A Novel Approach
The Sum of its Parts
March 01, 2008 23:54
The Sum of its Parts
by Scotti Cohn
Dear fellow authors,
The Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition gave me the opportunity to meet a lot of super-talented writers. The contest also gave me a chance to re-examine my novel, Sister to Dragons, in terms of its various components. As the saying goes, "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." And of course each part helps create that greater whole.
So, if a finished novel is the whole, what are the parts?
Of course we could always round up the usual suspects: Premise, Opening, Tone, Point of View, Plot, Setting, Characterization, Dialogue, and Grammar. Although the ABNA contest certainly prompted me to re-examine my novel with respect to those key elements, what I want to talk about here is different. I submit the following for consideration.
Part 1. The Idea
It might tip-toe in on "little cat feet" (thank you, Mr. Sandburg), or barge into your conscious mind like a wildebeest on steroids. It might be a snippet or a full-blown version of the next War and Peace (thank you, Mr. Tolstoy). Whether it's subtle or brash, clear as crystal or clear as mud -- there it is. The Idea.
Authors are often asked "Where do you get your ideas?" Depending on who's asking, we might go into a lengthy explanation of how we keep journals and newspaper clippings and jot down things we observe in the dentist's waiting room. Or we might look the person right in the eye and say, "Ideas? I'm getting one right now..."
The truth is, we don't "get" our ideas. They get us. Like the song says, "One way or another, I'm gonna getcha getcha getcha getcha" (thank you, Blondie).
Part 2. The Execution
By The Execution, I mean the implementation, carrying out, or validation of The Idea -- not putting it to death. Although at some point in the process we may have to face the fact that the novel just isn't happening. In which case, we say "that book died aborning" or words to that effect (some of which cannot be repeated in polite company).
The next time someone asks you what you do, try saying "I execute ideas" and see what happens.
Often the author is not the only one involved in The Execution of The Idea. We may choose to share our work in progress with a critique group or other individuals whose judgment we trust and value. And if the novel is acquired by a publisher, an editor will be only too happy to participate in The Execution -- or perhaps we should say The Re-Execution -- of The Idea.
Part 3. The Reward
The Reward in the ABNA competition is substantial: The winner receives a publishing contract with Penguin Group and a $25,000 advance. That kind of Reward boosts the ego and bank account in one fell swoop. (I am so glad I found a way to use the expression "one fell swoop" in this piece. I just love it, don't you? Thank you, Mr. Shakespeare -- or should that be Mr. de Vere?)
But what about the rest of us?
One definition of reward is "a satisfying return or result." As a novelist, do you find it satisfying to complete a page? A chapter? Do you gain satisfaction when a character takes shape in your mind and evolves, under your guidance, from a stick figure into someone who could be a real person -- who is, come to think of it, a real person to you and your readers? And what about the "Aha!" moment that comes after a struggle to solve a plot problem -- is that satisfying to you? I thought so.
An author can receive The Reward through many different channels. It doesn't have to be an announcement from a podium or the presentation of a large check (although that would be nice...) The Reward can be a quiet voice in your mind that whispers: "Well done. You did it. You win."
And that is perhaps the most important thing I learned in the ABNA contest.
Scotti Cohn is a freelance writer living and working in Bloomington, Illinois. Her unpublished novel Sister to Dragons was a semifinalist in the ABNA competition. Information about her published and soon-to-be-published works can be found at www.scotticohn.com.
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