Whats the difference between writing a first novel and writing subsequent novels?
Well, the idea of the “Writing Your First Novel” class, the way I teach it, focuses on the choices that you need to be aware of when you’re getting started. We spend a day discussing first person versus third person, which kind of voice is better for the tone that you want, outlining a plot, which I think is incredibly important, the themes of your book, and dialogue So I think there are various issues that are not so particular to a novel. A novel is like any ambitious project. If you don’t have it all organized in your thoughts before you get started, what’s going to happen to these students is what happens to most people– they start and don’t finish. And so, the ultimate goal of my class is to prepare the students to see their book through to the end. Tell me about how you made the decision to leave your job as a lawyer, and to move to the Cape to begin your first novel. Being a lawyer was taking 100 percent of my time and I just didn’t feel like it was 100 percent of me. And there
