How many folks here have written a novel?

[wicked]

What did you find to be the hardest part of the writing process?

I have scraps of a story I’d like to pursue, but it’s scraps. Not an entire outline or anything.

 

[DanOregon]

A friend of mine is a published novelist. He develops an outline - pretty much three acts. Then writes chapter by chapter. I find the process of how TV shows are written - particularly cable shows where they know how many episodes they have in a season interesting. Its similar. They know the destination and what needs to happen in each episode to get there.
I was stunned - but later not surprised - when he told me he talked to the producers of "24" and after season one, they just wrote episode by episode (and found themselves writing themselves into cul-de-sacs prompting production delays).

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

Well, if you take all my posts here, they probably add up to a book.

 

[TigerVols]

Every day, every day, every day I write the book.

 

[garrow]

And if everything were equal, you'd own the film rights and be working on a sequel.

 

[Songbird]

Seymour the violin playing giraffe.

Just have to start it. Or have AI do it.

 

[Oggiedoggie]

Back when I worked the sports desk, some folks would write novels. We’d have to cut them to fit.

 

[DanOregon]

 

[micropolitan guy]

Can't imagine it. Writing dialogue is difficult. No one better than Stephen King at that.

 

[Songbird]

Not a single wasted line

You say he wants to take on the JEWS! at their own GAME!​

 

[Cosmo]

I ran down the road, pants down to my knees
Screaming "please come help me, that Canadian shaman gave a little too much to me!"
And I'm writing a novel because it's never been done before

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

Can't imagine it. Writing dialogue is difficult. No one better than Stephen King at that.

Every ****ing year. If my glance at his bibliography is correct, he's published a book every year since 1974 except for 1976 and 2000. And there are of course a ton of years in there in which he had multiple books published, so he more than made up for those slacktastic years. The guy is a machine. Incredible.

 

[swingline]

I like King, but he has put out some dreck, too.

“Insomnia” might be a brilliant troll, but it’s a terrible novel. “Tommyknockers” is half too long and just not very good at all.

Where King really shines is in his short stories. He’s a modern master of those.

 

[micropolitan guy]

I like King, but he has put out some dreck, too.

“Insomnia” might be a brilliant troll, but it’s a terrible novel. “Tommyknockers” is half too long and just not very good at all.

Where King really shines is in his short stories. He’s a modern master of those.

True, some dreck. "Billy Summers" was great, "Fairy Tale" wasn't. But the dialogue is always spot-on, written just like people talk in real life.

 

[justgladtobehere]

Every ****ing year. If my glance at his bibliography is correct, he's published a book every year since 1974 except for 1976 and 2000. And there are of course a ton of years in there in which he had multiple books published, so he more than made up for those slacktastic years. The guy is a machine. Incredible.

A few writers put out a book a year Grisham, Patterson, Sue Grafton. George Higgins pissed out a book every year in a drunken haze.

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

I like King, but he has put out some dreck, too.

“Insomnia” might be a brilliant troll, but it’s a terrible novel. “Tommyknockers” is half too long and just not very good at all.

Where King really shines is in his short stories. He’s a modern master of those.

Yeah those collections are exquisite. There are a few short stories of his that ****ed me up and good, with "Graduation Afternoon" at the very top of that list.

 

[tapintoamerica]

Is Father John Misty in the house?

 

[Slacker]

Can't imagine it. Writing dialogue is difficult. No one better than Stephen King at that.

Elmore Leonard was second to none.

 

[PCLoadLetter]

Elmore Leonard was second to none.

Leonard was very good at it.

Best dialogue I ever read was "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" by George V. Higgins.

 

[swingline]

King’s dialogue in “Children of the Corn” was so, so spot-on.