An old(er) dog learning new tricks
Writing life: 82
After we finished the editing, copy editing, and proofreading of my tenth novel, The Marionette—now due in bookstores on October 7, a welcome week earlier—I had a yen to change things up a bit in my eleventh. You may recall an earlier post of mine from last fall where I sang the praises of small, short novels after having recently read several in that vein, and pledged to write one myself. Well having now finished a draft manuscript of said short, eleventh novel, I can report that while writing it, I felt a little like an old dog learning new tricks.
My eleventh novel will be quite a departure
Yes, it’s true. I have never written a novel like my, as yet untitled, novel number eleven. As I’ve noted in earlier posts, while the stories and characters in my first five novels are different, one can effectively argue that they were all cut from the same cloth. Humour is a driving force in them all, though each also features moments of melancholy. They are all first person narratives that run between 90,000-100,000 words. And, miraculously, they all met with success, to one degree or another, as national bestsellers, and winners or finalists for the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour.
I tried a few new tricks in later novels in an attempt to grow and stretch as a writer. Certainly One Brother Shy was a bit of a departure, and you can read why in this earlier post. Albatross was a more complex story (I think), but I hope still funny. (You can read about it here.) In Operation Angus, I took a stab at writing a comic thriller (read about it, here). And of course, A New Season—my pandemic novel—was probably the biggest surprise for my regular readers given the prominent role grief plays in the story, particularly in the first half. (Read about that novel, here.)
So I have made a few fledgling efforts to write novels that may not be considered in the pure and applied comic category, particularly in A New Season. But I think my eleventh will feel—and look—even more different.
Shorter, smaller, and perhaps a little more literary
My eleventh novel will be about half as long as my other novels. the current manuscript word count sits at just over 39,000. But if tradition plays out as tradition usually does, by the time I’ve gone through two editing rounds with my editor, it will be likely be slightly beyond 40,000 words.
The story I’m telling in this newest of my novels felt better suited for a shorter format. You can read a bit about the story itself here, in my previously-cited post praising small novels.
In addition to being shorter, my hope is that the book itself—the physical package—will be smaller and will stand out from my other books on size alone. While it is definitely not yet confirmed, I’m hopeful that this will be my first hardcover book, to distinguish it even more from my others novels. But we’ll see.
Not particularly funny, but hopefully more literary
When I started thinking about this short novel, humour wasn’t really in the picture. Humour makes a few understated appearances in the story, but I’m not trying to make the reader laugh with this novel. Rather, I guess I’m trying to make the reader think.
So, perhaps to compensate for the paucity of humour, I spent more time on the sentences and have tried to elevate the prose and give this story more of a literary sensibility (he says hopefully). If readers won’t be treated to as many laughs as I might usually provide—and readers might expect—I’d like the writing to be even stronger to carry the weight of the story. (More writerly stretching for me.)
Third person narrative
Another first for me is that this short novel is written entirely in the third person. All ten of my previous novels have been first-person narratives. Yes, it’s true, I have never written an omniscient narrator. The idea of departing from my familiar first-person point-of-view was daunting and intimidating. But I think the third person works better here given that the story is more a fable or parable than a straight up novel. More new ground for me.
While it is a self-contained story, with a beginning, middle, and end, it is also kind of a meditation on writing. (You may now give thanks for its brevity!)
Title?
Two titles are currently duking it out to appear on the front cover. And there may be several more candidates before a final cull—and then call—is made. But just to keep you in the loop, the first title option is An End in Itself. This has a more literary vibe to it and is taken from a line late in the story delivered by my protagonist, Malcolm Forde. He says about writing:
“I think I’m happiest and most fulfilled when my rewards are the words alone. Yes, I think that’s what I learned. Writing is an end in itself.”
The second title option is a little more upbeat, but I’m not certain it captures the intended tone of the story—though I’m quite fond of this new, made-up word. The second title option is Writestar. In the story, writers are celebrities living the lives of the rich and famous. Yes, “writestars” have replaced rockstars and movie stars at the top of the social order. I worry a little that this invented word may wrongly signal to some that this is primarily a funny novel. It is not. Nor do I think it could be. On the other hand, I think Writestar is simpler, cleaner, and more memorable. So we’ll see what title comes out in the wash. It may be one of these two, but it could be something completely different. We’ll find out in due course.
Whatever it’s called, when is it coming?
I can’t say for sure, but I have spoken with my editor about timing, and my strong preference would be for it to be published in the mid to late fall of 2026, about twelve months after The Marionette hits bookstores. Plus the novel opens in the Christmas season making a fall launch timely.
Normally, I publish every two years. This gives each novel a full 24-month selling period, rather than potentially compromising its sales by launching the subsequent novel a little too early. But in this case, as I’ve noted above, my eleventh novel is very different and stands alone from my others in length, size, form factor, narrative voice, and perhaps even literary sensibility. So I would argue that because it’s such a departure, it won’t really be competing with The Marionette. But again, none of these decisions has yet been made.
Why the shift from my traditional fare?
Some of you dear subscribers may well be squirming a bit after reading this post, and wishing I’d write another novel that will make you laugh again like my earlier books. And I have no doubt that I will continue to write funny novels. We need more of them. But I also know that most writers, at some point, want to at least check out that grass that often seems greener on the other side and try something a little bit different.
It’s been twenty years since I wrote my first novel. I hope I’ve grown as a person in those two decades. It stands to reason that I’ve likely grown as a writer, too. (To be clear, this does not mean that I think funny novels are a lesser literary form—I surely do not.) What hasn’t diminished is my desire—even zeal—to keep writing, and keep writing better. Part of this entails pushing myself a little and experimenting. Despite now being an older dog, my eleventh novel, more than any of its predecessors, reflects this interest in changing things up now and then. Contrary to the cliché, I actually think you can teach an old dog new tricks.
You may rest assured that I’ll keep you posted as work progresses on my eleventh novel. In the meantime, while The Marionette is now essentially ready to print, and the manuscript for my short eleventh novel now rests in my editor’s hands, it’s time to turn my addled mind to novel number twelve.
Looking ahead to my twelfth novel
Yes, I’m about to start auditioning a new idea or two for my twelfth novel. Right now, I have next to nothing. Time to ponder…
Wrapping up…
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Terry, I am very much looking forward to these next books. You are my role model for”sit down And do the work”.
Congrats all the way around! Looking forward to both!