A Writer's Tale

In the old days, when writing for magazines such as Ellery Queen, Alfred Hitchcock and Mike Shayne, I would have kept the story simple and light. I probably would’ve ended it with a surprise such as Susan tossing ammo to Spike and saying, “I swear, you’d forget your head if it weren’t attached.” Period.

But that was in the old days.

Ever since I stopped writing for the mystery magazines, I’ve been “going for it.” I’ve felt completely free to do the stories my way.

This is now exactly the sort of story I would write if asked to contribute a crime story to an anthology. If I should write it as I’ve described it here, I’m sure it would be purchased and published.

Maybe I’ll give it a whirl.

My 28 Favorite Short Stories/Novellas

1. “The Big Two-Hearted River” - Ernest Hemingway

2. “The Black Cat” - Edgar Allan Poe

3. “The Body” - Stephen King

4. “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” - Ernest Hemingway

5. “The Color Out of Space” - H.P. Lovecraft

6. “The Deep End” - Robert R. McCammon

7. “The Dunwich Horror” - H.P. Lovecraft

8. “The Fall of the House of Usher” - Edgar Allan Poe

9. “Iverson’s Pits” - Dan Simmons

10. “Lamb to the Slaughter” - Roald Dahl

11. “The Man from the South” - Roald Dahl

12. “The Mist” - Stephen King

13. “The Monkey’s Paw” - W.W. Jacobs

14. “Night They Missed the Horror Show” - Joe Lansdale

15. “One of the Missing” - Ambrose Bierce

16. “The Open Window” - Saki

17. “The Raft” - Stephen King

18. “Skin” - Roald Dahl

19. “The Squaw” - Bram Stoker

20. “The Tell-Tale Heart” - Edgar Allan Poe

21. “Ten Indians” - Ernest Hemingway

22. “To Build a Fire” - Jack London

23. “Traps” - F. Paul Wilson

24. “The Ugly File” - Ed Gorman

25. “Up in Michigan” - Ernest Hemingway

26. “The Voice in the Night” - William Hope Hodgson

27. “The Wendigo” - Algernon Blackwood

28. “The Willows” - Algernon Blackwood

On High Concepts

HIGH CONCEPTS FOR NOVELS ARE HIGHLY OVERRATED.

But what are they?

A high concept is a brilliant, earth shaking story gimmick that’ll guarantee you a huge advance from your publisher, big publicity, a sure bestseller, and the sale of film rights to a major studio.

A lot of writers beat their brains out looking for a high concept. I’ve done it myself.

Generally, this results in little more than sore brains.

I know of writers who “test” ideas. They’ll try out their concepts on friends, fellow writers, their agents or their editors, asking basically, “What about this one? Is this a high concept (alternately known as a ‘breakout idea’) or should I keep on looking?”

Some agents and editors might even request a selection of concepts from you, so they can have the pleasure of picking out the topic for your next book.

(If they do, you’re in trouble.)

Now, I’m not a-gonna say there’s no point in looking for high concepts.

They can’t hurt.

You’re certainly better off writing a novel with a terrific gimmick than one that has a mediocre gimmick or no gimmick at all. That stands to reason.

But a high concept is no guarantee of success.

A lot will depend on how well and in what directions you develop the concept. If you take it in a direction that your editor doesn’t appreciate, you’re sunk.

If you are serious about taking the “high concept” route, you really need to second-guess your editor and try to figure out how he would like see it developed. Try to read your editor’s mind. Ask questions. Write the book to order.

If you do that, of course, you are a hack.

If you’re going to be any good, you need to do it your way and take your chances that other people (including an editor) will appreciate what you’ve done with your story.

I’ve written several novels that, at least in my opinion, have high concepts. The Stake, Savage, Quake and Body Rides, for instance. In my opinion, if treated properly by publishers, every one of them had the potential to be a bestseller. They pretty much did live up to my hopes for them in the U.K., but not here in the U.S.

Why did none of them become bestsellers here in the States?

Because the publishers decided, for whatever reasons, that they wouldn’t be.

The decision is based on a lot of factors, such as your “track record” and the publisher’s notion of what sells.”

It has nothing whatsoever to do with the intrinsic value of a book.

Realize that.

Know it in your heart.

Know that book publishing is almost entirely a self-fulfilling prophecy on the part of the publisher. A book cannot be a major seller, or even a decent contender, unless the publisher decides that it will be. And the decision is made early.

It is usually made before the publisher has even offered you a contract.