Writing Your Second Book

Robert Rotenberg, author of the urban crime novel, Old City Hall, recently gave a talk to Humber School for Writers about what happens on the way to writing a second book. Here are some notes from his talk.

Many years of thinking go into a first book, sometimes as many as fifteen years. With a second book, you might not have fifteen years, but nonetheless you need lots of “thinking time.” Try to remember how much thinking time went into the first novel and give yourself permission to put down your pen once in a while and just think. You don’t have to be writing every minute.

Keep going to the edge of your talent. You put a lot of yourself in your first book. Writers tend to retreat in subsequent books. They don’t expose themselves as much. Maybe they are more aware – too aware of their audience. Don’t be afraid to pour yourself into the second book in the same way you took risks with the first.

Get started on the second book right away. Don’t wait for things to happen with the first book. Enjoy the feeling of writing without a deadline, without anyone looking over your shoulder. It’s a bit like writing the first book in this way. There's still a state of innocence.

Here’s a writing tip that comes from the world of screen-writing: “Come in late, leave early.” So for example, come into a chapter late. Things are already happening, dialogue is underway, tension is mounting. Then leave early. Leave your reader wanting more so they’ll turn to the next chapter.

And finally, it's not just a book; it's a career. In other words, it's okay to work hard at this job and believe in yourself and give it lots of your time. You're not just writing a book, it's a career you're building.