Way back in February of this year I offered an update of my latest Corrosive Knights novel and the then hope I would have the novel ready by May (obviously, I was being waaaay too optimistic).  Toward the end of that particular update, I wrote the following and felt it worth cutting and pasting here:

Back when I was in College I took a Literature course and while I don’t remember much about it, there was one particular lesson regarding author Henry James’ view of a novel that really, really stuck with me.  I’ll let Mr. James’ words speak for themselves:

A novel is a living thing, all one and continuous, like any other organism, and in proportion as it lives will it be found, that in each of the parts there is something of each of the other parts.

Mr. James’ ideas, often referred to as the view that a good/great novel presents an “organic whole”, urges authors to not waste a single word or create any scene(s) within their work that is superfluous and doesn’t contribute to the entirety of the work/story you are telling.

Thus in the “perfect” novel a reader is given a work wherein not even one single word is wasted.  Each and every one of the words and sentences and paragraphs and chapters, etc. move the story forward until it reaches its end.

I took this lesson very much to heart.

So whether you like, hate, or are indifferent to any/all of my works, it is my intention to never waste your time as a reader.  I try my best to make sure every element I insert into a novel has a reason for being there and ties into the larger story I’m telling.

And it is indeed a large story and one I couldn’t be prouder of.

I present this because this morning, as I’m going over the 12th draft of my most recent novel, Henry James’ theory on the nuts and bolts of what makes a novel remains one of the best bits of instruction about writing I can think of.  (For the record, Elmore Leonard offered what I consider my second favorite bit of advice but I can’t find the actual quote.  It went something along the lines of “When revising a novel, get rid of all the boring stuff and leave in the good stuff”.  As simple as this sounds, it is a truly profound comment on writing).

Which brings us to this, Danielle Dutton offering…

Terrible Writing Advice From Famous Writers

I wish there was more!  Oh, wait…Emily Temple offers us some more…

Bad Writing Advice From Famous Authors

One of my favorite “bad” pieces of writing advice is presented in this later link and comes from Ray Bradbury:

Quantity produces quality.  If you only write a few things, you are doomed.

On the surface, this bit of advice is something that tempts you into thinking its true.  If you release a number of books/stories, there is a good chance that some of them will touch a nerve and be viewed as “great” works.

 

This may work for some, but I feel there is a double edged sword here: If you are focused entirely on releasing work after work, is there not a danger you will start repeating yourself?  Is there not a danger that you will come to view your works as a commodity instead of something you aspire to make “great”?

My latest Corrosive Knights novel has taken to date 2 years to make.  It runs roughly 100,000 words and, when it is finally released (soon!), I suspect a speedy reader could read it in a day or two.

Why did it take me 2 years to make the novel?  Because that’s the length of time I needed to make it.

It sounds silly when put that way but this is the reality: This novel features an intricate plot that is not unlike the delicate machinery in a Swiss watch.  All the elements in this novel have to come together to work as a whole and, when dealing with the intricacies I’m trying to put forward, this is not an easy thing to achieve.

I don’t want to give readers something they’ve seen before.  I want to release something that surprises and, hopefully, delights them because it is unique in its own way and unique when compared to my other works.

Understand, I don’t want to sound obnoxious. Just as I know there are those who like my works I also know there are others who don’t care for them.

This is the way things go.

I could literally “bust my ass” while scaling back my ambitions and write one novel after the other and release them every few months.

I could do that but I know the quality of the works will be inferior…at least to my eyes.

Writing, for me, is not an easy thing to do.  I love doing so dearly and know I will do so until the day I die.  At times the process is incredibly frustrating.  Even infuriating.

Yet I will continue to do so.

There’s nothing as beautiful as finishing your latest novel and realizing you’ve created something you can be proud of.  Something that will live long past your days on this planet and will, hopefully, give joy to others.

I’ve babbled enough.  Back to the 12th draft of my novel!