Hi Erick,
Amen to almost all of what you said.
However, Leonard is one of those guys who comes up with a
character or two or three, sees a scene, and begins to write
with no notion of where the story is going. There are many
who would say that "it shows," and I guess I'd say it has led
to some disappointing storylines. Ellroy, on the other hand,
outlines voluminously
-- he claims to have done a 250 page outline for what became
a 450 page book.
While I disagree with his description of his plots as
multilayered and complex, I would acknowledge that his sense
of pacing is good, (especially for someone who is so enamored
with detail) and that his many threads of plot always come
together.
My point is that neither of these
guys are really "series" writers, but one of them is very
plot focused and the other is content to discover the story
as he goes along. For one, the characters and how they
interact is what is really important, while for the other,
the story matters as much or more than the people.
Ellroy's method can lead to
some dull and complicated books in less talented hands than
his, but Leonard's technique can take the reader on a trip
that fizzles out or turns unbelievable in the end. It
requires skill to do execute either option well, but my
belief is that the writer who never outlines any of his
stories, at least in part, is going to write some puny stuff
before he or she is done. Series or no series.
Jim
Blue
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