Coffee With David

On December 19, 2008, I wrote a blog based on an article I had read in The Writer Magazine asking what kind of writer I would rather be. (http://davidalanlucas.com/blog5.php/2008/12/19/) I had written that blog in shock and surprise as I read about how James Patterson wrote his novels. The article provided the impression that many of his books were ghost written or co-authored with Mr. Patterson simply providing the idea, the outline, and giving another author who would write the actually story an editor’s review for quality before having it published under his name.

This was not quite the whole story, as I have learned from a recently published interview between Writers Digest magazine:

“You’ve been working with co-authors, how and why did you begin?

“I just have too many stories. I couldn’t possibly do them all. People sometimes get wise-assed about the co-authors, but if you saw what happened . . .! For example, with Sundays at Tiffany’s. I worked with a co-author, and then I wrote seven drafts. And that happens a lot.

“The ‘factory’ comes up occasionally as a phrase. If it’s a factory, it’s factory where everything is hand-tooled. If you came here now, you would see just stack upon stack – manuscript, screenplays, etc. – and almost nothing comes out of here that I don’t rewrite a lot, in addition to outlining.

“How does it work?

“With the exception of The Quickie, every idea has been mine. I come up with the idea. I write an outline, about which one of my agents says, with this outline I could write a book. Usually, with a co-written book, somebody else will do the first draft and I will do subsequent drafts.” (Diana Page Jordon “Trademark Success ,” Writers Digest, Volume 89, Number 2 (March/April 2009)

In light of this, I apologize to Mr. Paterson. It is still not a method I would choose to use, but it clearly works for him. I wish him continued literary success.

Thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com for updates to the stories and blogs I write. The website will be updated tomorrow night (GMT-6).