Every time I step into an Uber, the drivers invariably ask me what I do. When I say I am a writer, an excited look will come into their eyes, flicking back and forth from the mirror to the road, as if I am a magical creature they have snared. Next, in a somewhat hushed voice, they will confess that they, too, have a great idea for a book. Generally this idea is the most amazing and unique idea in the history of ideas but they really can’t talk about it much because, you know, they don’t want me to steal it, no offense.

None taken.

I am sure this happens to writers on a daily basis. And what is the most head-scratching part is the notion that the idea is the hard part, and the whole writing it into a book is the easy part. But those of us on the other side know that the idea is the simple part. The thing that makes an idea special is called execution.

Here’s an idea that in itself sounds silly: make a Broadway musical about cats. Who would predict it would become one of the longest running shows ever and earn seven Tony awards. Now, take the same musical and turn it into a movie filled with A-list stars and watch it earn six Razzie awards.

Execution is everything.

So how do authors execute ideas into best-selling novels? In place of execution, we use the word “craft.” There are entire novels written just about the art of craft. It seems like there should be a simple playbook to follow, a set of rules that, once made clear, would guarantee success but unfortunately that’s not how it works. As Somerset Maugham once said, “There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”

So what is this EPHEMERAL INVISIBLE THING we call craft?

Craft is the ability to create a novel that quite simply the reader is unable to put down, whose life is forever changed or touched by it, or is simply swept away by the words on the page. Craft is invisible, seamless, the thing which is not there. It works in the background, helping the writer elevate their story to that plane of effortless reading. Craft is the discipline that comes after the first draft is finished and the author wakes up to the sobering reality that the hard work of editing is about to begin.

On First Sentences

Craft begins with the first sentence. Undoubtedly, an author will spend more time on the first sentence than any other sentence in the book. It must set the tone for the entire novel in a few short words. It must capture the readers interest so that they continue reading past the end of the sentence. Some authors will rewrite their first sentence hundreds of times. It’s like trying to craft the perfect pickup line-you want the person you’re crushing on to be immediately captivated by you. Probably the most famous of all is from Melville’s Moby Dick:

Call me Ishmael.

How is it these three little words can carry so much power? He could have said, “My name is Ishmael,” or “They call me Ishmael.” Why these words? I think the most powerful reason is that it immediately establishes a first-person relationship with the reader. It’s an invitation to be closer. Like a hand has been extended in greeting. Here’s another favorite of mine from Tolkien’s The Hobbit:

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.

These words came to Tolkien while marking school certificate papers in his role as Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford in the early 1930s. He was hit by sudden inspiration and wrote them down on a blank sheet of paper. The first thing I think is: what on earth is a hobbit and why does it live in a hole in the ground! By 1932 when the story was finished, Middle Earth was introduced to the public to such acclaim, a sequel was requested which became the famed Lord of the Rings trilogy. Now here’s one from my book Kalifus Rising:

The red sun hung on the horizon like a blister.

I love the visual picture painted by this! Blisters are painful, swollen, red. It immediately evokes a sense of pain and foreboding in the world we are entering.

On Creating Memorable Characters

There are some literary characters we can never forget. Harry Potter. Katniss Everdeen. Atticus Finch. What makes these characters so memorable is the fact that the reader is able  to connect with them on a deep level. In spite of the fact the characters appear to be entirely different than the typical reader, in reality we share a common bond.

Take Harry Potter. On the surface he is completely different than the average kid. He has a magic wand, goes to wizarding school, and he’s got this powerful enemy out to kill him. Nothing like us, right? But the truth is, Harry is every  kid I meet. He endures what every kid endures. Bullying, trouble with teachers, making and keeping friends, learning to believe in himself. He’s vulnerable, abandoned, and we immediately feel sorry for his situation and root for him.

Katniss is another surprisingly relatable character, in spite of her prowess with a bow. In a past interview, Suzanne Collins talked about writing The Hunger Games and creating a main character that was relatable to her reader. With a young adult audience in mind, she wanted her readers, teens struggling with fitting in and acceptance, to instantly connect with her main character. To do this, on the very first page of The Hunger Games, Katniss is introduced to us as a hard-working girl who hunts for her family and takes care of them after her father dies. Quite heroic. But she absolutely, completely, and totally hates her sister’s cat Buttercup. So on page one, Collins allows us to peek inside the mind of Katniss as she wakes up and sees the cat watching her.

He hates me. Or at least distrusts me. Even though it was years ago, I think he still remembers how I tried to drown him in a bucket when Prim brought him home.

Yikes! Our beloved heroine tried to drown the family cat in front of her little sister. I don’t know about you, but my heroes don’t go around drowning cats. Collins purposely did this so that her readers would connect with her character from the start, to realize she’s entirely human in spite of her heroic deeds. The ability to know your audience and what it is they want to see in a character, what they want to feel when they read about that character on the page, is an essential part of crafting a memorable story that will leave an indelible mark.

On Creating Conflict

“Houston, we have a problem.”

Who can forget these words (paraphrased here) spoken by astronaut Jack Swigert from the Apollo 13 mission. They capture in a nutshell the heart of what it takes to craft a great story. Conflict drives the characters into action. No conflict, no action, no story. Would we remember the crew of Apollo 13 if they hadn’t had to heroically restore their spacecraft  to working order or die? Maybe as a footnote in history but not with any great detail. It’s somewhat surprising to realize that books are nothing more than a container that holds a story about a character that has a problem and has to solve it. Character. Problem. Solution. The bigger the problem, the better the story. You can have compelling characters but if they aren’t given a problem to solve, the reader will quickly fall into a coma.

Crafting conflict that is relevant to the story and drives the main character into action and captures the interest of your reader is the most important task the writer undertakes. It is the backbone of the story, the frame that holds it upright, and the reason for the story to exist.

On Less is More

Writing is like trying to escape quicksand. The harder you try the faster you sink. It feels effortless when the author’s mind is left to speak freely. As you’re drafting that manuscript, use the power of less. There’s no need to overdescribe your characters or scenery. Choose your words carefully and let the reader use their imagination. Cut out unnecessary words. Strip your sentences down to bare bones. Search for that signature line that will make the reader’s hair on the back of their neck stand up. Avoid using an adjective to describe dialogue. “Let the dialogue speak for itself!” she said angrily. Sprinkle the flowery stuff in here and there and it will be a welcome relief, a treat for the reader, instead of a gluttony of words written to fatten your manuscript. If you are sparing in your descriptions, your character’s actions will be the muscle that drives your story.