“There are only informed choices. But you can’t make an informed choice if you remain uninformed.”
–Elizabeth George
Like most writers, I love craft books by successful authors, but after a while there is a sameness to many of them. Elizabeth George has done something different in Mastering the Process where, rather than providing batches of excerpts to show how it’s done, she analyzes a single one of her own novels.
The excerpts from Careless in Red contain a few spoilers, so if you haven’t read it already, it would be a good idea to do so. George walks the reader through various sections to show how the very specific process she has developed works for her. Before she even begins writing, she chooses a setting and does extensive research until she has found the kernel of a plot. Next, she creates elaborate character sheets and free writes until the various personalities and motivations start to appear. She identifies their “core need” and its flip side, the “psychological maneuver” they default to under stress.
Mastering the Process is a great resource for the true writing nerd, especially if you’re trying to bring more structure and planning to your work. George takes pains to point out that while her process works for her, each writer must do what works for them. “There are no rules,” she writes. “There are only informed choices. But you can’t make an informed choice if you remain uninformed.”