A novel is written -- before your very eyes

My friend Cyn Mobley, novelist extraordinaire, is writing another novel. (She's written more than 40 already.)

This time, however, she's letting the world in on the process.

Cyn writes very quickly. She should have this one done in a month or so. That's it. From idea to final manuscript.

She started last week and has put together a series of podcasts and notes about the progress she is making. You can find them at this site.

Cyn has a definite formula for how you write a suspense/thriller, and I have been one of her students of novel writing for more than a year. She has conducted numerous workshops and discussion groups on the process, and she has taught me a great deal of how you put together something as complex as a 90,000-word novel. It ain't easy.

And if you want to get into this novel-writing thing, I would recommend a couple of Cyn's short books, BAM: Book A Month and BAM Advanced Fiction Techniques: First Pages.

Best of luck, Cyn.