How Clever Smash-Hit Authors Write Well

A Few Things I Noticed

Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash

Welcome back to my Medium page where I explore the writing process, share great examples of fiction and talk about travelling around Europe by train.

For my recent book, TV and podcast suggestions check out my last post:

[embed]Read, Watch And Listen (May) A brilliant book, terrific TV show and positive podcastmedium.com

Having studied English for A-Level and, to a smaller extent, at University as well as having taught for many years, I have become used to analysing all sorts of texts.

As a book nerd, I love nothing more than to be snuggled up in a corner with a brilliant novel.

Over time I have come to observe how incredibly successful authors manage to consistently draw readers into their bookish adventures.

Today I want to share some of my findings.

Good Books Weave Webs

Although you would expect every book to follow a clear course from start to finish, it is not always the case. Many writers start off well but then lose their threads.

The expert writers who produce high quality novels tend to make it their business to write narratives that are well connected.

They join the dots well.

They weave their webs cleverly.

I spoke about the need to have transparent threads that tie pieces of writing together in a recent article that I published.

[embed]If You Want To Write With Clarity, Don’t Make My Mistakes — Do These Things Instead Notes from an English teachermedium.com

The trouble with some authors is that their webs get a little out of control.

As a story moves on, often too many side characters and sub-plot elements begin to cloud the underlying central theme or idea.

It is easy to do.

Because writing a novel is very disjointed and usually happens over a longer period of time, writers often forget important details and add unnecessary details which detract from the main thread.

Clever Threaders

For me, Liane Moriarty is one of the best examples of an accomplished writer who is extremely good at weaving a story web well.

In her Number One Bestseller ‘Big Little Lies’ she followed her female protagonists closely as they dealt with the aftermath of a crime. Although she had several main characters, she devoted specific chapters to each one and moved the story on as she introduced nuggets of information about their involvement in affairs.

In ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ she delved into the minds of a group of people being experimented on during a stay at a luxury spa. Although Liane told each character’s backstory, she made sure that every element of their individual narratives played a part in moving the overall story forward.

Joanne Harris is also brilliant at weaving story webs. By writing a series of books about an English secondary school (starting with Gentlemen and Players), she has created a world where every nugget of information is relevant.

Writing in the first person and with each chapter telling their own story, Joanne has a way of revealing just enough detail at exactly the right time. She will often surprise her reader with something and you will realise that she has been feeding you clues to this reveal all along.

In A Nutshell

A clever writer knows how to play things out.

They know how to make connections and they know when to resist going off at tangents.

If you are looking to improve your own writing or enjoy books which are carefully woven, I suggest starting by checking out one of Joanne or Liane’s masterpieces.

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