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The Writerly Life

Episode 10

Man, I’ve been away for awhile. Sorry about that.

I haven’t updated this website since early summer. In ten years, I’ve never been so preoccupied. How did this happen?

I believe I have the answer, if you’re patient enough to read it.

It’s this new novel, The Devil’s Waters. The last time I updated this site, I was a third of the way through. Now, I’m almost finished. I have never, in ten novels, been this focused. I’ve burrowed into this story to an unaccustomed depth, primarily because this is the largest book I’ve written that is not historical.

In short, I’ve had to make this sucker up, entirely.

As you might know, it’s the story of an elite Air Force unit, the Guardian Angels, stationed in Djibouti, who are given the assignment to take down a hijacked freighter off their coast in the Gulf of Aden on the Horn of Africa (for research, I rode a freighter for two weeks through these waters, and spent another week in Djibouti with the Air Force). Onboard the ship is the pirate chieftain Yusuf Raage and his cadre of twenty-three pirates, plus twenty-six sailor hostages, three disarmed Serbian guards, one female scientist from Kenya, and one very big surprise. The Air Force unit, known as PJs (pararescue jumpers) have just four hours to recapture the ship; the cargo is so sensitive that the US government will sink the ship rather than let Somali pirates take it to their coast and hold it for ransom. Yusuf Raage has his hands full; the PJs have theirs full, and away we go on The Devil’s Waters.

Folks, I’ve written about D-Day, Stalingrad, assassins, the gigantic battle of Kursk, a church burning, the fall of Berlin, the rescue of an internment camp, and never have I written (or possibly even read) a book that absolutely fails to catch its breath from start to finish like this one. I sit to write every day and I actually get the sense of running before I start adding to the manuscript, like a hobo in the train yard jumping a boxcar. Practically every scene ends with a cliffhanger. I play with time in this book, as I have in others, so we see several bits of action from multiple POVs. It’s a fun device, adds to the tension because the reader already knows some of what's gong to happen whereas the characters don’t.

So, after I get finished with the first draft, I’ll do my traditional edit before sending it in to my new agent, Luke Janklow of Janklow and Nesbit. I’ll read it once on the laptop, mostly sitting outdoors, checking for typos and content errors. I’ll make changes, pull out a few thousand words, and I’ll dislike it very much. This always happens; it’s a phenomenon I can’t alter; other author friends have noted a similar experience with their own manuscripts. The initial read-through is often jarring and disappointing, for all that was left unsaid and undone.

Experience has taught me to have patience and faith. I’ll print the pages out next, bind them, and sit to read as if it were a real book. Here, I won’t make line changes but will watch for larger issues like character development, consistency in the plot, and let the excitement I hope that I have built finally flow for me. Here, as if alchemy, I will – if I’m ever going to – fall in love with it. Out of the blue. Something about reading the pages without an ink pen in my hand, typos or goofy mistakes lets the story gallop, congeal like day-old brownies (and you know how good they are).

The Devil’s Waters is several things I have never done before. It is my bloodiest book. There is lots of up-close violence, all unavoidable because it is, after all, the story of a squad of highly trained military men against a bunch of well-armed and desperate Somali pirates on a claustrophobic setting, a freighter at sea, at night. The book is also the only one I’ve written to date that is overtly calculated to be commercial. I admit this openly; the publishing industry is going through the same spasms as the rest of the economy, and Luke was very clear in his message: write something that can break through the clutter, because the day of a publishing house pushing a book for you is gone. So, TDW is my shot at high-concept, contemporary, topical and a touch of the fantastic. There’s a ticking clock, good and bad guys, even a girl. A clear conflict, 360 degrees of danger. All the ingredients are in place. But don’t worry, I still spend a lot of time delving into the characters’ hearts and lives, I remain fascinated by the commonplace made uncommon. If you like my previous works, you won’t scratch your head. You might lose sleep – at least, that’s what I’m counting on.

After I hand it in to Luke soon, I’ll rest and wait for him to put it in publishers’ hands. When there’s news, I’ll announce it here and on my Facebook page.

On other fronts, and this is an excellent development, my 2001 novel Scorched Earth will be a full blown stage play in 2011. Here in Richmond, the biggest theater, Theatre IV, has announced they will produce my script on their main stage. We already have some of the city’s best actors signed up, and one of its best directors, Bruce Miller, a founder of Theatre IV. Excited doesn’t describe how I feel about this. Stay tuned.

The Podium Foundation is going great guns, as well. We’re in our 3rd year, with a new logo, new programs, successes under our belt, and more kids and teachers looking to us for our literary journal, mentors, volunteers, and support. Take a look at ThePodiumFoundation.org. If you like what you see, please consider making a donation. We do a lot of vital work for our city's high school kids and educators, and we do it without charging a dime. Podium exists on donations, and there is no amount too small. You can donate online; we are a 501(c)3, and your gift is deductible.

I’m teaching at William and Mary another group of kids way too smart. It’s tough to convince them I know something they don’t, because there’s not much they miss. But I love the work of getting through to them, making them focus on craft in their writing, then watching their eyes get saucer big when they pen ever better and better work. I truly dig teaching, and hope to always have a hand in it.

Lastly, and as always, if you’ve liked one of my books, please consider placing a review on Amazon.com or BN.com. These do help; publishers, booksellers, and readers notice. Thanks for the extra effort.

I hope this finds you all well, warm, and healthy. Remember your neighbors in the chilling weather, keep your own hearts warm and your minds open. Be thankful in this coming season. And everyone knows a vet or someone who does. Honor them as best you can.

I’ll try to be a better correspondent. For now, wish me luck finishing the book and finding a home for it. I’d cross my fingers, but I still have typing to do.

Let me hear from you. I answer all my emails.

Take care,

David

—Posted 11.18.10