[stylist] Developing Large Projects

[Justin Oldham]

Based on Brad's earlier question, I though I would share my thoughts on 
large story development.

My works vary in size from 60,000 to 190,000 words.  In regard to the 
largest of these, I couldn't have done it without the use of an outline and 
an editor who was brutal in their critique.

Stories are often "big" for three reasons.  1)  Big ideas.  2)  Cast of 
characters.  3)  Passage of time.

My largest novel, "The Fisk Conspiracy," is 190,000 words.  Every fiber of 
my being screamed in protest when it became clear just how b-b-big the 
damned thing was going to be.

Big story writers take a lot of flak.  I think some critics enjoy saying, 
"It's too big!"

The big idea that inspires a writer might be deeply complex, or it might 
just be one of those things that would take a very long time for the 
characters to do.  In a few cases, it'll be both.

The cast of characters in any project can get you in trouble.  Some are more 
interesting to the writer than others.  It's not unusual for authors 
develope such strong likes and dislikes for characters that those emotion 
cloud their judgement and affect their pace of writing.

This is where the outline becomes worth its weight in gold.  Everyone who 
appears in a story should have a purpose.  Editors are much better at 
identifying superfluous characters than the writer is.

I know this one from experience.  Everything I have published so far has 
"lost" at least one character.

It's been said that The Devil is in the details.  That's more true than most 
of us know.  Books can grow in size simply because the writer chooses to be 
lavish with details.  Family history, animal pedigree, wine vitage, and 
legal process are among the most common over embellishments.

I am best known for political fiction.  I can tell you first hand that 
nothing grows a manuscript more than trying to explain rules, regs, and 
laws, in the middle of what should be a fast paced romp.  These details can 
be a real buzz-kill if they crop up in the wrong part of the story.  Some 
times, they need to be redacted entirely.

There is one further limiting factor that writers need to be aware of. 
Books cost money to print.  Consumers don't like to shell out a lot for 
books, which means they'll shy away from the big stuff.  This is why 
publishers won't accept most of them that are submitted.

The big story is something you believe in, or you don't.  It's a committment 
that can't be met without a long hard fight.  Even after you've written the 
thing, it'll still need defending from the critics who don't like it just 
because its big.

Thanks for your time.  I hope this was helpful.