The Anatomy of a Novel (Finch)
So I went through the notes and rough draft materials for my new novel, Finch, today. What lurks behind those leather walls? Let’s find out…
Imagine–an entire world contained in such a narrow space…
Assembled: notecards with individual fragments of dialogue, phrases, ideas; more formalized bullet point character and story notes already typed up; partial rough draft scenes housed in notebooks; additional notes on the inside of a folder; and the thick, black cover of the moleskin tome in which I tend to do more rapacious and complete rough drafts.
I like to scrawl on the insides of folders, like the contrast of black ink with green, for example. Whenever whatever I’m writing on is covered in text, inside and out, I feel immersed in the novel. Interestingly, that top notecard was originally meant for another novel entirely, but has become repurposed. “Ethan Bliss” is the name of a fellow player on my high school soccer team. I’ve wanted to use the name for years.
On the left, you see an actual typed draft of the first few pages, which may be old now (still checking it over), and then two different yet complementary styles of notebook–the rich, swirled black velvet of an oversized one that gives me enough room to write in my left-handedness, and then to the far right torn out pages from an illustrator’s pad. I like paper that’s meant for art sometimes, especially if it means a very long page with the binding horizontal rather than vertical.
Sometimes there are tangential benefits to re-starting a novel. Here, I found my old wallet, for example…
And, oh my god, it’s a map of Ambergris! Something I probably won’t adhere to or use. I used it initially for positioning purposes, for the context of an Ambergris several hundred years after the last time period I wrote about.
So that’s the current anatomy of my novel, Finch. About 20,000 words of really excellent third draft, about 10,000 words of incomplete rough drafts, about 200 notecards, and another 20 to 40 torn-out pages, along with 40 pages of bullet point typed up notes and observations. Eventually, it will be a sharp-looking trade paperback with a Ben Templesmith cover. Right now, though, it’s in somewhat less holistic form…
May 7, 2008 at 11:51 am
[...] UPDATE: You can now see pics of Jeff Vandermeer’s notes, sketeches, as he works on his novel “Fi… [...]
May 7, 2008 at 2:25 pm
After the book is written, what do you do with the notes? Do they reside forever in individually sanctified leather briefcases? Do you move them to some arcane archival storage medium? Ritually burn them? Inquiring minds want to know!
May 7, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Ha! They all go in the same storage box. I do sometimes like to go back and see the layering that occurs.
May 7, 2008 at 2:51 pm
I don’t think I could afford to sanctify them in similar briefcases. That thing is like $250!! It’s supposed to last a lifetime.
jv
May 7, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Wow! This is very interesting. I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen a writer’s work in progress. It’s absolutely fascinating. The map is cool too. I’m looking forward to Finch. I recently re-read Shriek and learned a whole lot more the second time around. I wonder how many people get the Nabokov reference. I think I also picked up on a character that reminded me of the guy in Baron in the Trees. I like how you give props to your influences like that. Creative.
May 7, 2008 at 6:20 pm
The red notebook is “WOW”.
…
FINCH IS A WORLD OF WARCRAFT TIE-IN NOVEL!
May 7, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Actually, there’s no nod to the guy in Baron, although I like that book. I don’t really give many props to influences in Shriek. Nabokov’s Ada and Richard Grant’s Views from the Furthest House (sic) are definite influences I was riffing off of, though.
JV
May 7, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Oh, I see. I thought that the character Sirin–I think that’s his name–was influenced by Nabokov because he collects butterflies. My bad.
May 7, 2008 at 10:29 pm
all the stuff in the briefcase looks awesome, and so does the briefcase. that’s a bam! briefcase. awesome.
May 7, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Do you have a rough idea of how big this novel will end up being, Jeff? Or is it too early to say?
May 7, 2008 at 11:59 pm
I have a similar briefcase - all leather and shining brass, and showing a bit of mileage - that I use carry my laptop and cellulose and scrawling tools.
When I last went through mine [a month ago] I found my long lost iPod and ear-buds. [That'll learn me, huh.]
May 8, 2008 at 2:43 am
Posts like this make me happy, although they encapsulate what I am doing wrong. *wg* ORGANISATION IS NOT MY FRIEND.
May 8, 2008 at 7:16 am
[...] For all the aspiring writers hoping upon hope for a glance into the life of a published author, Jeff Vandermeer delivers a photographic essay on the writing process. [...]
May 8, 2008 at 7:28 am
Donnie: Nope, you’re right. I totally forgot about that because I’m ‘tarded! LOL!
Jeff
May 8, 2008 at 1:59 pm
[...] blog (he’s the guy who writes the Ambergris stories among other things), and he posted a series of pictures (with explanations) of the novel he is currently working on. This is why I read author blogs, because I’m [...]
May 8, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Jeff:
You said it will make a nice trade paperback. Any plans for a hardcover edition? I love the harcover editions of your other books.
Eric
May 8, 2008 at 6:31 pm
There might be a limited hardcover at some future point. But the truth is–I sell best in trade paperback and it would be a risk to put me out in hardcover considering Underland is, although entering the market at a high level, a new publisher. A risk for them. In trade paperback, considering City and Shriek sales, it’s pretty certain it’ll do well for them. I also prefer to have something more affordable.
Jeff
May 11, 2008 at 2:44 am
[...] in the Internet era - Despre relaţia zbuciumată a cărţilor cu internetul, de la Cory Doctorow. The Anatomy of a Novel (Finch) - Aţi fost vreodată curioşi cum ajunge un roman din capul scriitorului până la tipografie? [...]
May 12, 2008 at 11:44 pm
i love seeing artists’ and authors’ sketches and notes.
“that’s the current anatomy of my novel”
oh. you should collage the scraps into puppets representing the personalities of each novel, then have your books battle it out on a punch-and-judy stage. AWESOME, right?
…ok, it’s not awesome , but for a brief moment i enjoyed a wonderful mental image.
May 13, 2008 at 3:31 pm
LOL! That’d go on the “for when I’m not very busy” list.
JV