I am just approaching the 20,000 word mark. Some writers insist that the word count is unimportant but I do not agree. I like having both a target and a measure as to how I am progressing. 70,000 is the approximate minimum figure for a novel these days. I usually exceed this by several thousand. I do not have a fixed total in my mind and I did not for any of my previous books.  It is useful when writing a thriller, however, to have an end total to aim at. Pacing a book can be difficult over an undefined length.

At the moment I am really just developing ideas from the first draft, but that is a process that also creates opportunities to pursue new ideas. I mentioned in my last post about a new character I have called Artemisia Montessori. She is an Italian military intelligence agent and an assassin. She has become quite important to the book, at least in the early stages. I have realised that she can fill in for the main character when he disappears from the pages. I am beginning to form an understanding of her motivation, which is not based on a loyalty to her country. Her agenda is driving a part of the plot. I am not completely sure what that agenda is yet, but it offers me some fun in discovering it as I write.

Agatha Christie, it is said, used to create her plots backwards. That is, she would start with the murder and place the clues along the line of the plot all the way to the beginning. It is an interesting approach. I have tried it but found it far too deterministic. Having read her books I also realised that there is never any doubt that the detective will unveil the murderer. The best that can be done is to muddy the water and throw in a few red herrings.

For Mephistopheles, the book’s working title by the way, I wanted something that is much more shrouded in mystery. I do not want all the clues to link up in a logical fashion. Some of the relationships between them are tenuous but not impractical, and some are actually coincidental. I have read a few accounts of actual police investigations and it is surprising how coincidence, or even just luck, can play an important part. Again, to keep things believable this cannot be over done. Mephistopheles is not a murder mystery; it is a mysterious thriller in which some murders occur. Quite a few actually!

One of the themes I am examining is that people are rarely black and white. Most are varying shades of grey. Artemisia appears to be a rather effective government agent and, therefore, surely one of the good guys? She sets out to stop a man who gets dressed up as a devil, builds a mountain fortress, and threatens word peace, pretty much like James Bond to be honest. There is some reflection after the event however, other characters making their observations on what happens, that puts her and those like her in a different light. Perhaps she slides too readily into the darker shades of grey? And what about Mephistopheles himself? Clearly, he appears to be some kind of megalomaniac who wants to take over the world and does not mind killing anyone who gets in his way, right? Well, his motives are part of the mystery and maybe he is just not as bad as I initially paint him? The discovery of his true intentions is one of the threads that the main characters have to follow.

What would Zorro do?

Well, not just the masked Mexican freedom fighter but any hero really! I am following a loose plot. I know where it began and I know where it ends, the interesting bit is putting all the twists, kinks, and knot into it. I never consider my writing absolute. I always have a Word document with the title ‘Extracted text’ open when I am writing my manuscript. I do not throw away anything that I write. Occasionally, I find that I write something but it is too early in the book so I cut and paste it to my ‘Extracted text’ document and leave it there until later. I have done this with whole chapters and also with just lines of dialogue. I do not know if other writers do this but I have found it very useful. I have been guilty of thinking up things and then convincing myself that I will remember it later, but of course I never do.

I have written a few scenes that worked very well but I became aware that they were either revealing too much information too soon or just not in keeping with the point I was then at in the book. Cut and pasted. This is a useful exercise not just for the sake of saving good material for later use; it keeps me thinking about the plot development. I have realised more than once that a particular nugget has been unearthed but that for the sake of the story it would be more interesting to the reader if they discover it at a more opportune moment. Also, as I write I discover that certain events, whether motivated by one or more characters or whether a device to move the plot along, need a bridge, for the want of a better term. The story may have moved to another geographical location so I have to ask the questions: why? How? When? There may well be a couple more that can be put in there as well. In answering those questions I also consider if this an opportunity to deepen the mystery or reveal a little truth or introduce a new character or kill one off?

Although I am writing what is the second draft this is not the actual book itself. I have not yet developed a chapter structure as that will come in as part of the editing process. I find it difficult to write a book beginning with ‘Chapter One’. I am really not sure what is going into chapter one to begin with. I certainly have no idea as yet to even how many chapters there might be. This kind of consideration is not important to me at this point. Getting the ideas down and developing them is the main goal. Once I have that then I can start putting the story into some kind of structure that allows me to control its pace. When the pace is clear to me then I can start editing various sections to ensure that they flow properly and do not slow it down. I can sometimes get carried away with the dialogue and although it is important, especially as I have decided to cut down on the descriptive text, it can also be concise as well as creative. It really is all about striking a balance.