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Getting a Ph.D in Writing by Reading

As you might have noticed from reading some of my posts, I am the queen of procrastination. It's okay. I admit it. I can allow myself a few flaws and work on fixing them.

The latest manifestation of this affliction is my lack of writing. I have a legal thriller to re-work for better characterization and a political suspense novel I need to edit so I can send it out to agents and editors. Instead of working on my writing, however, I've been spending my time re-reading the novels of one of my favorite novelists – J.D. Robb a/k/a Nora Roberts.

Although I already have a hard copy of most of her books, I bought J.D. Robb's entire “In Death” series on Kindle to read on my I-Pad and I'm re-reading the entire series in order. The “In Death” series is comprised of futuristic police procedural/romantic suspense novels involving a tough New York City homicide detective, her billionaire former criminal husband, and all the friends and family they accumulate along the way while they work together to solve murder cases. It's set in NYC in 2058-2060. Each book is a fascinating journey in relationships, the human condition, human nature, police procedure, love and overcoming adversity. Apparently, I'd much rather live in the futuristic world of Eve Dallas (the heroine) than to face the work I need to do to edit my novels and get them out the door.

Although I began re-reading the series in an effort to escape, I'm actually not wasting my time. Having read the series before, my writer's mind is now picking up things I never noticed previously. I now see how the author always starts out with a great and intriguing sentence at the beginning of each book to draw the reader in. I see how the book is written mostly from the perspective and in the voice of Eve Dallas – her main character. I see how, in each chapter, she draws you in at the beginning and leaves you dangling for more at the end. I even see how the characters' stories continue from book to book providing continuity in the series even though each book contains a new murder mystery that must be solved.

I see how she makes her characters three-dimensional. When I put the book down and ask myself what we (the readers) know about the heroine, I realize that it's a lot. We know what she looks like, how she dresses, her complete lack of vanity, what horrors and tragedies shaped her into the cop and the person she is today and her outlook on life, why she wanted to be a cop in the first place, why she feels the way she does about children in general and having children specifically. We know that, left to her own devices, she has the eating habits of a child (favoring candy, pizza, spaghetti, soda, etc. and an intense dislike for vegetables) and that she is prone to working herself into utter exhaustion to solve a case. We know what her moral code is and why sexual homicides hit her harder than others. In other words, we get a three dimensional view of the character from the inside out. And the author not only provides a 360 view of the heroine, but also the hero, the villian and several of the supporting characters as well. I realize that it's the characters I want to see and watch and live with when I read these books. I also note the tricks and methods the author uses to provide us with this information without affecting the pace of the story.

I've read several books on characterization and taken a few seminars on how to make books page turners that will keep readers up at night, but it is truly an education to see for myself how one fantastic author puts these principles to work in her books. It's almost inspiring me to put the books down and apply these principles to my books. Almost. Maybe when I finish the book I'm reading now. 🙂

So, are you having a problem making your characters three-dimensional or in making your book a page turner? Or maybe you need some help with dialogue or to learn a few tricks to keep the pacing of your novel rocking along. Try reading some novels in your genre and see how the pros pull it off. It's a fun way to see how they apply all of those principles we learn at seminars, in books or in class. Enjoy.

Peace.