At the beginning of each book, I’m always sure I have a very clear plan for what’s going to happen in my story. After all, I always write up a 14 - 15 page synopsis for my editor. I don’t know if she wants them that long, but that just seems to be my normal synopsis length.
But once I start writing, the story inevitably takes on a life of its own. Sometimes I write a few chapters and read back over them and think, “Where in the heck did that come from? That’s not at all what I was thinking!” But suddenly, THAT becomes the story, and I can’t imagine it unfolding any other way.
There is a lot of creativity lurking in the subconscious, and I think if we let loose and let it come out in whatever art or form of expression we pursue, we can expect some great surprises.
As for description — I love writing description. If you read my books, you can probably tell that right from the get go. Description can add dimension and mood like nothing else. I also imagine my stories cinematically, as a movie unfolding in my mind.
But unlike movies, it’s interesting to realize that if ten people read a single book, there will be ten very different mental interpretations of what they “see” as they read. Authors paint a certain picture with words, but in many ways it is the reader’s imagination that completes the process.
I see that SHUTTER ISLAND comes out this month. The movie is based on Dennis Lehane’s novel of the same name. I really enjoyed the novel. I’m interested to see if the screen version matches up to the story I “saw” in my mind.
What new books or movies are you just dying to get your eyeballs on?
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I’m one of those grumpy people who complain that the movie is never as good as the book. The last “movie of a book” I saw was The Time Traveler’s Wife - liked the book so much more! Then again, I thought they did a good job with Angels & Demons, although the book was still better. Oh well, like I said, I get grumpy.
by Allison Chase February 6th, 2010 at 5:38 pmIs it any surprise that I want to see the Wolfman?
by Sharon Ashwood February 6th, 2010 at 5:42 pmMy young nephew was a fan of some middle grade books that were made into a movie. He was psyched. And then he SAW the movie and told my sister, But it wasn’t as good as the books.
Ah, so young and so wise.
Peter Jackson’s LotR was one of the few adaptations that totally worked for me. However, I’m thinking Tim Burton’s Alice is going to trip so hard it won’t matter if it’s faithful
by Jessa Slade February 7th, 2010 at 11:50 pm