mastering the process from idea to novel

George moves on to characters and how she develops them, as her plot starts to form. Any points that are needed afterward that memory or photos can’t provide, of course, can be added by Google, maps, and other information about the chosen area. While the area may be changed or rearranged to fit the writer’s plot, having done thorough research eliminates a blank page as the starting point. It influences what can and cannot be found between the pages, and often suggests plot. The landscape is the stage upon which writers place their action and their characters, so it’s one the reader must come to understand, and sometimes, manipulate. She starts off with setting, the backdrop for her crime novels, and uses actual photographs she took on her research trip for her novel Careless in Red to illustrate her points. Still, there will be something in these pages for any writer, even if one’s own way of writing doesn’t follow George’s. Indeed, finding one’s particular method that works for that individual is part of the challenge for any writer.

George is quick to point out that her method may not suit everyone, although it closely mirrors Auntie M’s own. She was also fortunate to take a Master class from George one year at New England Crime Bake, and that experience alone made her relish the thought of reading through George’s new book on the complicated task of putting together a novel in Mastering the Process: From Idea to Novel. Elizabeth George’s Inspector Lynley series is one of Auntie M’s favorites.

Mastering the process from idea to novel