John Dean – Crime Writer

“I know that some novelists do not plan, just start writing and see where the story takes them, but in my experience that often takes them into a cul-de-sac and things can become horrendously convoluted as they try to write themselves back out. I am one of the many novelists who do plan and I heartily recommend that you do the same, if you don’t already. However, my initial plot tends to be loose, very sketchy, maybe just ideas for the first five or six chapters with the remainder of it filled in during the writing process and the ending usually emerging organically. I know it sounds strange, but I very rarely know the identity of the murderers in my crime novels until I am well into writing the story. On one occasion, I reached the end of the novel and still did not know, which required a lot of re-planning and rewriting; I don’t recommend it as an approach!”

Are you an emerging writer seeking to learn about the craft of creating fiction and keen to receive more advice like this? Then a book written by best-selling novelist John Dean, in which he examines the craft behind fiction, could well be for you. The above extract is the beginning to the plotting section.

In On Writing, John, who is best known for his crime novels, 26 of which have been published by The Book Folks, a Joffe Books company, sets out to help emerging writers who are learning their craft and also to give readers an insight into the way writers approach fiction.

In the wide-ranging book, John, who has taught creative writing classes to student of all ages for more than twenty five years, examines everything from the creation of plots, characters and landscapes to writing with pace, beating writers’ block and editing.

He also examines different genres, including crime fiction, fantasy, ghost stories and children’s books, and provides useful information which it comes to approaching publishers and agents as well as preparing manuscripts  for self-publishing.

John says:  “I have learnt so much about the art of writing over the years and the more I learned, the more I realised there were so much more still to learn. Writers, however experienced or new to writing they may be, are constantly learning how immensely complex the storytelling process is. It may look simple when the final version hits the page but it is a very complicated process and I thought that it was time to share what I have learnt from years of working with publishers, editors and authors. My book examines the tools that authors need to master in order to do justice to their ideas.

“These are a time of great opportunity for authors. The publishing industry has been undergoing changes that are as dramatic as in the days of William Caxton and I have never seen such exciting times as those we are currently experiencing. The introduction of ebooks, print-on-demand and accessible audiobook technology, as well as online retail sites like Amazon, has acted as a catalyst, with the result that new publishing houses are springing up at an astonishing rate in many genres, small ones are growing rapidly to become significant players, big publishing houses are constantly innovating, and self-publishing is becoming more professional than ever before. And that’s before we even consider the huge number of books sold by the big high street bookstores like Waterstone’s and the resurgence of the independent bookshop. All this spells opportunity for emerging authors and I hope that my book will help writers to grasp those opportunities.”

The book can be purchased in ebook and paperback format on Amazon.

More information on John Dean can be found at http://www.johndeancrimewriter.co.uk