If it ain't broke

I recently had the pleasure of being part of the faculty at the Book Passage Mystery Writers Conference, an incredible event for anyone serious about writing crime fiction. It was like being a kid in a candy store. This year’s faculty included Michael Connelly, David Hewson, Jacqueline Winspear, Eddie Muller, Tony Broadbent, David Corbett, Kirk Russell, Cornelia Read and a host of other writers so good at what they do that everyone in attendance – including the other writers – felt like a student whenever someone started talking.

But what struck me the most was how everyone does it differently. About half the writers outlined before they put pen to paper. Others said they wanted to feel as surprised by the plot twists as their readers and therefore had no use for outlines. In effect, they wrote by telling themselves a story. A handful stopped writing about a third of the way through their first draft and then outlined to figure out where they were and where they might be headed.

Most, but not all, knew the ending in advance, but everyone agreed endings can change. One writer actually starts with the title and then creates the premise for the book from that combination of words.

The conference covered a broad range of topics including character development, plotting, and so on, but the biggest lesson of all was that there isn’t only one way to do this. You could almost hear a collective sigh as writers discussed their differences. (Writers are inherently neurotic and tend to second-guess themselves, even after they’ve become successful.)

If something isn’t working, feel free to try something new, because odds are someone else does it that way, too. But if the way you write brings your voice to life, stick with it and don’t worry if other writers do it differently. If it ain’t broke, stop looking over your shoulder and just tell the story that’s inside you.