For New Writers ...

A lot of people out there feel they have a great novel within them that is just begging to be put on paper if they could only find the time and skill to do so.  Having completed my first novel, I wanted to write down some impressions that might help other would-be novelists get on the right track to complete their first book. 

I basically got the idea for "The City and County: A Novel of San Francisco Newsmakers" from my six years reporting for newspapers in and around San Francisco from 1990 to 1996, including four years at The Independent, a thrice-weekly newspaper that covers San Francisco.

During the time I spent covering San Francisco politics, city government and other issues, I was amazed at the kind of power the newspapers had both through endorsements and the way they could manipulate a story. While most of the papers did not go to the criminal lengths that those in my book do, the fact that they have such power needs to be considered by anyone who reads a paper or votes. I also saw how far some politicians and political consultants would go simply to win, regardless of what was best for the city.

I did not outline the book, although I likely will for my next one. I simply had a general idea and began writing by setting a scene and following it. It took a lot of stops and starts, but I basically followed it along. I actually had the ending figured out about halfway through, but still had to get my characters there, which took some time.

My writing routine was very structured. I would write three nights per week - Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with a rule of at least three pages per night. I then set a goal of 10 pages over the weekend, but that could change if the ideas needed to develop.

I believe having a structured routine that works is beneficial, but not if you feel forced to create. If that is the case, then you start writing for the sake of meeting your goal and end up with lousy material.

It was not hard to stick to the routine if I had a good flow and idea to follow. If I did not, I would not write until the ideas came, which only happened three or four times.

The editing for content was minimal. The book as it appears now is very similar to the first draft. The major editing was on typos and grammar.

My suggestion for beginning novelists, which I still consider myself to be, is to keep trying. I actually started another novel and got about 30 pages done some 10 years ago. There are no limits to novels because they are fiction. You can make up whatever you want. "Shoeless Joe," which is the novel that "Field of Dreams" was based on, is one of my favorite novels because it suspends disbelief. It takes a farmer and puts him together with J.D. Salinger and the deceased Shoeless Joe Jackson of the 1919 Chicago "Black" Sox. The writer allows himself to go into a fantasy and create.

Writers need to never give up and never feel limited. If you write from the heart about an idea you feel strongly about - and not with a worry about what will sell or be published - you have already conquered the biggest obstacle.

If you're a beginning writer who has any questions on journalism or the writing process, please contact me.  I'll post your questions along with my response in this spot in the future.  Thanks!