How do Writers Write?

I finished reading another Harry Bosch novel by Michael Connelly. I think it was number 7, A Darkness More Than Night.  I’ve never read one I didn’t like. You’d think detective novels with a lonely booze loving cop would get old. They don’t. How many stories about former Rangers (or Seals) that track and kill bad guys do we really need? Who doesn’t love tough guys? As long as the stories are compelling we’ll keep reading them. It doesn’t matter if something has been done a thousand times. If you keep making it great, we’ll keep buying it.

 Partly the stories entertain because there is a mystery at the heart of it all. Not just murders but character stuff, will he win her over? Is the secret investor her dad? Does the family know the dog is still alive? And like Dune (which I just finally read) will the prince fulfill his destiny? It’s a puzzle to figure solve piece by piece. I like knowing how the writer puts the information together. I don’t mean I want to find an interview where he talks about his writing process. Those interviews never sound quite right and the answers are all hindsight so it sounds way more polished when we hear it.

 I want to look over his shoulder as he puts the thing together and takes out extra information. I want to watch what happens as he fills in the plot holes that didn’t work well on the first draft. I’m curious how he lays out the plot. Does he know the murder from the start and the one who did the deed? My dad used to draw these mazes for us to solve. They were simple sketches that only took a few minutes for him to complete. He always drew the direct path first though, that’s how you have to do it. Once you have a completed path to the end you need only fill in false lanes and double backs to trick the kids. That’s how I assume authors handle mysteries, not only murder stuff but big reveals and climax endings. They start with a simple story of a guy who murders his wife’s lover and then fill in the details to spin a yarn for the reader. Maybe put in some false flags to draw out other characters. This is where the fun is right…in trying to hide motives and play the guessing game?

I know that isn’t always how it happens though. I’ve heard writers (Stephen King comes to mind) say that they don’t always know what happens in the end. They start with an idea for a scene or a character and write from there. That kind of surprises me. Novels don’t have to be done any particular way of course but it seems like it's creating extra work with no obvious resolution in mind. That’s why I opt for the over the shoulder view while they work their magic. Is that creepy? To sit there and stare as they clack away on the keyboard and curse at the blank screen waiting for ideas to pop? That’s what I do on even silly little writing projects.

I said once before that I loved to read fiction and I liked to write non-fiction. I think that might be because fiction is completely daunting to me and feels like a lot of work. All of that plotting and arranging dead ends can end up confusing the writer too. It’s probably not a lot different but impressions are what they are and until you do it yourself that’s all it will ever be, an impression. Until I get up the nerve to write a book I’ll have to just keep reading them.