Let The Story Unfold by Georges Benay
When I do readings or book signings, I’m often asked how do I go about writing my novels. Do I prepare an outline? Are all my characters well defined before I start writing? How about the plot, is it clear in my mind and well thought out? In short, do I know what I’m going to write about before I start writing my piece?
To all these very important questions I’ve one and only one good answer which I borrowed from a good friend fellow writer. You see, he once told me fiction authors fall into two general categories: the “Plotters” and the “Pantsers.” The Plotters’ answer to all the above questions is a simple “yes”. They spend countless hours, if not months thinking about plots, characters, storyline, setting etc. and when they are done and have carefully researched and documented their thoughts, they start writing the novel. It’s a laborious task and many good authors swear by it.
I like to think that I fit more in the “seat of the pants” writer category. Indeed, for the most part I’m a genuine Pantser. I do start with a very general idea of what the book is going to be all about but a) I don’t document my ideas in great details beforehand and b) I remain totally flexible about the storyline and any other issue concerning the novel as a matter of fact. I let my characters take over and guide me to where they want me to go. I feed off the mood of the moment to mold the plot and storyline. I allow my characters to decide whether they want to play a bigger part in the story or not. I’m afraid to admit it but when I’m totally immersed in my writing, I take dictation from my characters more than create ideas on my own. The best way I can describe my writing process is what some might call it stream of consciousness with a definite purpose to entertain.
So next time you pick up a book try to guess the kind of author who wrote the novel. A useful tip is to look for cliff-hangers at the beginning of the book. Sometimes it’s done to mislead you ( in the murder/ mystery genre for instance), other times to keep you hooked on to the storyline. But the key in most cases is that the author had a game plan in place before hand. A cautionary note, however, this so called telltale sign does not always work. After all good writers are skillful teasers.
The story in The Nomad’s Premonition came to me in a news article about speed traders. I immediately thought that this subject was a perfect fit for my protagonist Eric Martin, a former investment banker caught in a dead end job. As soon as I sat down in front of my computer, Eric kept shouting in my ears “I love it, keep writing”. (What a pain I thought he was at the time, but I’m now glad that he pushed me so hard). The other characters just popped in when the story needed them. I had no idea they existed in my mind or anywhere else for that matter. The plot line emerged out of some unfinished business with my first novel in the Nomad series–Nomad on the Run.
The Nomad’s Premonition took almost two years to write and rewrite, and I did not know from day to day where I was going with it. I just had to trust my characters and my intuition that something good would come out of it. What one might guess, I’d a premonition that I was on to a great story. But above all, I’d so much fun writing this thriller as a ‘Pantser’.
You can purchase the Nomad’s Premonitions and Nomad on the Run at:
Amazon Â
About The Author:
Georges Benay is a former international banker who is now working as a Toronto-based writer and award-winning freelance photographer. He is the author of the Nomad series, including the recently released thriller The Nomad’s Premonition and a collection of short stories. His award winning pictures have been featured in several magazines and book covers.
Author Links:
Websites : www.georgesbenay.com
www.georgesbenayphotoart.fotime.com
Twitter: @NomadG8
