Scene-by-scene storyline

The scene-by-scene storyline has another very important function. Every new idea seems wonderful the first day, two days later it’s already less plausible and after a week it may seem very average. This is why I spend at least three months thinking about the scene-by-scene storyline because I want the story to seem as realistic as possible. Nothing must be left to coincidence.

I once talked to a writer who said that she sits down every day and begins to write. She never knows what will come out. Her system also works, but I think it allows for a lot of unplanned writing that can be superfluous. And some people find it very difficult to delete what they’ve written, which is a big mistake.

The length of sentences, paragraphs and chapters

You need to know how many sentences to use in a paragraph. And how many paragraphs in a chapter. This is something that’s almost impossible to learn from books. If you write too much, you’ll slow down the reading tempo. A novel can be very thrilling, but if there are too many unnecessary descriptions and superfluous sentences, readers will read more slowly or even put the book down from boredom.

Tempo is very important. In all my novels it increases in the second half so that the chapters get shorter and shorter. Only what is absolutely essential is told, without any unnecessary added extras.

I recommend all those who are still not sure how many words and sentences to use in one paragraph that you start reading out loud. Record a text you like and listen to it as much as possible. Sooner or later you’ll get the feel for it.

But the most important thing is that you start writing. Practice is the best teacher.

And the last important thing. When you’ve written your book, you must spend a few months reading and editing it. Let at least a month pass between two readings so that your brain clears and you’re able to experience the content of the book anew. During this time you can start writing a new book.

In connection with each sentence, paragraph or chapter you must ask yourself whether it’s necessary and whether it contributes to the book being interesting and thrilling. If it’s not, you must delete it without mercy. Don’t feel regret over the deleted sentences even if you have had to work really hard and got up very early in order to write them. The final result is all that matters and that must be perfect.

I often compare writing with the work of a sculptor, who first creates a rough version of a sculpture. This is followed by a phase of concentrating on every last detail until the sculpture is perfect.