The 'How do you write?' Brigade

My Victor Constant Investigations series about France's mounted gendarmes is published and marketed by Sapere Books UK and available on Amazon. Nonetheless, since June this year I've had at least three offers a day from publicists who have used AI to 'come across' my books and then send me a fulsome, overlength, obtuse email pretending they can publicise my work. I ignore them all of course but this morning I suddenly replied--my eternal interest in new writers prevailed and I was tempted to believe the inquiry was genuine. Less than an hour later it's just occurred to me it might be fun to share the exchange with you, dear reader. I used to give workshops with another historical author, and my first website included a service, Free Literary Mentor, dedicated to new writing and including insights from my publishing career--so my off-the-cuff reply is in a positive vein.

The mercifully short email from D____ G_____

Hello, i came across your work recently, and something about your writing stayed with me. I especially admire the way you trust your readers, allowing certain moments to breathe without explaining everything. I think that takes real confidence as a writer.

I’m a novelist currently completing a manuscript myself, and it’s something I’ve been thinking about lately.

I’d love to ask you something: when you leave something unsaid in a story, is it usually a conscious decision while writing, or do you discover during revision that a little less can say much more?

I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts.

Warmly,

D____ G______

My reply, straight from the horse's mouth

Hello D____,

I get so much spam from would-be marketers that I at first thought you might be one of them (ie someone saying a lot less than they do but still up to the old trick) but since you claim to be a writer and I'd like to be of help, here is my answer: I write historical novels that require a heap of research and if possible my presence on the spot in the settings I choose so yes, I absolutely have to leave almost all of this out of the novels, otherwise it would overload the story.

The reader doesn't need to know why I chose the scene they happen to be reading, they just need to believe in the place, the people and what's going on. On my part, as I write, it means careful selection of detail, a close connection with the characters' situation, feelings and reactions, and a sense of movement--what's going to happen next to these people, how are they shaping their own future, consciously or unconsciously?

Ok, so I do use the technique of 'saying less' in each scene, but you obviously have to use a different approach to dialogue. You could write a whole literary novel without a word of dialogue if you wanted, conveying action, character and the deepest thoughts and emotions through compelling narrative--but I write popular fiction, where writers and readers tend to shy away from great chunks of prose, and dialogue is a handy and revealing tool that keeps the reader turning the page. I also actively enjoy writing dialogue--I spend a certain amount of time each day walking along a nearby beach and writing the next bit of the novel in my head, and I find the most lively dialogue comes from these sessions: I give the characters a chance to express themselves, hear what they have to say and then sift through it to preserve the core of what they mean. So briefly, I wouldn't concentrate on having the characters say less, rather listen carefully so they reveal themselves through what they say--whether they realise this or not.

All that said, I'm still talking about what I do, not what you will choose to do. You may want to write a kind of rolling, poetic novel that has no 'scenes' as such and no dialogue--an outpouring of thoughts and emotions that you're sure no one has produced before and that the world needs to read. I honestly don't think that what one writer does can form an adequate guide for what another might be aiming for. I could easily have said much less above and still not been of the slightest help.

You're the first person amongst the onslaught of 'helpers' to whom I've replied. The rest just go into Spam. I have a publisher and that publisher does the marketing and publicity.

Please don't feel you need to reply; I'm super busy writing the fifth novel in the Victor Constant Investigations series. If you want to see how the novels use the techniques I mention above, why not actually read the latest, Death in Champagne?

All the very best with your writing, Cheryl Sawyer