Title: Zero Day
Author: David Baldacci
Progress: 25%
Platform: Kindle
Amazon Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
NYT BS Hardcover List: #4 (debuted at number 1)
Book 5 out of 107
In case you were wondering, here is how I'm choosing books for this project...
As soon as I finish a book, a go to the New York Times Bestseller's list for combined print and E-book fiction. The next book will be the highest on that list that falls within the broad range of crime thriller or mystery. I'm going for real world settings, no sci-fi or fantasy, though I love them both.
I am looking for the best, or at least the most popular, books that have someone getting murdered in an early chapter. Or, as in the case of The Litigators, a clear conflict that will be resolved after several chapters of building tension.
I'm now on book 5, and now I have a few more rules.
I'm going to write a post at every quarter mark (25%, 50%, 75% and 100%), so I'll be posting a little less so I can read more.
Those particular marks are good stopping points because thriller writers seem to outline based on those marks. The stories I've read so far all take important turns at the quarter marks, and I think that's by design.
Let's talk about outlining for a minute...
Stephen King says he doesn't write with an outline, and he probably doesn't need to. He is writing epics. His books stretch for a thousand pages or more and have lives of their own, obeying their own rules of fiction, rules that Mr. King seems to make up as he goes along. He's like a jazz musician, playing within a certain key and construct, and then improvising as wildly and energetically as he can.
Thriller writer can't do that. These stories must be tight, effective, and deliver satisfaction in about 300 pages. Tom Clancy got away with some fat books, but everyone else in the genre keeps it tight. It's what the fans want. And when your publisher wants a book a year, I would guess tightly outlining is the way to go.
In my own experience of starting and abandoning novel projects, I used to be anti-outline, because I was too cool for that, too much of an artiste. Then I switched to screenplays, which have a lot rules, including a three act structure that every reader looks for.
At first, I kind of hating all those screenwriting rules, which seemed so limiting, like the writer was reduced to changing a few variables in a formula, as opposed to creating something fresh.
You know what didn't happen when I writing screenplays? Writers block. Why? I had an outline. I had a plan. I knew where to go. I didn't always know how I would get there, but having a landmark to reach made writing so much easier.
On this novel I'm currently working on, I've got an outline l like a lot. I've got some big scenes that I think will work. I've got a finale I love. All those ideas came into existence because is started with an outline.
An outline is a compass. It's a guide, nothing more. It's a tool, not a pair of handcuffs.
Getting back to Zero Day...
Holy shit. David Baldacci can write. This is the best book I've read so far as part of this project.
Here is what Mr. Baldacci does that I really like...
1. Killer opening that immediately establishes the mystery. A mailman discovers a murder scene that sends him running out of the house puking. We don't get to see inside the house, but we know that what is in their is horrible. The mailman puke on the lawn is proof.
2. Disciplined devotion to the main character, John Reacher. We stay almost exclusively in his point of view, and the only time we leave it is when another character has something to think about Reacher. This character is becoming real to me in a way that the other books I've read couldn't pull off. I am not saying this is a character-driven book. It is flying forward with great momentum, dropping plot twists at the end of every chapter, increasing the body count at disturbing rate. Even with all that action, Reacher to growing to be a fully realized, detailed and complex character.
3. Supporting characters get some love. When a supporting character takes the stage, Mr. Baldacci gives them a little something to bring them to life. He gives them each a little more description and dialogue than other authors will allow. This creates a richness to the world without slowing the story down. Also, because we are always in Reacher's POV, we are getting his views on these new people, so not only are we getting to know new characters, but are also learning more about how Reacher thinks. It's a great trick.
What have we learned? A lot. There is a lot to learn from Mr. Baldacci.
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