Can you describe your process for writing a novel?
After I decide on a story, the process is relatively straightforward. I write 2,000 words a day, 3 to 4 days per week, usually between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Sometimes, writing might take three hours, sometimes seven or eight hours. At this pace, I finish a novel in 4 to 5 months and the editing process is usually straightforward. It might take an additional 2 months to edit a novel, but for the vast majority of that time, my agent, editor, or copy editor is doing the markup. Then I weigh in on the editing process by revising the manuscript in accordance with their notes which usually involves a few days of work.
As you go through the writing portion of your process, do you veer from your original idea at all? If so, by how much? Can you give an example of when you did this?
Because I have only the general outline of the story (everything I know about it could be summed up in a couple of pages) the characters often develop traits that I hadn't expected (one might love to cook, for example). For the most part, however, the main plot remains intact. The only exception to this was the ending of A Walk to Remember. I had written the entire novel with the thought that Jamie would die, but when I reached the final chapters of the novel, I realized I didn't have the heart to actually put those words on the page. Instead, I chose to leave the ending vague and open to interpretation, and I believe the novel was better for it.
What's a typical day like after you start the 2,000-word-per-day writing portion of your process?
I live a fairly structured life when writing a novel; otherwise, the novel wouldn't get written at all. I often joke that I have barely enough time in my day to do everything I need to do, even before writing a single word.
My day starts at 5:30 a.m. In the early morning hours, I exercise, take the dog out for a run and training, visit with the kids before school, read the paper, have breakfast, answer e?mails, and shower. I'm in the office by 10:00 a.m., which is when I begin writing. At 3:30pm, I head out to coach the track team at the local high school. In the evening, I have dinner, answer the mail, and catch up in the office. After that, it's family time.
On days I don't write, I'm usually in meetings, doing interviews, editing, traveling, pondering the next section of the novel I'm working on, or spending time with the family.
