Marylee’s answer to “Do you have any tips for people who want to write a book? I'm currently trying to come up with some…” > Likes and Comments
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I both write by the seat of my pants and plan out somewhat of a plot. It depends if I'm doing a historical novel, if I'm having inspiring dreams or not, and if I'm stuck or not.
That's a great answer, Hayley. I once heard writer Russell Banks talk about "the long throw" vs. "the short throw." The baseball analogy is a good one to describe how it's helpful to have an idea of where a story is going. After all, if we're not throwing toward the plate, then the ball's going to end up in the bleachers. I'm working on historical fiction right now, and I got involved in my current project--THE VERMILLION SEA--while writing another novel about the founding of the missions of California. I found out that there was this young artist, Noel--a Frenchman--who'd been brought along as an illustrator for a Transit of Venus observation in Cabo San Jose. This was 1769 and there was NOTHING in Baja, apart from a Spanish mission. His drawings so moved me that I became obsessed with trying to find out more about him, and as I dug deeper, I realized that was the book I wanted to write. Obsession is a big help when you're writing a novel. At least, for me, it's a sign that I'll be able to hang in there for the long throw.
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Hayley
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Jan 21, 2016 03:55PM
I both write by the seat of my pants and plan out somewhat of a plot. It depends if I'm doing a historical novel, if I'm having inspiring dreams or not, and if I'm stuck or not.
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That's a great answer, Hayley. I once heard writer Russell Banks talk about "the long throw" vs. "the short throw." The baseball analogy is a good one to describe how it's helpful to have an idea of where a story is going. After all, if we're not throwing toward the plate, then the ball's going to end up in the bleachers. I'm working on historical fiction right now, and I got involved in my current project--THE VERMILLION SEA--while writing another novel about the founding of the missions of California. I found out that there was this young artist, Noel--a Frenchman--who'd been brought along as an illustrator for a Transit of Venus observation in Cabo San Jose. This was 1769 and there was NOTHING in Baja, apart from a Spanish mission. His drawings so moved me that I became obsessed with trying to find out more about him, and as I dug deeper, I realized that was the book I wanted to write. Obsession is a big help when you're writing a novel. At least, for me, it's a sign that I'll be able to hang in there for the long throw.
