A Writer's Tale

So why should I let a little word like “I” get in the way? (In fact, it’s my policy to let almost nothing “get in my way” if I think there’s a good story to tell.)

If I went ahead and wrote the book from a woman’s viewpoint, however, I figured that I would be opening myself up for criticism along the lines of, “How dare you, a male, presume to have the slightest clue about what goes on inside the mind and body and heart of a female?”

Again, I’d been making such presumptions for years though never in such a straight-forward way. Every time I write about any character, male or female, I’m using my imagination. I’m no more a mad scientist or serial killer than I am a woman.

Besides, I could point to the examples of Stephen King (Dolores Claiborne) and Charles Portis (True Grit) Both authors were males who wrote novels in the first person from a female’s viewpoint.

If they can do it, why can’t I?

No good reason.

As with Savage, I began by experimenting with the character’s voice. I came up with this:

Hello.

I’m Alice.

I’ve never written a book before, but figured I might as well start by saying who I am.

Alice.

That’s not my real name. I’d have to be an idiot to tell you my real name, wouldn’t I?

Identify myself, then go on to write a book that tells more than anyone should ever know about my private life and adventures and passions and crimes.

Just call me Alice.

Sounds like ‘alias,’ doesn’t it?

I’m somebody, alias Alice.

Though Dolores Claiborne helped me justify writing a book in the words of its female protagonist, Holden Caulfield was a more important inspiration for Alice. Holden and Huck, my own Trevor Bentley, and Mattie Ross from True Grit. Alice is sort of a descendant of them all.

But they are all “good” people.

I have my doubts about Alice.

With After Midnight, I went out on a limb by writing the book from Alice’s viewpoint, then went out even farther by allowing her to do bad things.

Several times during the course of the book, she behaves in ways that are more suitable for a villain than for a protagonist.

I did go a bit too far. To make the novel more suitable (and apparently to prevent a rejection by the book club), I was asked to tone down certain scenes in which Alice strayed too far beyond the realms of decency. I was happy to cut back. I knew that I’d pushed it, and the minor cuts didn’t damage my portrait of Alice.

The book club, possibly worried about Alice’s unsavory nature, accepted After Midnight but limited their initial order to 9,000 copies. As of this writing, it’s too early to know whether they’ll require additional copies.

Before I’d quite finished writing After Midnight, I learned that the book club no longer planned to do a double-book of Bite and my next novel. Instead, they would combine Bite with my short fiction collection, Fiends.

If I’d known that would happen, I wouldn’t have abandoned The Midnight Tour to write After Midnight. And quite possibly, After Midnight would have never been written at all.

Funny how things work out.

I finished After Midnight on January 2, 1997. With a little extra time on my hands, I spent almost three weeks writing a screenplay based on the novel.

And then it was time to try, once more, for a return trip to Malcasa Point.

THE MIDNIGHT TOUR&A WRITER’S TALE

As mentioned earlier, I wrote the first 180 pages of The Midnight Tour between June 9 and September 4, 1996, immediately after Bite and before After Midnight. Done with After Midnight on January 2, 1997, I returned to my third Beast House book on February 18, 1997.

After working on it for a couple of weeks, I left it again, this time to write a short story, “The Job,” for a Peter Raining anthology. Simultaneously, I spent time trying to develop another new novel, Madland.

I returned to The Midnight Tour on March 15. A week later, however, I was approached by Peter Enfantino and John Scoleri about helping them prepare a book about me. I continued writing The Midnight Tour but also spent time, starting on April 25, preparing material for the book that would become A Writer’s Tale.

From that time onward, I’ve been working regularly on both books. Today is December 12, and they are almost finished. I need to complete A Writer’s Tale within the next three days, and I plan to send off The Midnight Tour next week.

Both books took on lives of their own and nearly grew out of control.

Initially, I was to contribute some material to the book for John and Peter (and Bob Morrish, who came aboard the project somewhat later). As I worked on it, however, one thing led to another. I soon got in touch with John and Peter and said, “I’ve got this idea.