Writing in the Fog

Fiction writing, like all creative endeavors, involves a lifelong process of learning and growing. It’s a journey. That’s certainly been true for me. The first completed draft of my debut novel, A Dream of Death, was a shapeless blob that could have been the dictionary definition of what not to do. I had way too much backstory, for one thing. I didn’t begin at the right place. And I was too interested in the words and not enough in the plot structure.

I remember a manuscript critique I had at the Malice Domestic conference with the well-known editor Neil Nyren. “Well, this needs some work,” were his first words. He was being kind. Fortunately, rather than toss that first manuscript in a drawer and begin again, I was stubborn enough to persevere. I was willing to do whatever it took to make my manuscript into a publishable book. I was willing to learn.

A few years later, I read an interview with Ira Glass that summed up my experience. I’ve quoted this before, but it bears repeating:

“All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit…. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work… It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions.” Ira Glass on the Creative Process    

Now, almost eleven years later, I’m writing my sixth full-length mystery, and I find that I’m still learning and growing. Over the last few years, I’ve found myself doing more pantsing and less planning ahead. Now, I do plan. I’m what’s called a “tent pole plotter.” I know in advance the major plot points in my story structure—probably seven or eight of them—but I don’t know how I’ll get from point to point. I allow the route to develop organically as I write, which sometimes means that things change in the process. Major things.

I think of my process in terms of a car trip from the East Coast to the West Coast. I’ll plan in advance where I’m going to stop each night along the way, but I don’t map out the exact route I’ll take between stops—and I always leave room for interesting detours.

Neil Gaiman likens novel writing to driving in the fog with one headlight out:

“You can’t really see where you’re going. You have just enough of the road in front of you to know that you’re probably still on the road, and if you drive slowly and keep your headlamps lowered, you’ll still get where you were going…. And sometimes you come out of the fog into clarity, and you can see just what you’re doing and where you’re going, and you couldn’t see or know any of that five minutes before. And that’s magic.” Neil Gaiman’s Journal Mar 3, 2012

Here’s the point: when the fog returns (and it will), don’t panic. Just write the next thing that has to happen. Keep driving. Don’t assume you have to know everything in advance, even if you write from an outline. For me, being comfortable with not knowing is what makes writing exciting.

Did you pay attention to the words “For me” above?The bottom line is, every writer develops his or her own methods. My tent-pole plotting may not work for you at all. But however you work and wherever you are in your writing journey, I encourage you to keep learning, keep growing, keep reading, and above all, remain willing to change.

What is the most important change you’ve seen in writing in the last ten years? The last year?

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MIss Demeanors

Author Connie Berry

Connie is the USA Today and Amazon Best-Selling author of the Kate Hamilton Mysteries, set in the UK and featuring an American antiques dealer with a gift for solving crimes. Her debut novel, A Dream of Death, won the IPPY Gold Medal for Mystery and was a finalist for the Agatha Award and the Silver Falchion. The fourth in the series, The Shadow of Memory, was a finalist for the Edgar’s 2023 Lilian Jackson Braun award. Her latest, A Collection of Lies, was published in June 2024.

Besides reading and writing mysteries, Connie loves history, foreign travel, cute animals, and all things British. She lives in Ohio and Wisconsin with her husband and adorable Shih Tzu, Emmie.

22 comments

  1. This is great advice Connie. Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about transformative moments, in my lives and my characters, and I try to make sure that my novel is set during the time period of one of those transformative moments.

    1. What an interesting thought, Susan. History has a rich store of those moments to draw upon. I wonder if we always recognize the transformative moments in our own lives, or if it takes a little distance.

  2. That is an interesting comment, Susan. My ‘currently waiting for the right time’ novel, the one I wrote just before the one I’m polishing now is about two transformative moments–NYC in the late 80s, when it was transitioning from a failing, crime-ridden, burnt-out artist paradise to what it is now. There were riots and amazing events and I loved writing about it from inside the head of a person who was also going through a transformation. Maybe once I send my current one out, I’ll go back to that one and find a way into it again. Sometimes the fog is not just inside the story, but it’s outside, meaning it’s unclear if the outside world is receptive to the story you’re trying to tell.

  3. So interesting, Emilya. That books sounds amazing. I spent a summer in NYC while I was in college–on the Lower East Side before it was cool. A transformative summer for me.

  4. Great advice. I had never heard the term “Tent Pole Plotter” before, but that’s exactly what I am. I also find that by writing the back cover blurb when I’m starting out, it helps me more easily leave out superfluous information. Also, Neil Nyman is a lovely person and I really love hearing him when he gives presentations . I believe he will be at Sleuthfest this May, which is one of the reasons I signed up.

    1. Thanks, Dawn. I was wondering about Neil. Haven’t seen him in a while, so it’s good to know he’s still involved. Have fun at Sleuthfest. I love that conference but never get to go because of scheduling.

    2. “Don’t assume you have to know everything, even if you write from an outline,” is such great advice. Halfway through writing my first mystery, I realized that a seemingly innocent character I’d left on the sidelines was the real “villain” of my piece. Those moments when our stories surprise us are the best…despite the rewrites they can require!

  5. Your story is similar to mine Connie. Like you, I refused to put my first manuscript in the drawer. Instead I worked on it off and on for thirteen years doing many rewrites. The basic story never changed but the published version reflected my improved craft and the characters were more layered by the changes in me and the world that occurred during those years.

  6. My goal for 2025 is to rewrite/finish a novel I started 10 years ago or so. I read the manuscript and decided I couldn’t save it. I had a new idea I wanted to pursue, which I was sure I’d finish. But, thanks to Connie’s words on perseverance, I decided to work on it and finish it. I love the characters, and I have a fairly decent plot. So, I’m going to drive in the fog with one headlight and see where I end up!

    1. Shari, I’m rooting for you. Let us know how you progress. The most important thing to do is figure out (usually with the help of others) what isn’t right. Then make it right. Good luck!

  7. A great post, Connie. I’ve become more of a pantser, too. Right now I’m mentally plotting my next mystery. I’m not sure of the main plot points yet, but after writing 25 novels, I’ve learned to trust the process to come up with a story line that works.

  8. Wow, Connie’s words were exactly what I needed at this moment in my writing. Excellent. Excellent. It touches on that secret trust that’s there when we keep trying. My, oh my, I needed to remember that trust and to keep going on the road I’m actually on instead of trying the impossible – being on a different road that I wish I were on. Thank you. My sleeves are rolled up all the more (  ;
    Pam

  9. Connie, I love the description of yourself as a tentpole pole plotter, which sounds a lot better than the plantser term I’ve seen elsewhere. It’s how I’ve always approached writing, not because I want to [I’m eternally jealous of plotters] but it’s what works for me. And it obviously works really well for you!

    1. I’m jealous of plotters, too, and plan (ha, ha) to do more plotting on my Inspector Blackstone short story, which I will write as soon as I get this book in! We’ll see how that turns out.

  10. Connie, so many good thoughts here and I love the Gaiman fog lines —those moments are magical aren’t they? They’re probably why I keep plugging away or writing!

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