I’m new to novels but I’ve been a
professional screenwriter for over twelve years. In Hollywood the big idea is everything. And, at the risk of sounding boastful, I’m
pretty good at coming up with big story ideas. I’ve made a career of selling
ideas. Even the name of my company is Damn Good Idea Productions. One of the writers who has inspired me is
Michael Crichton. His greatest skill was coming up with ideas that, the instant
you heard them, you were hooked. This is why so many of Mr. Crichton’s books
have been made into movies.
As a screenwriter I would routinely lay
around, sometimes for hours, trying to come up with a big idea. The idea for Forty Acres sprung from one of
these snowballing sessions. Forty Acres
started out as a science fiction time travel story, but after testing the idea
on other writers and friends, it evolved into a more grounded thriller. I knew
I finally had it right, because with just a one sentence description I was
getting the biggest WOWs that I have ever seen.
Luckily the idea was too edgy for a
screenplay. I say luckily because typically if I came up with a story that had
zero chance of selling to Hollywood, I would drop it. Hollywood doesn’t take
chances, especially these days. They try to hedge their bet as much as
possible. When I told my screenwriting representatives the idea for Forty
Acres, I got the WOWs, but I also got, “that will never sell.” And I knew they were right. But I refused to bury Forty Acres in my file
of great but unsellable ideas. I really
have this file. It’s a sad place filled with good stories that will probably
never find an audience.
Inspired by all the WOWs the idea for
Forty Acres had generated, I decided to try something I’ve always wanted to
try, but never had the courage to pursue.
I decided to write a novel.
Instead of jumping right in, I started
reading. I wanted Forty Acres to be a page turner thriller, so that’s what I
read. I made it a point to read any thriller that got great reviews. This went
on for months and months. I was a reader of thrillers before, but also of
sci-fi, and horror, and whatever else caught my fancy. But during this period I dropped everything
else and stuck strictly to thrillers.
Simultaneously I was outlining. I worship at the church of
outlining. Screenplays are typically 110
pages long. I write 40 page outlines. It’s sick, I know. For Forty Acres I outlined every chapter, in
moment-by-moment detail. I’m embarrassed to reveal how long my outline for
Forty Acres is, but it’s up there.
After a few test chapters, that I forced
my friends to read, I began writing the novel in earnest. Because of screenwriting obligations it
took a while. At one point I had to put Forty Acres away for six months.
I remember writing the last paragraph
then rushing out to a copy shop to print up the manuscript. In this digitized
age there’s really no need for a writer to print up anything. But I had this
feeling that Forty Acres wouldn’t be real until I could hold it in my hands.
When I returned to the copy shop and the
clerk handed my 593 pages the first word out of my mouth was WOW.
FORTY ACRES by Dwayne Alexander Smith is
out now in hardback, £16.99 (Faber & Faber)
1 comment:
Wow! Nice Article.
Post a Comment