Why Some Novels Are So Easy To Read

The photo above was taken at my desk where I am working on my latest novel.

I once heard a writing coach say that the easiest novels to read are often the ones that authors worked the hardest on.

My novels take a long time to produce because I spend so much effort fine-tuning the little things that the reader will never notice. Every author has a million choices to make as the story progresses, and those choices make the difference between a dull story and a book that you can’t stop reading.

I often spend hours on word choices to set the mood or convey an emotion. And then there’s the plot to consider: where is the story going, is it moving along fast enough, does it hold the reader’s interest?

I’ll tell you a little secret about my writing style. When I start a new chapter, I usually have no idea what I will write about in that scene. I start typing, and ideas come to me. Eventually—after discarding many passages in the process—I have a completed chapter, which I’ll then rewrite and edit many times before the book is published.

What a lot of fuss, you might say. And how disorganized a process, John.

You might be correct, but this works for me. What you receive in my books contains personal mysteries, a distinctive humaneness. And for me, the method makes it a joy to write as I discover new twists and turns.

I am often overrun with a passion to improve each word and make the final story the best possible. I feel a love for what the novel could become—what it should become.

That, my friends, is the life of a creative person, even on those many days when inspiration fails me. Somehow, I eventually find it.

Thank you for staying with me.

Until the next time,

John