Tuesday 14 August 2012

L is for LAYERS


So far I’ve described some of my inspirations for the book and the plotting choices I made. I’ve not said much about the writing process itself. Today’s blog is longer than usual and for the first time I’m going to discuss publicly how I write.

I have a very idiosyncratic and time consuming method. I write my books in LAYERS – which seems like a good excuse for a picture of an Opera Cake! What follows is the general method by which I turn empty pages into a published book, though in the case of Africa Reich there were some specific things I also did.


I started with a detailed, chapter-by-chapter synopsis which took nine months to write and was 15 000 words long. Then I wrote what I called ‘Draft 0’. By no stretch of the imagination was this a literate document, in fact I’m not sure it would make much sense to anyone but me written as it was partly in shorthand, partly in notes, some of it even in code. Essentially it was an orientation plan, making sure I knew where the characters were in each scene and how they interacted with each other. I also got down spontaneous lines of dialogue and things such as setting, climate and any unusual details that occurred to me.

Armed with this, and the synopsis, I then wrote three entirely different ‘interpretations’ of the book, experimenting with alternative, even conflicting, ideas and possibilities. I told you it was a time consuming process! When I say ‘entirely different’ I mean it. I started each version from scratch. For example, here are the opening lines of Chapter 12:

(Draft 1):

‘No blacks allowed.’
A guard had stepped in front of the door, barring Neliah’s path. He was new, like so many whites joining the resistance movement. He had the course accent of the Belunga docks.

(Draft 2):

‘No niggers,’ said the guard looking down at her as she climbed the stairs to the octogono.
Neliah Tavares continued her ascent. She was tall, athletic, with skin the colour of molasses, so much darker than her sister’s.

(Draft 3):

The iniquities of the Versailles have been righted, announced Hitler after negotiating the territory he wanted, our colonies, our honour restored. The rest is Einzelheiten. Details.

(Out of interest, this is how it appeared in the final book):

On the second evening of the Casablanca Conference – as bureaucrats continued to re-draw the map – President Salazar of Portugal requested an audience with the Führer. He was passed off to Ribbentrop, Hitler’s Foreign Minister.

*

For me writing a novel is a process of discovery: as much as I plan I also learn what the book is about by working on it, so writing these different versions allowed plenty of time for reflection and finding unexpected connections. Once I had the three versions I then synthesised the strongest elements of each into the first proper working draft (number four). One point worth noting: this version was only 90 000 words long, i.e. almost 30 000 shorter than the version you will have read.

I have to confess I found the above process painful, sometimes debilitating. I often struggle with the writing side of a book, the getting words down on paper each day: it’s drudgery. My great passion is for editing, indeed I believe it’s the most creative part of the process. Books are made in the editing not writing. This stage began with the fourth draft and involved a layering process (cue another gratuitous photo:)


I swept through the book concentrating on one aspect at a time. First, structure and point of view. Next, and perhaps most importantly, came characterisation; then dialogue, descriptions, sentence structure (you’d be amazed how much you can alter the pace of a passage just by putting the words in a different order), and so on. Each new layer gave the book more depth. The writing matured – in every sense of the word.

One of the specific layers for Afrika Reich was the alternative history: making sure all these passages appeared in a coherent and logical order, and adding additional sentences and paragraphs where necessary. After that, I made sure the writing itself was half decent (no clichés, trying to find unexpected ways to say things, deleting words/turns of phrase I overuse) and finally I did a polish. Six drafts in total, two years of work – and then it was ready to submit to publishers.

Except that wasn’t quite the end of it as you’ll discover in the next blog entry. For once I’ll tell you what it is: ‘E is for Editor’.


L is also for LITERAL

Of all the reactions to Afrika Reich, the one that took me most by surprise was how literally some readers interpreted the book. More than once people have told me, there’s no way Burton could take such physical punishment. Well obviously! Perhaps naively, it never crossed my mind anyone would take the action in a LITERAL sense. Putting aside the issue of suspending one’s disbelief, the battering Burton et al endure is meant as a metaphor: the penalty for not letting the past lie. As the film director John James Todd once wrote: ‘I was looking for an emotional realism, not pedantic verisimilitude’. Hopefully this will make more sense when we get to ‘F is for...’




30 comments:

  1. PS – one other detail I suppose I should mention is that I never write in chronological order, jumping around from one chapter to the next, sometime one paragraph or even sentence to the next (one of the benefits of a detailed plan). However, I feel this is for time another a story.

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  2. Wow! NOW I understand why you wouldn't want to show anyone your first draft! Like you I'm not a huge fan of the first draft (apart from the first 10,000 and last 10,000 word) - for me the real joy of writing comes before I put pen to paper when I'm formulating my idea and after I've completed the structural edit/rewrite and am tweaking/adding plot devices/symbols/devices etc that make the book that little bit cleverer. I find writing the first draft exhausting and how no idea how you can bear to do that 3 times! Do you think you'll continue to use the same method for all your books?

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    1. Cally - it's funny how some writers I know say they love the writing but hate the editing... I just can't relate to that! Clearly we think alike.

      I'm not entirely sure how I can bear to write the book 3 times either... but it's the only way that seems to work for me (and it's how I've always done it, a method I stumbled on in my teens).

      I wish it didn't have to be that way - if for no other reason than I could turn books around faster (I'm sure Hodder would approve!) but I seem to be stuck with my method and plan to do the next book in the same way too. Actually, I did try to deviate from this process with the current book... and the result was the 220K monster I mentioned on your blog. So I'm probably right in labouring away as I am...

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  3. Great post. Particularly enjoyed the photos. :-)

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    1. Helen - thanks. Yes, the photos seem to have gone down well. Must put more pictures of cake and trifle on this blog rather than Nazi stuff! You're almost at the top of my 'to write to' list, so expect an email soon... :o)

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  4. Hello Guy

    You touched on some of this during your talk but I never realised just how involved the process was. It must be exhausting. One question: do you write all this by hand or computer?

    Great acrtoon!

    Ron

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    1. I do of course mean CARTOON. Butter fingers on the keyboard tonight!

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    2. Ron - good question and one I should have addressed myself. I'd say the split is about 50/50 handwritten/typed. There's no particular method to it. Some days I'll just feel like writing by hand, other on the keyboard. I've also been know to start typing and mid-par abandon the keyboard and pick up my pen. This is especially true if I'm struggling with a passage.

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  5. You make it all sound so easy!

    ;-)

    Now please have some nice cake!

    Take care
    x

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    1. Kitty - trust me, it's not easy! :o) And YES to cake :o)

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  6. Do you have any involvement with the (Norwegian) translation?

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    1. Hakon - Another good question. No, I have nothing to do with the translations. Occasionally foreign editors will email me a query but for the most part translations are entirely independent of me.

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  7. Great post Guy. Like you, I HATE the first few drafts and the drudgery of getting those words on the page. I will do anything to avoid it. Defrost the freezer, hoover the cellar... The joyous part for me is going back and changing everything! Once you have the bares bones of story and character down it's exhilarating to then change the plot, voice etc.

    I think I am going to try your layering method.

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    1. Justine - you do anything to avoid the first draft? Surely not! As I said to Cally above, writers do seem to split between those who enjoy the initial getting words down on paper and those who prefer working with a draft. To repeat myself, I think the truly creative part is in the editing. Layers work for me. Hope your current book is going well.

      PS - how's the cellar? ;o)

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  8. Hi Guy - I love your writing, but your method would not work for me at all. I am too disorganised by far and I lack discipline. Mostly, I let my stories fester in my head, I go over and over scenes and dialogue in my mind until I know what my charcters are feeling and thinking, then I know what they are going to do next or how they will react to a given situation. I guess that wouldn't work too well when you're mixing fiction with historical events, when much more discipline is needed. Good luck - I can't wait to read it.
    Cheers!
    -Liz xx

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    1. Liz - it seems to me your system isn't entirely different - though yours is done in your head, while I do mine on paper. The mixing of historical events does make things a bit trickier... hence even more paper ;o) x

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  9. What's opera cake??? apart from a yummy looking photo! ;-)

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    1. Interesting about yr writing process too. Don't want you thinking I'm only interested in cake!! ;-)

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    2. Louise - thanks for your comment; don't think I've seen you here before. Opera cake is a Viennese delicacy made from layers of sponge and ganache. It is utterly delicious. More details on wiki:

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opera_cake

      Though reading the link, it says it comes from France not Austria. When you're eating it, you don't care about its country of origin!

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    3. Hi Guy

      I loved Afrika Reich and always read the blog but have to admit I'm more of a 'lurker'. Always feel a bit shy about posting! Am off holidaying in France in Sept so will go looking for opera cake. It sounds 'gawjus', divine and yummy. As you can see I'm into patisserie as well as ultra-violent thrillers set in Nazi Afrika!! :-)

      Lou x

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  10. Lou - well, I hope I've introduced to a new cake as well as Nazi Africa! Enjoy your holiday and hope you locate some Opera Cake. And no need to be shy on this page. Always happy to get comments from readers :o) x

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  11. Interesting post! I'm another who loves the challenge of the re-write.

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  12. Michelle - thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment. Glad to know you're another writer who falls into the re-write camp! :o)

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  13. Guy -

    Totally unconnected to layers and writing processes but all the Neil Armstrong coverage has made me think what's happening with Peenemünde in your history? Have the Nazis got to the moon yet?

    Ron

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    1. Ron - sorry only to be replying to this now. No, the Nazis have not got to the moon in my history (they'd be VERY quick off the mark if they had!). However, there is a reference to Peenemünde in Book 2 that will hint at the Nazi space programme. You'll have to wait until the book comes out to learn more!

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    2. Looking forward to it immensely already! I like all these little hints you keep dropping.

      All the best
      Ron

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  14. Thanks, Guy. Great post. I love a good edit. But I'm currently writing my third first draft (two were full drafts of other novels but not viable or going anywhere)! Used to write short stories and there was far less angst but I'll get there. Your planning process is similar to mine though I tend to outline in Scrivener scenes, then write the synopsis, then draft. Also, it's a good illustration of how writing can alter drastically through a few drafts.

    Hope you do well with it!

    Heather Mitchell (@TessaTangent)

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    1. Heather - thanks for your comment and sorry not to have replied sooner. Interesting to hear about your writing process.

      People keep telling me about Scrivener: it sounds as if it could be helpful so I may have to look into it. I agree, books can change radically as they're redrafted.

      Have been reading your blog and hope you're recovering from your operation!

      Best wishes,
      Guy

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  15. So exactly when do we get E is for Editor...?

    :o)

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    1. Louise – that will teach me to promise the next blog. Things a bit hectic with me at the moment but plan to post it in the next week or so (famous last words no doubt!)

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