A few weeks ago I was asked if I could write a 17,000 word story to be serialised in 25 weekly parts in a Japanese, English language newspaper. Being in need of the cash, obviously I said yes straight away, even though the idea of writing fiction had never before entered my head - but where there's a will there's a way.
Anyway, I suddenly found myself steaming past the 17,000 word mark, and enjoying myself as much as when I used to write music. Maybe I had the makings of a proper novel here, rather than just something aimed at bored Japanese students.
I now reckon I've got about half of a potential novel roughed out, and wondered if there were any other would-be, could-be, actual, or closet novelists out there amongst forum contributors who have any pearls of wisdom to offer me.
For example a friend emailed the other day recommending I read Donna Tartt's The Secret History, when he heard my story was a murder mystery. I had felt it was a little naff, corny, cheap, or just plain obvious to announce my victim's death on the very first page as I had done, but as soon as I started reading Tartt, there was this respected novelist doing just that - and not just on the first page - in the first sentence!
My story is set in London and spans the whole of the seventies. It's also (surprise surprise) set in and around the music business.
So if anyone else has any pearls of wisdom on handling the task of structuring a novel, or recommendations on excellent books about the seventies (having now reached 40,000 words I'm starting to reach the limits of remembered knowledge) I'd be extremely grateful.