The joys and challenges of writing Einstein’s Trunk

        What I enjoyed most about writing Einstein’s Trunk was developing the characters, putting words in their mouths, and sometimes even sitting back in wonder at what they just did. When I first put the plot together, I had plans for two female leads, Yohaba, Einstein’s descendent, and Isabella, the South African agent contracted by the Russians. But I had no idea which one would end up betraying Rulon and which one would be his love interest. The decision was actually made by Yohaba when she threw herself at Rulon in her apartment. It was a total surprise even to me. I remember writing that scene and thinking to myself afterwards: Wow, never expected that! 

       Likewise, even later in the story, I still toyed with the idea of having Yohaba betray Rulon. But there was something about the way Yohaba waited outside his apartment after the fight in the Desperado restaurant and then ran up to Rulon in the rain that simply could not be denied. Eventually, Yohaba’s sincerity and honesty won Rulon’s heart – and mine. But Isabella may not be totally out of the picture. While she doesn’t appear in the sequel, I’m considering bringing her back in the third book.

       Far and away, the hardest part for me was writing the beginning. If you give too much description and background information in the beginning, you slow down the plot and bore your readers. If you don’t give enough information then people are confused - or too much information and you kill the suspense and erode curiosity. It’s a judgment call every step of the way.

      I also found it hard to write the physical descriptions of the locales and people. It was the same old question: How much do you describe, how much do you leave out, and how can you artfully include that information in the story without slowing down the action. The best beginning I’ve read where information, plot, action, and character development, were all woven together while keeping the story sizzling along and building interest was in Barry Eisler’s first John Rain book Rainfall.

      My next post will be about what I’ve learned about writing and getting published.  

Best regards,

Jim

Zurich, May 13, 2011

A few words about Barry Eisler's John Rain books

I’ve mentioned Barry Eisler before in my blog because it was after reading one of his books that I was inspired to write a thriller myself. Now, let me make it clear, I’m not saying that I read Mr. Eisler’s book and thought I could do better. Rather, when I read his book I was impressed that the thriller genre had the potential to convey more than just  mindless action. First, his book captured something about Tokyo and gave me a fine feel for that city. I’d visited Tokyo only once but felt very comfortable there, and his book stirred memories. Second, his hero, John Rain, was also extremely well defined, and despite being an assassin, was a sympathetic character. Finally, his book was realistic, not just in the descriptions of the locale but also in how men react when their lives are at stake. So many thrillers are filled with heroes who behave as if death doesn’t exist. I find that the most glaring inaccuracy of all.

But, to carry on, there are two things I find particularly well done in Mr. Eisler’s books. The first is the way he began his first book Rain Fall. The trick in a book is to introduce the scene, the plot, and the characters without bogging down the action. Mr. Eisler managed to do all of that so effortlessly that I find myself going back to that book from time to time and rereading the first twenty pages just to appreciate it once again.

The second thing I really like about his style is how he handles dialogue between the characters. It’s a small thing and I’ve seen other authors do it, but none so effectively. Interspersed in the dialogue are the thoughts of the main character and the way he is interpreting the words and gestures of his companion. It’s effective, nuanced, realistic, and consistent with the personality of the hero.

For my next post, I will talk about another writer I admire: Martin Cruz Smith

Jim

Zurich, April 6, 2011