end of the book sets up book four.
Which takes place, I will tell you, in Europe, mainly Prague. At this point, I've written the first AND last chapters of it--it's the stuff in-between that's going to be difficult! But the Apparite books have come quickly so far, and when I've got the time--probably in mid-2007--I'll tackle that one in its entirety. I have a preliminary outline with character ideas, but there's much to be done.
And this is how I'll write it, in case you're curious:
#1. Take notes on interesting plot devices, or ideas, or facts, or tid-bits of human nature that strike me as book-fodder. I have a whole drawer full of post-its, paper-scraps, and such on which are written hundreds of the above. Maybe I'll post some on the website some time so you can see how disorganized that process is. But it works for me.
#2. Research the areas in question. I need to read up quite bit more on Prague and the Czech Republic, and will probably take a trip to Prague at some point, too. As ideas come along, so does the research--I have a library of books at home and a long list of websites which explore many of the areas of interest in the books. And those areas are ever-expanding.
#3. Plot out the book. I make an outline with key events spaced throughout, thinking of pacing along the way. Action--thinking/reflection--serious discussion--action--discussion--humorous meeting--action--etc. with each chapter's tone guiding me. Sometimes I move them around; sometimes they work out as-is. Sometimes there's a blank space, which I fill in when I've started writing and reach that point (Apparite's escape in UCOD was like that--I wrote it when I reached it, thinking logically, if I was in his place, what would I do?)
#4. Start writing. I almost always write in chapter order, though occasionally, if a really great idea strikes me, then I skip ahead. The episode of Apparite finding J back at the safe house in the mews was a 'skip ahead' moment, as was the end of book two. Oddly, I always write the first chapter of the next book while revising the previous one--I think it's a way of being creative during an uncreative time.
#5. Continue research during all of the above. There's always more information to look up: foreign language people to consult (my big coup was finding a woman named Natalia to translate Russian for me); facts to check; details to expand. That process does not end until the book goes to the publisher (and even then, I'm still doing it).
#6 Complete the book. It has taken me about 6-8 months to write, start to finish, each Apparite book. The first was 103,000 words; the second, 94,000; the last, 85,000. I think 85,000 is now about the right length for me, given what I've planned for Mr. Apparite (really, UCOD could have been TWO 52,000 word books: book one in D.C., and book two in London). Any longer and I think they're harder to plot and pace; any shorter, and they're too light-weight.
#7. Publish the book. UCOD is done--it comes out in July (can be pre-ordered beginning in late April on www.Amazon.com). Book two will be shopped around when I get reviews and sales from book one. As for book three, and those few great chapters near the end of it--well, you might have to wait until 2008 to read them.
Unless you know me personally, in which case I might let you take a peek--but only if you promise to buy it in hardback when it finally comes out!
posted by I. Michael Koontz | 6:25 PM
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