To that end, I decided to share two components that have helped me become a twice-published author - engineering and writing. The topic will be divided into phases and posted as a series of discussions rather than one long diatribe. At the end, you should have the tools and a framework necessary to write a novel of whatever size you want and, either have it ready for submission to agents/publishers or publish it yourself. I don't guarantee you'll be picked up by a publishing house and make a gazillion dollars, but you will know what it takes to write that mystery/memoir/travel log/drama/ young adult novel you've been talking about for years.
Let's pause for a moment and wait for the shrieks and the gasps to die away. When I've brought this up before, the purely literary creative types have practically tarred and feathered me. You can't weigh down creativity with structure and guidelines. The artiste must be allowed to create unfettered.
Okay. But some of us need some structure to keep moving forward and make progress. And, in the case of a mystery or thriller, it really helps to keep who did what, when and where straight. That avoids those uncomfortable realizations that the person wielding the knife at our hapless protagonist was actually killed off in the fourth chapter...
As a foundation, it's helpful to know the elements of engineering--specifically software engineering--that are pertinent. Typically, a project is broken down into phases, which follow a general pattern with, of course, some room for personalization. Here are the phases I'm presenting:
1. The Idea
2. Research
3. Design
4. Implementation
5. Testing and Quality Control
6. Delivery
7. Maintenance and Continual Improvement - may involve returning to an earlier phase. Forever.
Come back for the next post to find out where Ideas come from!
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