The Evolution of a Story

Yesterday’s New York Times had an article relating the struggle that teachers face in trying to teach evolution science to junior high and high school students. The problem is rooted in the fact that there are nut jobs, primarily in the Midwest and South, that demand that scientific method and biblical myth be given equal footing. Teaching is trying enough, without interference from people who are marginally educated themselves clamoring to set the rules. Like P.T. Barnum once famously said, “You’ll never lose money underestimating the intelligence of the general public.”

One of the main things the Adam and Eve camp like to jump on are the words “Evolution Theory” – which simply proves that they have no concept of the meaning of theory as it is used by scientists. If you’re one of these people, you might as well stop reading now. You won’t like my stuff. For example, I use the word Fuck, a lot. And, if I bothered to reply to one of your rants, I’d start by pointing out that creation stories, as presented in the Christian Bible (and the Koran for that matter), are largely based on Sumerian and Babylonian mythology.

Now before I get overwhelmed with indignant blasts from idiots who think that I’m somehow attacking religion and religious thought, I want to make it clear that I’m doing no such thing. Belief in God is one thing, fundamental Christianity is another. One is a personal matter of faith, the other a mindless devotion to dogma. Can’t wait for the fan mail to start rolling in.

I actually felt guilty that I took the time to read the Times yesterday. I’m under a big deadline and I haven’t had time to devote enough attention to my other responsibilities. Like this blog. A few of the agents that I met while I was in New York last month have requested copies of the manuscript for my novel, Opening Day. That’s great, of course, but in New York I also got a few ideas that I’m sure will make my book a better read. So I’m caught between wanting to get the thing out to them as soon as possible and rewriting some basic plot points that will really amp up the dramatic tension and move the story along.

One of the things that I had impressed upon me, talking with other writers and considering their work, is that it’s important to trust that your readers are intelligent people. Which, after reading articles like the one in the Times, can be a big jump. Good writing is sparse; especially when writing a thriller you must leave out all but the essential parts. You must tell the story in a logical progression of scenes and assume that the reader will be smart enough to fill in the blanks.

It’s important to place a measure of trust in your audience. As a reader, it’s boring and cumbersome to be spoon fed every nuance of an idea. One of the pleasures of reading is catching the references or the subtle puns the author weaves into his work. Stephen King is big on showing off in this respect; next time you’re ensconced with one of his ponderous books try to catch the Shakespeare references he drops around.

But relying on the intelligence of your readers isn’t about showing off. Good writing is like having a conversation, even if it’s a trifle one sided. In a conversation you have to make certain assumptions about another person’s world view and their cultural experiences. Otherwise, you’d be so bogged down with exposition that you’d never be able to tell your story.

This is something that I struggle with constantly. I write too much. Almost without fail, anything I write is improved by being edited down by half or three quarters (Some might suggest it’s more like one hundred percent). And a lot of it is my tendency to explain everything to death. I write pages and pages of backstory and then have to figure out how to get all those details into the book in just a few lines. Writing backstory is a good exercise, but it’s also important to leave most of it out of the finished product. Hemingway, whether you like him or not, was a master at distilling a story down to its essential elements. Capturing the atmosphere or setting the mood in a few, well selected phrases.

So I’m spending this week writing. And then throwing out most of what I write. I’m getting better at editing as I go along, but even just while writing this blog I’ve cut as much as I’m going to post.

I really believe that, as far as my novel goes, the changes are going to be worth it in the end. I’m trying to, as Elmore Leonard says, cut out the parts that people skip over. And I trust that the people who read my book will be bright enough to put the remaining parts together and enjoy the process. It’s all just a matter of faith.

— Ric Hess, Aug 25, 04:21 PM

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