How I write - Crime author Pauline Rowson explains the writing process
So, I have the idea. I do some research. I work it up into an
outline plot with a smattering of characters and then I start writing.
This is when it gets messy.
1. The brain dump or free flow
First up is the free flow type of writing when I'm eager to bring the idea and characters to life by getting words and actions on to my computer as quickly as possible. Often these are not the correct words, the description is hazy, the characters not fully formed, the grammar and punctuation incorrect but there is something there that can be shaped later. This is what I refer to as the brain dump phase when I wish I could simply download words on to the computer without having to type them. The aim of this phase of writing, the first draft, is to get something written as quickly as possible.
2. The mixing and shaping
Second is the mixing or shaping phase when I go back through the novel (which might not yet be complete) and I move chapters or sections around because I realise they're not in the correct place. I might also ditch some chapters and characters or build minor characters up more, who, as the novel has progressed, have started to become more than just a walk-on part. I might even create new characters, or a sub plot might take on new meaning and significance adding colour and interest. Sometimes this second phase overlaps with the first. It's messy but gradually the novel begins to take better shape.
3. Next come the revisions
Once I'm happy with the first and second phase it's then time for revisions. Now I need to trawl through the novel to make sure that all the characters are fully formed and the clues are firmly planted and sometimes cleverly disguised; that all the unanswered questions are answered, the red herrings are in place, the setting and research are correct and it all hangs together.
After that it's final revision time, which involves checking every line of the novel to ensure that I've used the most appropriate words and phrases at the appropriate time and have not over used certain words. The computer 'find' function can be very helpful here.
And how long does this take? It takes me about six to seven months to write a novel.
I'm currently working on a new crime series which will be a trilogy, while also continuing to write the twelfth in the DI Andy Horton police procedural series.
The eleventh DI Andy Horton crime novel, Shroud of Evil, is published in the UK April 2014.
Detective Inspector Horton of Portsmouth CID is assigned the case of a missing person: Jasper Kenton, a private investigator. The formidable Eunice Swallows, Kenton’s business partner, seems unwilling to give Horton any useful information, and Horton – irritated at being assigned such a low-ranking investigation – suspects the disappearance has a mundane explanation. Either Kenton is with a woman, or he’s stolen from a client and absconded with the money.
But when Kenton’s car turns up, and a shocking discovery is made, things turn serious. Immediately, Horton finds himself embroiled in an investigation that has major personal ramifications, and one in which he has no choice but to withhold vital information. As he struggles to crack the case, he knows it is only a question of time before someone discovers he’s kept silent, and when that’s revealed, his part in hindering a major investigation will end his career . . .
Buy Shroud of Evil
Buy Pauline Rowson's Books on Amazon
1. The brain dump or free flow
First up is the free flow type of writing when I'm eager to bring the idea and characters to life by getting words and actions on to my computer as quickly as possible. Often these are not the correct words, the description is hazy, the characters not fully formed, the grammar and punctuation incorrect but there is something there that can be shaped later. This is what I refer to as the brain dump phase when I wish I could simply download words on to the computer without having to type them. The aim of this phase of writing, the first draft, is to get something written as quickly as possible.
2. The mixing and shaping
Second is the mixing or shaping phase when I go back through the novel (which might not yet be complete) and I move chapters or sections around because I realise they're not in the correct place. I might also ditch some chapters and characters or build minor characters up more, who, as the novel has progressed, have started to become more than just a walk-on part. I might even create new characters, or a sub plot might take on new meaning and significance adding colour and interest. Sometimes this second phase overlaps with the first. It's messy but gradually the novel begins to take better shape.
3. Next come the revisions
Once I'm happy with the first and second phase it's then time for revisions. Now I need to trawl through the novel to make sure that all the characters are fully formed and the clues are firmly planted and sometimes cleverly disguised; that all the unanswered questions are answered, the red herrings are in place, the setting and research are correct and it all hangs together.
After that it's final revision time, which involves checking every line of the novel to ensure that I've used the most appropriate words and phrases at the appropriate time and have not over used certain words. The computer 'find' function can be very helpful here.
And how long does this take? It takes me about six to seven months to write a novel.
I'm currently working on a new crime series which will be a trilogy, while also continuing to write the twelfth in the DI Andy Horton police procedural series.
The eleventh DI Andy Horton crime novel, Shroud of Evil, is published in the UK April 2014.
Detective Inspector Horton of Portsmouth CID is assigned the case of a missing person: Jasper Kenton, a private investigator. The formidable Eunice Swallows, Kenton’s business partner, seems unwilling to give Horton any useful information, and Horton – irritated at being assigned such a low-ranking investigation – suspects the disappearance has a mundane explanation. Either Kenton is with a woman, or he’s stolen from a client and absconded with the money.
But when Kenton’s car turns up, and a shocking discovery is made, things turn serious. Immediately, Horton finds himself embroiled in an investigation that has major personal ramifications, and one in which he has no choice but to withhold vital information. As he struggles to crack the case, he knows it is only a question of time before someone discovers he’s kept silent, and when that’s revealed, his part in hindering a major investigation will end his career . . .
Buy Shroud of Evil
Buy Pauline Rowson's Books on Amazon
Buy from your local bookshop
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