The Big Story In The Little Box

About nine months ago I dreamt up the entire plot of my second novel. It literally came to me in a single day. I started thinking up ideas and then I wrote them down in four pages of notes and the next thing I knew, I had the entire story.

All I had to do was flesh it out a bit.

Nine months later and I'm just now reaching the end of the synopsis. So, a few things happened along the way that did delay the writing. One was the movie. That took up a huge chunk of time. But the other was the realization that this plot was so darned complicated that I had to tread lightly and deftly while writing it or I would end up writing myself into a corner, or worse, make some illogical leap in the story structure that would cause my readers to groan and put the book down.

The good news is that I've actually worked through all the kinks, finally, and am racing again at breakneck speed towards the end. The even better news is that I didn't have to compromise any of the fun or the action of this book in order to weave such a complex plot. This story sizzles along from Howland Island in the Pacific (that's a hint) to the fall of Shanghai, Berlin in the 30's, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and an explosive finale that you will never see coming. There is romance, action, Nazi's, conspiracies, and plenty of swashbuckling to go around.

All this in only 24 chapters and about 280 pages (estimated). As soon as the synopsis is done, I'll start straight away into the first draft of the story. I'm guessing two drafts because it might take me a while to get just the right tone for the characters.

And tonight, we're starting the actual script for film #2 - still tentatively titled, Dane. So, I said that I would take a semester off from film to write and so far, that's exactly what I'm doing.

Writing keeps the realities of the world at bay. When I'm writing I can imagine my life any way I want it to be, and that means no wars, no murders, no crappy TV, and no financial recession. For those of you struggling with the problems of this world, I would suggest sitting back with a good book or a good pen and paper. Either way, you will be transported to a world away from your own for a while, like a mini-vacation. Then you can come back to the real world refreshed and ready to rumble.