Q&A with the author – Part 7 of 10

Q. What’s the hardest part of writing a novel?

A. In fiction, because you are making up things that don’t really exist, the hardest part is keeping the timeline straight, being consistent with your characters and making sure that what you write is believable enough that it could happen the way you said it did. (Exception noted for science fiction.)

For example, I have gone back to review chapters I wrote previously and realized that a person couldn’t know something I said he knew because it hadn’t happened yet. That happens a lot when you rearrange sections during an edit. For that reason, I’ve started keeping calendars of events and writing a chronology of what happened and when.

I once found that one of my characters had two different first names—one early in the book and one a few chapters later. In my defense, I wrote those chapters months apart. To avoid that, I’ll sometimes insert a place holder where the character goes, write his or her description separately and blend it into the book later.

In one book, I discovered that I had two people going to work on a specific date in June 2004 when, in fact, that date was a Sunday and neither of them would have gone to their jobs on that day. I had to search the manuscript and change the date throughout.

In the same book, I gave a character the wrong last name. Hey, it happens.

Next: What’s the easiest part of writing a novel?

Q&A with the author – Part 6 of 10

Q. Who are some of those famous “what if” people you mentioned?

A. Let’s start with a man who wondered what would happen if two people stretched a wire between two rooms and connected it to a vibrating mechanism, then spoke into the device on one end and listened to it on the other. As a result, we have the first telephone.

A writer once imagined what would happen if a vengeful ship captain set out to find and kill the giant white whale that had taken off his leg, and we got the classic novel Moby Dick.  

Two guys sat down with guitars one day and wondered, “What if we wrote a song that said ‘she loves you yeah yeah yeah,’” and that gave the Beatles their first big hit.

And an artist once looked at the woman he was painting and wondered what would happen if, instead of a smile, he gave her a smirk, and that gave us one of the world’s most famous works of art—the Mona Lisa.

This is what happens when creative people asked themselves “what if?” and use their imaginations to answer the question.

Next: What’s the hardest part of writing a novel?

Q&A with the author – Part 5 of 10

Q. What does someone need to do to write good fiction books?

A. In general, I believe there are three main qualities you need to write good fiction:

(1)   Obviously, you need the ability to write, which means having a decent vocabulary and knowing the rules of grammar, syntax, sentence structure, punctuation and spelling. If you can’t form words into proper sentences and sentences into paragraphs—and make them interesting to total strangers—then writing a book is probably not your best career option.

(2)   You also need perpetual curiosity, or what I call the “what if” gene. I think a fiction author needs to go beyond just seeing things for what they are and wonder “what if this” and “what if that.” For example, if you plant a tree and all you see is a tree, a shovel and a hole, you’re probably not going to write a book about the experience—unless it’s a book about gardening. But if you plant that tree and wonder, “What if I found something I didn’t expect,” and you imagine what it could be, then you’re off to a good start on your story.

Some of the most famous inventors, writers, musicians and artists of all kinds have that “what if” gene. They wouldn’t be what they are without it.

(3)   Finally, you need a vivid imagination. If you have the curiosity to ask the question “what if,” you need a vibrant and active imagination to conjure up an answer. It’s your imagination that tells you what’s in the time capsule, who found it, what he did, who he told, what was the mystery and what happened next. It’s your imagination that takes a simple “what if” idea and turns it into a book.

Next: Who are some of those famous “what if” people you mentioned?

'Time Capsule' on sale at Fairmont pharmacy

Great news! Time Capsule is now on sale at Rider Pharmacy in Fairmont. Pick up a copy next time you visit the store. 

In addition, I'll be signing books there on November 2 during their big holiday open house from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. The book is just one of many Christmas gifts Rider will have on display.

Q&A with the author – Part 4 of 10

Q. So what happened after you finished your manuscript?

A. I contacted a publisher and paid a small fee to have an “editorial review” written on my manuscript. I asked the publisher to tell me honestly whether the manuscript (1) worked as a book, (2) could be fixed and made into a book or (3) should be tossed into the trash and forgotten.

The publisher, Beth, liked my work and was interested in publishing it with some minor changes and some editing suggestions. Then she asked me, “What else do you have?”

What I had was three pages of another book about a private detective who starts out dead. It was three pages going nowhere, but I sent her the pages anyway. Beth liked the idea and told me I should finish that book, too. So I re-read what I had written, added a few details and some quotes and moved on to Chapter 2, where I wrote, “It all started….” And then I let my imagination run wild. Ideas started coming to me and I wrote the whole second book in a matter of weeks.

With my publisher’s encouragement, I have since written two other Rob and Jennie Covington books and recently started on Covington book number 4.

Next: What does someone need to do to write good fiction books?